Return to ISSUES Home Page
Living with Horses  PHILOSOPHY
 
 

       This website's LIVING WITH HORSES - ISSUES section has to do with DOMESTICATED horses, all of whom are "managed", which is to say that they are controlled and directed by humans.

 

       The management of domesticated horses very much is an interconnected part of the customized circle of life type of representation (the Site Sections SELECTOR WHEEL) that is used as a basis for organizing information on this website.  The ways in which humans do their living with horses is a very obvious and connecting bridge between the natural evolutionary supportive existence of the world's few remaining, free roaming wild horses and the natural evolutionary destructive practices of human civilization and politics

.

       Mankind's continuing wanton destruction of natural ecology goes hand in hand with mankind's continuing elimination of wild horses.  And, the less we are influenced by observations of wild horses, regarding our relationships with domesticated horses, the more we let civilization and politics take over this decision making process for ALL of our horses and the more natural evolutionary and ecologically destructive we become.  The "so what" in all of this, is that what we humans are doing to other lifeforms on earth, we utimately are doing to ourselves.  (That translates into the poisoning and extinction of the human species from the planet.)

      This being said, the more specific points of philosophy on this page are based on what are thought to be common sense views concerning more natural ecologically friendly considerations of all types of issues, relating both directly and, sometimes, only to a very limited degree .. to how we do our living with horses.

     As "My Old Pappy" used to say, "ANYTHING IN MODERATION."

 

       I think he was really onto something, there.  And, it's been pretty good advice for me, for nearly half a century. After staying alive that long, and having ridden and loved horses since I was about ten years old, I am ashamed of having taken so much bad advice during most of those years from "more experienced" horse riders and, then, from "more experienced" horse owners and professionals, including many misdirected veterinarians and farriers.  My having been a working TV News Reporter during most of those years, I should have known better than to assume that skepticism belonged only in my workplace.

       After finally making a personal discovery that so much of the advice about horses, that I had taken and applied to my own, "once in a lifetime" horse for so many years, simply was "dead wrong" and quite often cruel and counter productive, there was a strong and obvious temptation to make an immediate jump to the extremes at the opposite end of the 'Living with Horses" issues scale, now popularly known as Natural Horse Care and Natural Horsemanship.  But, as the few remaining, really responsible news reporters would tell you, they always try to check out and report on both sides of an issue, often discovering that the truth of a matter seems to lie somewhere in between.  And, a lot of the "natural" horse stuff that's being so widely publicized these days, doesn't work as advertised, either!

 
  So, using the advice given by "My Old Pappy", the results, which appear on this web site take a somewhat moderated view of many of the issues, except for one, the matter of vitually stopping the present and popular use of  horseshoes.  Our opinion on keeping iron shoes on a horse is that, for the animal, this should be considered as cruel and abnormal (albeit not unusual) punishment.
 

        In case you are relatively new to the world of horse ownership, you may be interested in the following observations.  The domestic horse world happens to be chock full of what some people call its "dirty little secrets" about long accepted and cruel practices, amounting to inhumane treatment of horses.  The more I see and learn about this shameful situation, the more I become disgusted with so much about the lazy and selfish nature of so many people who mainly are driven to compete with one another for personal profit and status.  In these competitions, the winners are looked up to by their human peers, while the big time loosers are always the horses.  These horse owners nearly always proclaim that they are great horse LOVERS while, in reality, they basically are horse USERS and, oft times, abusers.

       This condition is not exclusive to horse owners in "the good old USA".   For example, I still have a videotape copy, in my personal files, of a "documentary" film entitled.The Queen and Her Ceremonial Horses, that was produced in England and broadcast in the 1980s on WHYY-TV, the Public Broadcasting System's television station in Philadelphia, which contains a section that should have caused a public outcry, but apparently went by relatively unnoticed.  The program includes comments by an officer at the Royal Mews, where they keep the horses that pull the fancy carriages that the Queen of England and her accompanying VIPs use in parades and such.  And this horrible excuse for a human being confirms that, when any of those horses get to the point where they're looking a little too old or, otherwise, are not wanted to pull the royal humans around anymore, they are destroyed.  His statement contains the explanation that the horses are treated so well and pampered so much at the Royal Mews that they would suffer miserably if, subsequently, they had to undergo the shock of living in a pasture.  (The statement regarding pasture is totally idiotic in the world of horses.)

       I remember that I showed this video program to members of a couple of local horse clubs, back in the l980s.  And, in their discussions after the showings, none of the members even mentioned the point, about the horses routinely being destroyed, as being even worthy of comment.  I don't know if the practice of killing these horses, when they pass their peak of fitness and appearance, continues or has been changed at the present time.  Regardless, it is a typical example of what has gone on in the world of horse owners for so many, many years and which does, in fact, continue today, in many ways even moreso than at any time in history.  We call ourselves horse lovers.  Yet, what we put in practice is based on an attitude of buy them, use 'em, abuse 'em, break them down, wear them out and, then, dispose of them.

       On this web site, we join the ranks of those who oppose the practices of cruelty of horses that are promoted and encouraged by many horse breeders, as well as  breed organizations, such as the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), many of whose "officers" attempt to satisfy their own, personal agendas, which include turning more than a few dollars and are connected, directly or indirectly, to long lists of cruel practices, such as over-breeding and intentional breeding of unnaturally deformed horses, often resulting in easily predictable physical problems for these animals. 

       Additionally, we take exception to the long accepted practices of certain others, who are likely to influence new horse owners to adopt procedures that will perpetuate mistreatment and/or cruelty.  Many veterinarians, farriers and horse trainers are at the top of this list.

      If you're a "traditional" farrier, who mainly has used horseshoes in dealing with horse hoof problems, we want you to learn and promote proper barefoot trimming and horses going shoeless whenever possible .. or we're not doing business with you anymore.

  

     If you're an "experienced" horse owner, who's main justfication, for not considering 24/7 year-round turnout and NO HORSESHOES for the horses in your care, is to say, "We've always done it this way, and it's always worked for us",. we're asking you to unlearn that tiresome and really ignorant response and pay attention, for a change, to the proven damage that 'your way' has caused to so many horses for so many years.

  

     If you're a horse trainer, we want you to demonstrate that you have a genuine interest and concern for the well being of BOTH us AND our horses.

      Hopefully, the stories, information and opinions on this site may be of some benefit to some horses and people, especially to folks just beginning their partnerships with horses, and concerned about trying to avoid the awful realization, when they get to be over half a century old, that they were far too hurtful to their equine friends and companions for most of their lives.

 

John Brian

 
 

↓   11 KEY POINTS OF PHILOSOPHY ON THIS WEB SITE  ↓

(On certain below listed items, we have begun including links to specific information pages on other

web sites, which we have come across and believe illustrate and/or reinforce our opinions.)

 

1.   Your horse companion, as well as everything your horse does and doesn't do, is YOUR

responsibility (and no one else's), involving a tremendously life altering, time

consuming and ongoing committment, that should not be entered into lightly.

This should be considered, very carefully and seriously, by anyone thinking of

bringing a horse into his or her life, for the first time.

2.  If you really care for the happiness and well being of your horse(s), TRUST YOUR

OWN INSTINCTS and USE LOGIC AND GOOD, COMMON SENSE,  rather than

"blindly" taking advice from someone "more experienced".

3.  Always keep trying to learn to "LISTEN" BETTER TO YOUR HORSE(S) and to

THINK LIKE A HORSE, always in a manner that is very RESPECTFUL of

the natural ecological character and spirit of a horse.

This should be a never ending effort for self-improvement.   And, the

concept is appropriate to other animals, wild and domesticated, as well.

4.  NEVER HIT A HORSE!!

(This applies most especially to any horse whom you want to be your friend and companion.

It should be a general rule, excepted only in an extraordinary event where such action may

be required to counter an immediate threat of major injury or death.)

The lasting destruction of mutual trust with a horse that you have hit

will overshadow, by far, any short term achievement

that you mistakenly may believe you have accomplished.

5.  Avoid treating your horse as you would a fancy car, that repeatedly is washed,

polished and put on display ... then just parked somewhere, when not in use.

6.  If you want something done right, do it yourself, to the greatest possible extent.

7.  BE WARY OF CERTAIN TYPES OF SUPPOSEDLY EXPERT "HORSE PEOPLE"

and their practices with horses:

7a. Be especially wary of taking advice from ANYONE, WHO BEGINS BY SAYING,

"WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT THAT WAY..."  The "always done it that way"

methods always have been marked by failures and immoral horse abuse.

7b. Be wary of associations of people who make or execute rules, regulations and

standards about the use, exhibition, care, training and any other treatment of horses.

Do not hesitate to be suspect.  And, try to learn about the origins and true motivations

for any such rules and for any membership fees which may be solicited.   Follow the

money trail which most often accompanies such activities.

7c.  Be wary of so called  "certifications"  in the horse world, and of those who

use them to claim a false level of accomplishment and expertise in areas such as

training and hoof trimming, as they most often are meaningless and misleading.

8.  Excepting a very few areas of absolute necessity for physical health and well being,

avoid making changes or modifications to the physical structure of any horse,

which was designed by The Creator and nature.  This applies even to the point

of totally avoiding most mane, tail, whiskers and ear trimming, mane pulling,

face and body clipping and, most especially, the use of horseshoes.

9.  In view of the obvious fact that there are not enough good homes for all of the horses

presently living with people, we most strongly urge that people who live with horses

significantly REDUCE THE NUMBER OF HORSES BEING BRED by humans.

10.  In regard to horse training, my personal philosophy is that an awful lot of misleading

infomation is being advertised by many of the best known trainers, regarding both the

safety and effectiveness of their programs and publically disclosed techniques.

Many horse owners, especially the "first timers", need to be made more aware of

the dangers that may be involved, in training a horse on your own, as compared

with dangers, of a different type, from recreating with a horse who has been

trained by somebody else.  Depending on the horse, this may be anything

from "no big deal" to "a matter of life and death."

11.  Those of us who support "Natural" Horse Care and Keeping and "Natural Horsemanship"

Training need to be a bit more honest with ourselves and others, because none of this is

really NATURAL to a horse.    And, so much is misrepresented.     When we talk about

the various styles of "Natural Horsemanship" training, the bulk of literature on the

subject would lead you to believe that it is totally free of any pain or discomfort

for the horse.  But, this is NOT  the reality of the situation.   For instance, each

time we put a so-called "Natural Horsemanship Halter" or bridle with a

"mild" snaffle bit onto a horse, we cause or about to be causing SOME

DEGREE of pain and/or discomfort for the horse.  It's the cmparative

DEGREE of this that marks the difference between handling horses

the "natural" way vs. the too often harsh, more "conventional"

way.  And, perhaps most importantly, it's the attitude of the

people, who care to learn about the degree, that is making a

difference that is being felt and appreciated by their horses.

 
Some Additional HORSE PHILOSOPHY thoughts . . .

                     Call them "more specific" points of horse-keeping philosphy, if you will.  And, to "cut to the chase" for a moment, the main ones being suggested on this web site are having horses go barefooted (without shoes), leaving them in turnout as much as possible (preferably 24/7 year round), giving them a living environment which attempts to replicate certainconditions in which wild horses live, eliminating most cosmetic, physical alterations (such as ear and body clipping) and schooling them through the use of so called "natural horsemanship" techniques.           With the partial exception of the "natural horsemanship training, ALL of these points of philosophy are connected with and dependent upon ALL of the others.  And, it is for this reason that it is difficult to discuss the details of one point, without getting into the details of another, and then, still another.  To outline this point in just one brief and very basic scenario, going barefooted works best once the horse's feet become very toughened, which doesn't happen unless he has been moving around barefooted a lot of the time over lots of hard terrain, which includesrocky areas, or otherwise hard and abrasive sections, which the horse can't handle well, when first going barefooted,because his feet aren't toughened.             It's kind of a "Catch 22".  If a horse has worn shoes all his life, where do you start?  By pulling the shoes or by turning him out more?  The best answer to the question, I think, is that you start, as well as continue on for thesubsequent year or more, very, very, gradually, always  with an eye on just how far you think you and your horsewill be able to go, ultimately, in consideration of your particular circumstances.           Realistically, for a number of reasons, not all of us, who DO live with our horses, can provide the amountor type of turnout area that would be absolutely ideal and in the best interests of both our horses and ourselves, if such a place actually exists.  There always will be compromises to be made.  But, I think such compromises should be carefully thought out and planned, with as much consideration as is possible to the well being of our horses.   And, even when a horse is boarded, there may be ways to provide at least some of the benefits of more natural horse-keeping.As seen on a lot of today's existing web sites for subscribing to so called "Natural Horsemanship" style training,many of the better known trainers clearly do not, themselves, necessarily practice or significantly promote "Natural Horse Keeping" (i.e.: providing an adequate turnout situation so as to enable horses to live and performwithout having to wear horseshoes, and otherwise be given more humane and thoughtful treatment for healthierand more comfortable lives).  There are very sound business reasons for a horse trainer not to alienate the vastmajority of his or her potential "customers", by even hinting at the thought that the all too common practice ofkeeping a horse in a box stall during most hours of most days is unkind treatment, that is harmful to thehorse's health.  After all, it's the best that many horse owners are able to provide.  And, it certainly is better, forthe horse, than being tied into a standing stall.  Still, it is highly questionable as to whether a person who cannot provide any better living accomodations for a horse actually is not a party to at least some degree

of animal cruelty, by virtue of becoming responsible for a horse that will not be well kept.
 

       The natural world, what little there is left of it, is made up of only a few places not yet raped, pillaged and destroyed by mankind's so called "civlization".  And, these are the only remaining places on earth where FREEDOM still exists.  Freedom's is one of our creator's greatest rewards for living as part of the natural world.  Just like the air we breathe and the water we drink, a certain degree of freedom is needed to sustain life.  Some of us humans seem to need and crave more of it than some of the rest of us.  When we don't get as much of it as we need, our spirits begin to die, taking our physical beings with them.

       Like ourselves, even the most thoroughly trained, pampered and domesticated of horses require various amounts of freedom to sustain their lives and well being.  And, as with humans, some horses need and crave it more than some of the rest.  Some of the wild ones even go so far as to kill themselves, deliberately and violently, when freedom is snatched away from them.  Such extremes in responsive horse behavior may seem to foretell what unwary people actually are doing, albeit less deliberately and more gradually, to their own human species.  Despite exclusionary theories of convenience (filling in gaps caused by lack of evidence), which generally are misrepresented by a bulk of the scientific community as actual facts (and so reported by much of the news media and by most other natural ecology oriented websites), actually wild equids are an evolved component of natural wildlife in North America and other parts of the world, where they undeniably fill an essential and mutually supportive role to the other forms of native wildlife - and respectfully should be regarded as such.

       Most often, throughout the history of the human species' existence on earth, the various civilizations of mankind have been the arch enemies of both the natural world and sustainable freedom.  And, it is my belief that a well informed understanding and consideration of these things is a vital, yet generally neglected part of our understanding and enjoyment of horses (and, of a better understanding of ourselves and our righful place in the natural world).  For those of us who have chosen to take on the actual responsibility of caring for a horse, there should be a moral obligation for such understanding and consideration.  And, when we become so committed, I virtually guarantee that our enjoyment of horses becomes even greater, with a far more bonding and meaningful relationship.  Meanwhile, such people hopefully will be committed and concerned, also, for the protection, preservation and restoration of a healthy balace of natural wilderness and wildlife, as it undeniably is a condition that is crtically essential to preventing an early extinction of our own, human species.