Those who ride and care for horses know that an injured equine is an inevitable event, even if the horses in their care live in a padded stalls wrapped in protective gear. While some horses seem remain remarkably unscathed, others keep us on high alert (and drain our wallets) with their uncanny ability to get injured. But is it really just bad luck? Or could our approach to horsemanship play a bigger role than we realize?

Tim Mearns teaches bear awareness and wildlife safety as part of the Horseback Riding Backcountry Boot Camp. He imparts essential knowledge for anyone venturing into the backcountry. Basics are key, including proper handling of food, using bear-resistant pack boxes, knowing how to use bear spray and having it ready to go at an instant’s notice. Equally important is understanding bears and what is important to them, such as the changing of the seasons and the types of environments they prefer. In the spring, for example, females will be out and about with cubs, and in the autumn bears are intensely focused on food and fattening up for winter.

What makes a deed good? Is it good intentions or is it good results? Or are both elements required for a deed to qualify as good? When it comes to the “wildies” (loose, wild, and feral horses), some people turned their good intentions into action by putting out feed for the horses wintering on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Heavy rains had turned the gravel roads west of Sundre, Alberta into a bone-jarring ride over an excessive smattering of potholes. One after the other, potholes filled with rainwater splattered a thick coat of dark mud onto my truck. The continuous bump, bump, bump almost knocked out my fillings as my grandson Hunter, and I, drove deeper into the backcountry, searching for Alberta’s free roaming horses, known as Wildies.