Subscribe by Email

Your email:

Most Popular Posts

Browse by Tag

Posts by Month

Horse Jobs and Hiring Blog

Current Articles | RSS Feed RSS Feed

Opinion - Where the Horse Industry is Headed?

Posted by Seth Burgess on Fri, Jun 04, 2010 @ 02:16 PM
Share on Twitter Twitter | Share on Facebook Facebook | Submit to Digg digg it |  Add to delicious  delicious |  Submit to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon |  Share on LinkedIn LinkedIn | Submit to Reddit reddit 

What's next in the horse industry?In a horse industry career or in an equine business it pays to know where the horse industry is going next; what products and services will soon be in demand.  Successful horse people are the ones who get ready for the next trend before it gets here in a big way.  Being a leader instead of a follower may make the difference between success and failure.

In my opinion, the horse industry is making a shift from one emphasis to another. Training and competing are on the wane and horses are becoming more in-depth personal companions and perhaps even spiritual guides.  Before you get defensive or angry, let me say that training and competition will be around for a long time yet, and probably will always be part of what people do with horses.  However, training and competition are well established games in which the competition is formidable.  If you want to get in on the ground floor in providing contemporary training services, or in modern competition, it is too late.  The right moment for getting in on the ground floor probably occurred 75-100 years ago. 

Right now, there is an emerging arena of activities with horses which might be described as relationship oriented, growth and learning oriented, and spiritual in nature.  New trends frequently get started because they are responding to an emerging trend in our general society.  Western society itself is going through a transition. We are learning more self-awareness, more recognition that we all depend on each other, more sense of connectedness to nature, and a new scientific understanding that we are not here just by chance. 

The business of horses is beginning to respond to this broader trend.  The ground floor is now.  Organizations like Epona, EAGALA, and Parelli, to name a few, are focusing more and more on the human/horse relationship, and less on just training and competition.  Getting involved on the ground floor of something is always risky, because you are never certain that your crystal ball is totally clear.  Certainty will only come in hind sight, and by then the ground floor will be long gone. 

As long as there are people and horses, people will want to be involved with horses. Inevitably, this will lead to equine related businesses and equine employment.  Success will come to those who choose the right ground floor to get in on. 

What do you think?  Leave me a comment.

Tags: , , ,

Comments

The concept of personal relationship between horse and rider is not new. It has been in existence for hundreds of years. It is called Dressage. While there is a competitive element of dressage, classical dressage is ultimately about the relationship and harmony established between the horse and rider to work together through gymnastic exercises and over a substantial period of time to make the horse even more beautiful and the rider more at one with the horse. This is done with patience and persistent over time, without shortcuts, without resistance. It is hard work and takes great dedication, but if done correctly creates a relationship/patrnership with your horse like no other. The time is definitely worth the reward. Whether you chose to compete or not is a personal choice.  
It's mostly about educating people that this avenue of horsemanship exists and should be pursued. Unfortunately our culture is built on "instant" gratification, or buying it done. Dressage requires time, effort, dedication and patience, patience, patience.
Posted @ Thursday, July 01, 2010 8:37 PM by JoAnne Brinkman
I am in a community where "rescues" are gaining popularity. The people who hire me are very interested in behavior and I put a lot of effort into teaching about horse behavior. Sometimes they are very knowledgeable about behavior in other species, such as dogs, and are surprised how different horses are. 
 
I like the new trend as much as I like tradition, such as dressage - but as horse ownership grows with the aspect of horses as "pets" , it's a good idea to share with our clients, a lot more of what we know about horse behavior. It's a field of knowledge many of us have obtained through living with horses and we're not aware how little this kind of knowledge is available to the general public.
Posted @ Friday, July 02, 2010 12:19 AM by Loretta Beavis
Great comments! Yes, relationships with horses are nothing new. However, the relationships seem to be taking on a new depth and meaning for lots of people, even people who don't ride.
Posted @ Friday, July 02, 2010 10:20 AM by Seth Burgess
One of the most exciting and possibly life saving activities with horses centers around working with the returning soldiers. Not just riding but groundwork, problem solving and anger managment. Even the Veteran's Administration,which is often years behind any trend, is seeing the value of soldiers working with horses. Think of the possibilities for horses with bleak futures being given the jobs of helping our soldiers. It is a win win solution to a lot of problems.
Posted @ Tuesday, August 17, 2010 2:16 PM by annie
What a wonderful idea! Thanks for posting it.
Posted @ Tuesday, August 17, 2010 3:42 PM by Seth Burgess
Yes the relationship has always been there between horses and humans. Mostly the horse throughout all of time from the Nomads on up has always adapted and adjusted themselves to fit in with the needs of humans whether it be for transport, partnership, survival, wars, settling civilizations and governments, farming, labor, industrial before the motor, sports, entertainment, all the way to therapeutic riding and hippotherapy, which then has led us into EAP and EAL! No matter what man has needed he has heeded the assistance of the horse, and the horse has always obliged. EAP is a deepened way to explore the connection between horses and humans, they offer a road map to solve our inner blocks, fears and pains, showing us a better way to think, act and interact with ourselves and others. So I ask even the non horse people - it is right or in anyway just that we are rounding up our mustangs and sending thousands of horses to treacherous rides to inhumane slaughter houses? dont we as a collective race owe them as a collective species so much more gratitude and and basic respect? Please be a voice to stop the BLM's corrupt genocide of our wild horses! And explore the ways in which horses are helping people heal from trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, failed marriages, and communication breakdowns, - we have much to learn from the horse!!! They are ready and willing to show us the way, all we have to do is ask!
Posted @ Wednesday, August 18, 2010 8:37 PM by Christianna Capra
Well said Christiana. We do indeed owe a debt of gratitude to the horse. While I am sympathetic to the BLM/Slaughter problem, it is not an easy one to solve on the practical level. I just moved from Southwest Texas where I lived for 15 years. As soon as the ban on horse slaughter was passed in this country, we saw a dramatic increase in the number of horses being shipped to Mexico for slaughter. It's good to keep the dialog going. That's the only way we will find a better solution.
Posted @ Thursday, August 19, 2010 10:42 AM by Seth Burgess
Post Comment
Name
 *
Email
 *
Website (optional)
Comment
 *

Allowed tags: <a> link, <b> bold, <i> italics