I’m reading in various places on the internet posts in which the authors are asking horse people to stop bashing equine sports and its abuses because if they continue, the horse industry itself will die out.
And my response to this is:
If competitors cannot treat horses humanely maybe the industry should die out.
Maybe there shouldn’t even BE an “industry” that uses horses for financial gain and ego boosting.
Maybe anyone who loves horses, or professes to, should consider that if you own a horse or even if you’re just watching someone else “own” a horse, it’s your job, your responsibility, to advocate for the welfare, health, and wellbeing of that horse. Speaking out when we see abuse is always the right thing to do.
A response to my response this morning suggested that if there is no horse “industry” then what purpose would it serve to even have horses?
My response:
No purpose for anyone to have horses? How about because we love them and enjoy living with them and riding them in ways that promote their, and our, health and wellbeing? I have lived with 6 equines for the past 20 years. My amazing mare who passed at age 30, my heart horse gelding who passed at age 34, and now my son’s 19 year old horse, my daughter’s 24 year old pony (yes, the one who she bought at age 7 with her own money and rode in Pony Club for years), and our two miniature donkeys ages 16 and 17. All these equines have been with us since age 2, 4, and 6 months of age. They bring joy to me every single day. I have learned about equine nutrition, hoof care and trimming, EPM, PSSM, senior horse care, bodywork for all of them, and how bonded a herd of horses becomes to one another and to the humans they live with. This is the true journey of humans and horses, not the industry that makes money off them.
Have we gone so far outside the rails of compassion and common sense that we actually think there is no reason to live with horses if there isn’t industry and competition and training and making money off these amazing animals?
I’m so done with this way of thinking. It represents the worst part of being human.
In our little horse world, dear husband decided last night on a whim to go ahead and turn our little herd out together for the first time since Apache’s surgery and recovery. Oh, how happy they are! I’m so glad we’ve reached his third month post surgery. Now we count down the rest of the year with him to get all the way through this year’s big event for a very amazing Little Man.
2 comments:
Of course, I couldn't agree with your response more it's as if I wrote it myself. Since my daughter was 5 she's been riding horses.In the beginning, because you don't know and are new to the sport, you go along with whatever the trainers tell you to do. Well, after more years than I care to count and numerous shows up and down the East Coast, I can say we've seen outright abuse and uncaring owners and trainers. Most are out to promote their own egos and make money off their clients. There are a handful that actually seem to like the horses and care about their welfare. Then again there are the ones who see them as livestock to be used and traded and sold to upgrade their stables. So I couldn't care less if the horse industry dies out. I could go on and on forever but I'll stop here and just say we no longer show and haven't for years. Our horses are happy and love being just horses and we have no agenda but to enjoy having them around us.
Thanks for writing - I was sure you’d be on a similar page with this!
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