I think this time of year is very appropriate for airing my opinion on the double-edged sword of horse guardianship.

I use the term guardianship, because not only does it cover those of us who make it our life’s work to care for other people’s horses, not just owners, but because of the technical, legal definition of guardianship.

In Ireland, the legal definition of guardianship as it pertains to human children is “the legal responsibility of parents to make decisions and perform duties in relation to their child’s upbringing.”

I also like using the term guardianship, because I think it acknowledges that horses are not objects or possessions.

Now, our guardianship of horses might not be as legalistically defined, nor enforced, but I think it gives a good idea of what I mean.

When I call it a double-edged sword, the flip side of that responsibility is the gifts we receive from our caring for horses. The joy, the laughs, the rewards, and the satisfaction. I don’t think many of us are in the equine industry for the money, it is a way of life, a vocation, not just a job.

Growing up on a farm, I never had to be taught that when you have the sole responsibility of animals, there are no lie-ins, no holidays, no days off. I just adsorbed that, like an amoeba osmosing water. It just is the way of things.

The animals under your care very often get checked and fed and watered before a sip of anything has passed your lips.

On Christmas day, rain or shine, someone has to see to the horses, and you can guarantee it’s long before they think of opening their presents. And for most of us, that’s how we prefer it!

When the horses are yours alone, you take all the shifts. If you choose horses as your career, you may be lucky enough to get Christmas off this year, but it means you pull the New Year shift.

And there is no putting it off until later if it is snowing, or flooding, or baking hot. In fact, chances are, that’s exactly when they need extra care and diligence.

Working on a commercial Thoroughbred stud, this time of year sees the lead up to the official start of foaling season. No matter your interest or discipline, there is always a busy season, and a quieter season. But, no matter what time of year it is, you cannot afford to not check on your charges.

Storm Barra has just swept through Ireland, and for those of us least affected, it probably just meant a bit more rain than usual.

Murphy’s Law meant that for me and my colleagues, in the middle of howling winds and lashing rain, we were faced with the extra task of filling spare water buckets from a tanker, for an entire yard full of horses, as everyone was in to shelter from the weather, and the water pipes were empty.

You stay until the last horse is sorted, until they have enough to see them through the night, no matter that you are soaked to the bone, and your hands are so cold that they are barely functional.

And then when the storm has passed, you scour every fence line, every pasture, to check if it is safe for the horses to go back out, even if it means you miss your lunch break for the third day in a row.

I always think, if you cannot, or will not, put aside the 9-5 mentality, you should not take on the responsibility of animals.

When you get a call at 2am to say there is a mare foaling, you don’t get to roll over and go back to sleep. When you find a weanling choking in the field at 5pm on a Friday afternoon, or a yearling colicking as you’re about to walk off the yard on Sunday morning, it is not an option to keep walking, to head home.

And if you even want to, to leave without seeing to the welfare of that animal, you should not assume a position of guardianship.

With horses, timely intervention in an emergency can so often mean the difference between a hopeful, and a hopeless, prognosis.

It does sometimes feel like a very heavy responsibility to carry on one’s shoulders. On a day when the weather is brutal, you wonder why you do it. When you lose one of the animals you care for, you wonder if it is worth it.

People ask me why I care, why I invest so much, why I try, why I love, when these are not my creatures.

The simple answer is that they are creatures. God created every single one, and who am I to say which deserves care or love above another?

So I will give my everything, I will love and care and try and go the extra 500 miles for each one that I can…

And on that note, here’s wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas, and a peaceful and crisis-free festive season!