A Curious Day at the Barn: Unexpected Lessons About Quality
- Fiona Mackenzie
- 60 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Sometimes the best way to reset is to step into a completely different environment. Curiosity led me to visit my friend Jean at the barn to understand why time with her horse, Jet, is her therapy. With 11 horses on the property, the scene was peaceful—green pastures, fall leaves, and a quiet rhythm of routines. What I didn’t expect was how much this visit would teach me about quality.
Before I noticed anything technical, I noticed the relationship. The calm, palpable connection between Jean and her 18-hands, 1,400-lb. gelding was striking. She explained natural horsemanship—an approach grounded in patience, trust, observation, and guiding rather than forcing. That idea made me reflect. It mirrors a challenge we often face as quality professionals: Are we pushing compliance? Or are we guiding teams, demonstrating value, storytelling, and showing why a process or strategy is worth adopting? Natural horsemanship became an unexpected lens through which I saw the rest of the barn—and, surprisingly, my own work.
Once I saw that connection, the parallels became impossible to ignore. The entire barn operated on principles that felt remarkably familiar to our field:
5S – Sort, Set, Shine, Standardize & Sustain — clean cabinets neatly arranged with color-coded, clearly labeled containers for food, supplements, and medications for all 11 horses
Quality assurance — review/approval of a 7-day medication tray holding 26 pills per day
Risk management — hard-toe shoes & awareness of Pennsylvania liability law
External supplier quality — inspecting and testing hay before purchase
Preventive actions — bell boots to help prevent injury
Monitoring & observation — catching subtle changes in a horse’s movement or comfort
Facilities oversight — ensuring the environment, routines, and infrastructure support each horse’s wellbeing
I left the barn re-energized—not just from the fresh air, but from the reminder that quality is often the invisible structure supporting every smooth, meaningful, and even therapeutic moment. And sometimes, the most unexpected settings offer the clearest lessons.
