The work shifts of horses are tracked and the individuality of horses is taken into account in shift planning.
According to the instructions, during longer rides in the field or with changing riders, horses can work continu-ously for no more than three hours and in total no more than four hours per day. On full-day trips and trail rides lasting several days or in very light tasks – such as walking – horses can work longer hours, assuming that they have been conditioned for it and the speed is proportioned to the distance (km) and duration (h). Rest needs are determined by, for example, the horse’s age and condition.
Conditions
Frost limits are often necessary for the customer’s sake. At a walk, when horses do not sweat or breathe hard, they are not bothered by frost during rides any more than they would be in their paddock.
The company must have a plan regarding whether to cancel or change activities in case of slippery ice, bad ice/snow ball weather, a thunder storm or very hot weather, for example. Similarly, instructions are needed for whether to blanket sweaty horses in cold weather and allow them to dry indoors.
In Lapland, the insect season with its biting midges is hard on both customers and horses. During biting midge season, the most difficult times of the day are morning, evening and night-time. On the other hand, in horsefly season, trail rides can be done at night when there are no horseflies. It helps if the trail goes through dry terrain with strong winds. Horses that suffer from the summer itch, in particular, can be helped with insect repellent or fly sheets. Summer itch is a medical condition in equines caused by hypersensitivity to the saliva of Culicoides midges, where the horrible itch leads horses to rub themselves and especially their mane and dock raw.
Frost may restrict riding. Fly blankets are useful, especially for horses that suffer from summer itch
Lapland Material Bank, Markus Kiili
Guest Column
Anna Kilpeläinen, Riding Instructor and Animal Trainer, Finland www.annakilpelainen.com.
A horse working with customers must be as safe as possible. The importance of steady and predicta-ble behaviour is emphasised when customers change often. Even though one can never be completely sure of a horse’s behaviour, safety can be promoted through many means.
A horse that works in a relaxed and happy manner and has been well-trained for its tasks rarely acts dangerously. It is important that the horse is mentally and physically balanced and experienced enough so that it can tolerate the inevitable clumsiness and conflicting signals of customers.
Behind mental endurance is a strong trust in humans and work situations created through suf-ficiently long and careful training and good experiences. Thanks to it, the horse does not need to be nervous of the things it encounters. Even in surprising situations, a relaxed and trustful horse will usually react calmly and predictably, which promotes the safety and well-being of customers and the horse itself. A horse that moves in a relaxed manner is also more likely to stay healthy physically than a tense horse.
The calmness of a horse is influenced by many things. One part is the horse’s inborn tempera-ment. Even with age and experience, a horse that reacts quickly and strongly may not become steady enough to be a suitable mount for inexperienced customers. A horse that reacts calmly is often also treated calmly and so has good chances of remaining trustful.
The physical well-being of a horse always shows in its behaviour. Pain or discomfort often makes horses either restless and wild or slow and apathetic. It is especially important to protect the horse’s mouth from sudden or rough rein handling by inexperienced riders and ensure that the saddle fits the horse as well as possible. Even a single bad experience can sometimes cause long-term problems.
It is important to make customers to understand their responsibility for the horses. An inexperi-enced customer may not realise how their behaviour affects the horse’s well-being. It is important to emphasise in advance that intoxicants have no place near horses. Horses must be spoken of as feeling individuals, and the importance of calm actions that take the horse into account must be emphasised.
6.10 Safe and healthy customer-service horse
ANIMAL WELFARE IN TOURISM SERVICES
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It is vital to give particularly specific instructions on the handling of the bit and reins. It is also im-portant to explain that, for reasons of safety and the horse’s well-being, riders must sit steadily and calmly in the saddle.
There may also be situations where a customer cannot be allowed to interact with horses. Intoxi-cation is an obvious reason, but a total incomprehension of or indifference to the instructor’s direction or actions that are detrimental to the horse may also qualify. Sometimes, a customer’s large size or inadequate coordination may pose too much risk to the horse. Such customers could instead be taken on a horse-drawn carriage ride with a professional driver.
Horses should be familiarised with different kinds of people who act in different ways so that they are not surprised and startled by sudden movements or sounds. Familiarisation with traffic and, for example, grazing cows should be done gradually with an experienced trainer. Familiarisation is most successful and quickest if the horse never has a chance to be startled badly by the item in question. A single intense situation involving fear can make further training significantly harder. For this reason, it is advisable to plan the first encounters with new things in advance and familiarise the horse with them gradually and at such a distance that the horse is only slightly concerned and not yet afraid.
In the end, the biggest influence on the good life of horses is people. People’s choices, behaviour, knowledge and skills give horses the opportunity to be well and work happily.
Horses have an extremely
6.11 Instructing guides and grooms
In encounters between tourists and animals, the company’s employees play a very important role. The guide is responsible for ensuring the welfare and safety of both the animals and people. It is important to know horses, large prey animals, as individuals and as a species. Different nationalities and languages and modern people’s alienation from nature bring additional challenges to tourism services. It is not enough that the guide is good with animals – they must also have good social skills with people of all ages and types as well as the ability to instruct and support them, solve problems and create a positive atmos-phere. A good guide can recognise risks connected to activities and act to prevent them, for example by giving instructions to a rider when their horse gets nervous.