Sandra Sullivan has always had a passion for horses. She also has a passion for producing quality video programming related to her equine pursuits. She met a like-minded producer and they decided to come up with something new and unique.
Sandra and her producer friend (a man) gathered together seven women involved with horses and had a roundtable discussion. The topic was how to create a magazine-style show about horses. The first thing they needed was a name. One person was talking about how her involvement with horses had become a habit. Everyone sitting around the table exclaimed, “That’s IT!”
Horse Habit TV debuted in July of 2019. Sandra posts a variety of horse-related content on her Horse Habit TV Facebook page. She states her mission as:
Horse Habit TV will take a slightly different look at the world of horses and their people.
I discovered her in early December of 2020. It was through Sandra that I connected with Sunny Parker of Arizona Foothills 911. (More about Sunny later!)
Sandra has been so successful in developing her content that she debuted this month on Equus Television Network. Her first episode features a story about Scout’s Trail, a mother/daughter equitrekking team with quite a story to tell.
I asked Sandra to pick a couple of her favorite stories. She readily named two of her favorite segments. Her interview with her friend Carole Mercer was a memorable experience. Likewise, her conversation with Steve Perrine of Bear Hill Horse Logging stood out as a favorite.
Carole Mercer, Equestrienne Extraordinaire
Carole Mercer is an author and the star (along with her beautiful black horses) of The Dancing Morgans. She was invited to ride at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. She is in her 7th decade of life and has, like many of us in her generation, learned a great deal about living.
Carole has been around horses since she was a very young child. She suffered an unspeakable tragedy when her daughter was killed in a car accident. Carole instinctively turned to her horse habit to help her rebuild her life. At the end of Sandra’s segment about Carole, Carole offers this insight into what she has learned:
We all need to help in some way or another. The long and short of my life is the moment I learned I could create myself. My life is not about finding myself. My life is about creating myself. I am who I created.
Steve Perrine, a modern-day Paul Bunyon
Steve Perrine is one of the fortunate few who supports himself with horses as his partners. Notwithstanding the fact that, according to him, his livelihood is “the topmost deadly job on the face of the planet, not just logging with horses but logging in general.” He has broken his leg and cut a major artery with the saw while deep in the woods…
One of the best aspects of logging with horses is Steve’s ability to have minimal impact on the surrounding landscape. He states:
It saves so much young growth to log with a team of horses when you are cutting selectively.
Although he grew up with Arabians, he has always loved the draft breeds. He uses horses that are at least 18 hands and weigh a ton. Contrary to most loggers, he doesn’t put blinders on his horses. He believes the job is hard enough without handicapping his horses’ ability to see what is going on around them.
It is essential that his horses have a good mentality. They need to be able to pull hard when necessary, but also willing to stand still when they aren’t needed. Steve says some low-impact loggers use mules, oxen, or even elephants in other countries. He loves his draft horses!
The best way to share Steve’s view of his “job” is to share his own words:
You’ve got to be a little crazy to do this but I love it! These animals are amazing. It is something that never gets old with these horses. These guys love what they do. When you have to pull down a leaner, or if they have to hit a hitch hard and they’ve got to hit it hard to initially get it moving, that never gets old. It is such a blast to see those horses drop down, drop their rear and take their head up and squat, they throw themselves down like a spider… to see them dig and pull heavy like that, it never gets old. They love it, and I love it, and that part of it never gets old.
I would strongly encourage you to watch both of these segments… they are really interesting! They are linked in the paragraph where Sandra chose her favorites. And check out Horse Habit TV’s website and their Facebook page… Sandra posts all kinds of fun and diverse content. Lastly, don’t miss out on all that Equus Television Network has to offer!
