April and Parker
Conclusions
When I was 13, my parents started to consider buying me my own pony.  Instead of encouraging this outright, my first instructor warned me that owning a pony would be a lot of extra work.  She told me that I would have to get used to putting the needs of my pony before my own needs.  She said that this pony would be mine, but that ownership implied a responsibility to take the best care of my pony as possible.  I thought I was ready for this responsibility, and I got my first pony.  I loved it, but it was a lot of work. I know now that if I hadn't enjoyed the work of caring for a horse almost as much as I did riding, it would have been a disaster.  Since that time, I have come to believe that we horses owners do have a great responsibility to these animals that live by our leave.  We ask them to be confined when they naturally would like to roam.  As an eventer, I ask my horse to be an athlete and jump over strange looking solid obstacles at high speeds.  I ask my horses to get in a trailer and stay in strange stalls at strange barns and then compete on top of that.  And amazingly, they put up with this stress and are mostly willing partners. In exchange for these gifts, I feel like it is my job to give my horse the best everyday life that it is possible to give.  And this means the healthiest environment possible.  In my personal experience, this is one of the biggest factors to horse health and happiness.  Our horses are much more closely tied to the land than we are, or perhaps than we often think we are, and there are direct consequences for them if their pasture is not healthy or other cycles at the farm are being disrupted or not managed properly.

Proper management of horse farms is equally important from the other point of view as well.  Even though horses do not have the impact of a large cattle farm, every little bit helps.  Here in Northfield and in the Cannon River region, the streams and wetlands that are on many of these farms are vitally important for the health of the environment in the area.  These areas are just as vulnerable to horses as they are to cattle and the protection that horse owners can afford them is just as important.  Proper management can only be a good thing, for horse and environment.

As I worked through this project, I was relieved and happy to find that there are many farms that are concerned about the environmental impacts of keeping horses.  Through doing this project I also now believe that horses do not have to have a detrimental effect on the environment.  With proper management, horses can have a minimal and perhaps even a positive effect on their environment.  I do think that futher inquiry into this subject needs to be continued.  There are still issues with soil, pastures, water, and manure that need to be answered.  But the biggest thing that needs to happen is the education of the general horse owning population.  If all farms were aware and practicing these management options, we could be improving our environment, our horses health, and the image of the horse owning population for everyone else.

The four farms that were interviewed for this project gave valuable insight into this area as well as possible management practices for many types of farms.  It was really nice to meet and talk to horse owners that were concerned about these issues and had thought through how to deal with them. Even though they were all a little different, we can see that there are many options for keeping practices environmentally friendly. They all were very aware of their wetlands and open water.  They were all concerned about manure management and had come up with their own way of disposing of manure in an environmentally friendly way.  All four farms also mentioned the worries about suburbanization and the expansion of Northfield and Dundas.  The growth of these and other towns will be one of the biggest issues for the small horse farms in the future. 

I hope that horses can still be integrated into this place as it becomes more urban.  If managed well, horse farms can create many positives that would disappear if they were forced out of the neighborhood.  One of the many benefits is that horses farms can add little patches of natural area for wildlife and vegetation in an otherwise suburban neighborhood.  Many birds and small mammals make their homes in the pasture areas that would have to move if that pasture was turned into manicured lawn.  People also often find looking at peacefully grazing horses a welcome and beautiful sight.  Having horses in the area also expands and adds to the sense of place in the area.  The horse world really has its own culture, history, stories, and memories that adds one more interesting facet to the over all history of the area.   Horses also shape the landscape in this area.  Whether consciously noted or not, the horse farms in the area add to the flavor of Northfield and the Canon River region. 

I urge the horses owners out there to look into these environmental considerations for their own farms.  The management practices outlined in the Foundation section can help to forge a solid foundation of environmental soundness to the benefit of the horses and the land for the long term.  The interviews of the four horse farms in Northfield can help to outline how some people have put some of these management practices to practical use.  If they can do it, so can you!  These practices don't have to be expensive or more time consuming than other practices.  And in the long run, and perhaps even in the shorter term, you will come out ahead with healthier, happier horses and a healthy, productive, and sustainable farm.
"Remember, any complaint about horses reflects on all horse owners.  Realize that not everyone loves horses.  Consider yourself an ambassador for horses by good stewardship of land and water resources.  Care of natural resources in your local area will initiate an expanding ripple."
The Horse Owners Guide to Water Quality Protection
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