I love a good Christmas tune as much as
the next person. In fact, maybe a little more. I start singing Christmas songs before Thanksgiving. I also grew up in the
country, where animal husbandry is huge a part of life. Nevertheless, on my path for inner holiday peace, those merry sleigh bells are high on my naughty list. How so?
Folks, we've been using horses to do
our dirty work since, well, I don't know when. In any case, it's been
a long, long time. And we certainly have it in our heads that being
pulled around town for a holiday joy ride is a joy. That's probably
because it is a joy for us. But what about the horse?
Due to how deeply ingrained the use of
horses and other animals is, we may not even think about that. Maybe
we should. After all, finding peace within yourself begins with
giving others peace. And I don't believe that horses being shackled
to a sleigh and forced to pull us around are having a good time of
it, no matter how you look at it. They're certainly not at peace.
Sure, they're strong enough. They look
absolutely regal doing it. And yes, they may be well cared for.
Still, it's not exactly a pleasant task to undertake. It's not fun
for them. They didn't volunteer to do it. Who would? In fact, if you
allow yourself free thought, you'll quickly realize how wrong we are
in thinking it's OK to do this to a living creature, especially in
the name of entertainment.
Now, I know a lot of “horse people”
would say that “their” horse enjoys being ridden. I know because
I've heard them say it. But is it really the ride they take pleasure
in? Or is it the companionship?
The fact is that riding horses is
physically damaging for the horse, no matter how much we tell
ourselves they enjoy it.
We even refer to trained horses as
“well broken.”
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you
don't have to “break” anyone into doing something they enjoy. If
it was natural and pleasant for horses to be ridden or pull us around
in carriages, we wouldn't have to "break" them to do it would we?
But it's not natural. It's not
peaceful. It's not even wholesome. Bits cause injury as do saddles,
spurs, whips and other gear. Then there is the actual burden of
carrying the rider. We literally ride directly on the horse's spine.
Take a good look sometime at a horse that's been ridden a few years
and you'll plainly see the curvature. It's just not healthy and in
fact, causes shortened life spans.
In the case of pulling sleighs, well,
imagine yourself as a rickshaw driver. Does pulling others around
town all day in a cart seem like fun to you? No?
You see folks, ultimately it's really just long standing tradition that gives those sleigh rides the
illusion of being merry and wholesome holiday fun. Pulling sleighs is
not and never has been fun for the horse. It's not wholesome and harmless in
any way.
It may not be fun for us to realize
that. It may not even be widely accepted. Once our neuropassageways
are programmed, it's a real b**** to convince them they're out of
line. But it is the truth. And in the case of those merry
sleigh bells, the truth shall set you free to live in peace. But more
importantly, it will do the same for the horse.
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