Our Sustainability Commitment

Our tourism experiences are built around Finnhorses, northern nature and the everyday surroundings of a real working farm.

We do not create an experience at the expense of animal welfare, human safety or the environment.

Before booking, we aim to give guests clear information about:

• what the experience includes
• duration and group size
• riding or horse experience requirements
• clothing and equipment
• animal contact
• relevant features of the farm and natural environment
• factors that may affect accessibility or participation.

Routes, pace, duration, horses and group sizes are chosen according to the activity, participants, weather, ground conditions, safety and the wellbeing of the horses.

A programme may be changed because of weather, terrain, an individual horse or another safety or welfare consideration.

We also avoid promising things that we cannot control. Northern weather changes, animals are individuals and nature does not follow a timetable.

We follow: guest feedback, safety observations, group sizes, horse workloads, reasons for programme changes or cancellations and the accuracy of the information provided before a visit.

Animal welfare is the starting point for every activity involving animals.

We follow the horses’ health, behaviour, workload and recovery as part of ordinary daily life. Their individual needs and living conditions are considered alongside any work they do with people.

The horse’s behaviour is information. If its condition or responses suggest that the original plan is not suitable, the activity can be changed, shortened or stopped.

We follow: health, behaviour, recovery, workload, living conditions and willingness to participate.

Read About Horse Welfare

Our activities take place in a living farm and natural environment.

Fields, pastures, meadows, forests, routes and farmyards are managed with attention to their long-term condition. The use of different areas can be adjusted according to weather, ground conditions, vegetation and wear.

Grazing animals and the care of traditional farm environments can also contribute to maintaining open landscapes and rural biodiversity.

We use water, energy and materials thoughtfully and continue looking for practical ways to reduce the environmental impact of our work.

We follow: the condition and wear of the environment, use of resources, waste and changes that can reduce our environmental impact.

Repairing and reusing what already exists is part of both ecological and cultural responsibility at Ronivaara.

Old buildings and spaces are maintained and adapted to new uses when this can be done safely and appropriately.

Furniture, tools, building materials, fences and other useful items are repaired or reused when possible. New is not automatically better simply because it is new.

Any reused material must still meet the requirements of its purpose, including safety, hygiene and animal welfare.

We follow: the condition of buildings and equipment, the need for new purchases and opportunities for repair and reuse.

Ronivaara’s history, rural life and the Finnhorse are part of the cultural environment in which our experiences take place.

The Finnhorse is Finland’s native horse breed and national horse, with a long shared history with Finnish people. We want visitors to meet this heritage through the horses living here today rather than through a staged version of the past.

We preserve and use old buildings, objects, materials and knowledge when they remain meaningful and suitable for present-day use.

We also cooperate with local businesses, professionals and other organisations whenever this supports responsible and practical ways of working.

We follow: local cooperation and purchasing, and how local history, rural culture and Finnhorse heritage are represented in our activities and communication.

Learn About the Finnhorse

Responsibility also applies to the people who make Ronivaara work.

We aim for clear responsibilities, fair treatment, appropriate professional competence and a safe working environment.

People working at Ronivaara are introduced to the practices relevant to their role, including safety, customer guidance, animal welfare and shared ways of working.

Concerns, mistakes and near misses should be brought forward so that they can be addressed and used to improve the work.

When choosing services, suppliers and partners, we consider necessity, quality, durability, repairability, safety and opportunities to use local services or existing resources.

We follow: staff feedback and wellbeing, training and induction, safety observations, cooperation and the need and durability of purchases..

Safety is built through preparation, competence, clear information and attention to changing situations.

When animals are involved, the individual horse, its health, behaviour, workload and suitability are considered alongside the participants and conditions.

Activities, routes or working methods can be changed when safety or welfare requires it.

Quality is developed through feedback from guests and partners, practical observations, risk assessment and continuous review of our own work.

We follow: feedback, incidents, near misses, safety observations, risk assessments and the effectiveness of agreed practices.

We review this sustainability commitment at least once a year and whenever significant changes take place in our activities, services, staff, animals, legislation or operating environment.

The review uses information from:

• guest and staff feedback
• animal welfare observations
• safety observations and risk assessments
• everyday operational experience
• the condition and use of the environment
• buildings and materials
• resource use and other relevant sustainability information.

We look at what has progressed, what we have learned and what still needs to change.

Responsibility for sustainability work belongs to the management together with the people involved in everyday operations. Everyone working at Ronivaara is expected to follow agreed practices and to raise concerns and opportunities for improvement.keamia, vaaratilanteita, läheltä piti -tilanteita, omavalvonnan toteutumista, turvallisuusohjeiden ajantasaisuutta ja sovittujen tavoitteiden etenemistä.

Our sustainability communication is based on actions and practices that we can explain and support.

We do not make unsupported claims about environmental impacts, animal welfare, accessibility or the effects of an experience.

We communicate about what has already been achieved as well as the things we are still developing.

Information on our website, experience descriptions and pre-arrival guidance is updated when our activities, goals or practices change.

Sustainability is not a finished state. It is everyday choices, noticing their effects and continuing to look for better ways to work.