In a message dated 10/14/2004 11:41:42 AM Mountain Standard Time,
bobmorris@xxxxxxxx writes:
Which is
most important, the horse's welfare or the humans
ego?
If it were the horse's welfare, the world (as we know it would be an
entirely different place). The horse changed everything when we (as a
species) learned we could domesticate the horse and use it to do our bidding, be
it as food, transportation, recreation, an implement of war, etc.
We'd never put a halter on a horse if we were truly
concerned about its welfare.
The human's ego pales when juxtaposed to the human need to survive...which,
at the beginning, involved the horse as a selfless, noble component of human
evolution toward our present state of "civility".
Human ego enters the equation only after human need is
met. Hence, "recreation" happened.
For many (in our society) "recreation" has morphed
into another component of a life lived richly and with meaning.
I ain't so sure it should have.
I like horses...I like 'em enough not to
endanger them needlessly in pursuit of a title or some other nebulous
objective.
Some days, I do use one harder than normal...some days I
don't.
Some days I wonder why I feed 'em just to have to
clean up after 'em.
People in my life have wondered the same about me...but
they strive to keep me around.
