Perhaps it is something you never thought about but, whilst cultivating your passion for horses, you can find ways of reducing your environmental impact and contribute to the global effort towards protecting nature. Here you’ll find a few suggestions to start with; however, feel free to carry out your own assessments and come up with more ideas to make your passion for horses as sustainable as you can.
Transport
Emissions from transport are amongst the highest sources of greenhouse gasses in the UK (Imperial College London, 2022). Whether you are driving to the yard multiple times a week, or getting ready for an excursion, or a competition:
• Consider sharing transport whenever possible
• Make sure your car and lorry are in top shape: checking your tyres pressure up to every two weeks can help save up to 3% of fuel, whilst a malfunctioning oxygen sensor could compromise fuel efficiency by 40% (Imperial College London, 2022).
• Plan your journey using free online software.
Moreover, you can calculate fuel costs and related emissions with free online calculators, such as the one provided by the Carbon Footprint (2022), and track how much money and CO2 you can save!
Hay
Although the most obvious cost of hay is the money we pay to farmers, hay production and its transport come at an environmental cost. The use of fuel and energy, as well as contamination from herbicides and pesticides, are to be counted into the equation. Such aspects give us scope to manage hay in a more responsible way:
• Use hay nets and containers to avoid wasting hay
• Try to source your hay locally to cut transports emissions
• Consider buying organic hay, cultivated without pesticides and fertilizers which improves soil quality and prevents water contamination (Pimentel et al 2005).
Cutting the input of pesticides and fertilizers is not only better for soil, water and biodiversity, but makes hay and forage production less energy demanding, hence less polluting (Fess and Benedito, 2018).
Riding clothing, rugs and accessories
Luckily the equestrian market is starting to produce various eco-friendly accessories. Look for products which are:
• Made of recycled materials (such as riding leggings or rugs made of recycled plastic bottles, or end-of-production natural fibres)
• Made locally, by methods which reduce water and energy consumption, and/or by using renewable energy
• Packaged in recyclable packaging
Of course, production and distribution are only half of the story. For bonus points, try to extend the lifespan of each item by mending it or donating it and, when items do reach the end of their life, make sure they are disposed of properly.
As you can see, there are multiple aspects that we can focus on to make our hobby more sustainable, and enjoy the view of a healthier environment when sitting on the back of our horses.