Featured Articles
Read the featured posts from across each topic
The State of the Industry
Memoirs of a Working Student
The Young Horse Diaries
“To be ethical in this industry, you must love. You must recognize that you are able to eat because these animals exist, that you can support your loved ones, and that you can fulfill your own needs, all because they exist. If that doesn’t offer a reason to be kind, gentle, attentive, and most of all caring, then I do not know what does. Paychecks cannot get you out of bed every morning with a smile. You don’t hear thunder in the middle of the night and worry about the horses because you are paid to. What makes you do this job well, what makes you viable in this industry, is your love. Love for these beings who sustain you, who carry you, who give you a place, a purpose, a people.”
— Victoria Lee Lustig
Nice horses are not just bred, they are made, or they are unmade. And we need to understand that. No matter its bloodlines, a horse needs to be developed, trained, and conditioned to live up to its potential. By the same token, if a horse is not developed, or developed badly, that horse cannot reach its potential, no matter its raw talent. The U.S. horse industry talks about wanting to improve the bloodlines in this country, but we need to change that conversation.