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[RC] Horses and "fun" - Nikki McCormackOk. I don't know that horses understand the concept of fun. I am sure they can enjoy things in the sense that a full belly is comforting to them and a romp with a playmate gets the blood flowing. I did my first 50 last weekend and, as I said on another group, "I could not have done it without my horse, and he sure as heck would not have done it without me."That said, when we condition on the same old trails, my little Arabian gets bored and drags along and I really have to push him. He always gets in the trailer and he always does it because that is what he is trained to do, but he does not seem to get much out of it. At the 50, he was forward and willing the whole ride, even when we were close to the end and he had gone further than ever before, even when we lost sight of all the other horses and it was just him, me, and our usual riding company, my husband and his horse. I won't say he was having fun, but he sure was willing and eager to discover the new trail. So maybe they don't have fun, but, at least with my horses, they sure seemed to like it when they have someplace new and different to see. I would never, ever, intentionally hurt my horses, but I do think one must consider the balance between quality and quantity. A well managed endurance horse is healthy and fit (doesn't that lead to longer life, barring accidents?) and they sure get more stimulation than most pasture ponies. I imagine some horses would prefer life without such stimulation, but mine seem to thrive on it. Nikki AERC M33800 / PNER 3782 / NSS 44146
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