17/10/2026
☕ Sunday Musings – The Privilege of Having a Voice
This morning's coffee comes with a rather full head, a slightly overpacked suitcase, and plenty to reflect on!
Today is the final day of Equifest, where I'll be presenting my talk on ethics and the hidden blind spots in horse welfare. And tonight, I'll be boarding a plane bound for Dublin, Ireland, to represent New Zealand Warmblood breeders at the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses Annual General Assembly.
Two very different events, on opposite sides of the world, but the more I think about it, the more I realise they have something rather important in common.
Both are about questioning the way we've always done things.
At Equifest, I'll be exploring how easily we can develop blind spots when it comes to horse welfare. How practices become normalised, traditions go unquestioned, and how even the most well-intentioned horse people can sometimes fail to recognise what is right in front of them.
In Dublin, I'll be raising some equally challenging questions, although this time they're about the international sport horse breeding industry.
How do we ensure breeders in smaller countries like New Zealand are fairly represented on the world stage? How do we protect the identity and integrity of our studbooks? And how do we ensure that international recognition, pedigree recording and the systems designed to support breeders don't inadvertently disadvantage those of us breeding horses a very long way from Europe?
Different subjects, certainly. But perhaps not such different conversations.
Because progress doesn't come from blindly accepting the status quo. It takes curiosity to question it, courage to challenge it, and a willingness to listen.
And I think that's something worth reflecting on, not just in the horse industry, but in life generally.
It's easy to accept established practices simply because they're familiar. It's much harder to question them, particularly when doing so might make others uncomfortable, challenge long-held beliefs, or mean standing up in a room where your perspective isn't necessarily the prevailing one.
But questioning something doesn't automatically mean we're criticising it. Sometimes it's precisely because we care so deeply about something that we're prepared to challenge it.
As I sit here with my Sunday morning coffee, I'm also feeling incredibly fortunate.
Fortunate to work in an industry that has given me such extraordinary opportunities. To travel, meet fascinating people, continue learning, share ideas, and occasionally have a seat at tables where important conversations are happening.
I certainly don't take any of that for granted. But I also believe that with the privilege of having a voice comes the responsibility to use it. Not necessarily to be the loudest person in the room. Not to pretend to have all the answers. And certainly not to suggest that my perspective is always the right one. But to be prepared to ask the questions that deserve to be asked, to represent those whose voices might not otherwise be heard, and to contribute to conversations that might ultimately make things better.
Whether that's improving our understanding of horse welfare, challenging the way we train and manage our horses, or ensuring that New Zealand breeders receive the recognition and representation they deserve internationally.
And perhaps that's my musing for this Sunday.
If we're fortunate enough to have a voice, shouldn't we be prepared to use it to make things better? After all, change rarely happens because everyone agrees that everything is already perfect. Sometimes it starts with someone being prepared to ask, "But could we do this better?"
Right then. One more coffee, one more presentation, and a rather long flight ahead!
Here's to asking good questions, keeping an open mind, and never being too old (or too set in our ways!) to learn something new. ☕🐴✈️🇳🇿🇮🇪
