Learning at Mill Swamp Indian Horses Is More Than Just Horsemanship

It's understanding the complex role that microbial enhancement plays in building healthy soils and livestock.

It's understanding  livestock instead of ridiculously anthropomorphizing them.

It's hands-on learning. Here Lydia is both teaching and learning as she demonstrates how to shear her first sheep, a rare Hog Island ram. Participants have been cleaning, carding,and making the wool into yarn since then.

It's learning to work together to solve problems and achieve goals.

It's inter generational learning. Cannon is learning about native planting practices and early colonial farming. Moments before doing so participants listened in as Daddy, age 82, one of the last men alive in our area who worked horses in the field in an actual farm operation talked, about how those horses were worked and cared for.

It is a chance to learn to play and perform Americana and Roots music on a variety of instruments.

It's learning the role of affection and communication in building real relationships with animals.

But most importantly, it's learning truths that are not otherwise self evident in the shallow, empty existence that this century presents to us. It's learning that putting the interests of others above the interests of oneself  is the first step to living an ethical life. It's learning that reality always matters and that appearance never does.

It's learning that the most obscene of all  four letter words is the word "mine."