Are “Throwaways” Built into the system?
2 CommentsSeptember 22, 2011 at 4:35 pmCategory:general info | Rescue Rants
Apathy Hurts
What hurts the most maybe isn’t the greed. Nor the abuse. Nor the inhumane ends. What hurts the most may be the apathy. The not caring by those who purport to be enthusiasts. The unquestioning acceptance of the what is-ness of what is rather than the willingness to step in and make conscientious choices. And among these usually just minor adjustments.
Where Do “Unwanted” Horses Come From?
Horse racing. Finding the fastest horse is an irrelevant pursuit. ANY well-matched horse race is an interesting race. Therefore breeding thousands of “throw away” horses because they’re not THE fastest just doesn’t make sense.
Halter Horses. Finding the beefiest, stockiest most musculature on the squarest frame in the world of the quarter horse doesn’t make sense in this era of monster trucks. Breeding for disposition now there’s an idea.
Trotter. Does it make sense to continue looking for the speediest trotting or pacing horse?
Park Horses. Really? Because we need to look awesome in our fine duds on some random Sunday afternoon in the park with all the others promenading hither and thither? Or how about ANY gorgeously turned out horse is a worthy mount for the showy public display, hmmmm? The draft cross, the Premarin™ mare’s tossed aside foal, the horse who’s almost a pony and all the others.
Think of any breed of discipline from which you know a certain set of breeders derive generous income from breeding and creating skewed versions of equines and there you will find the “throw aways”, the “unwanteds”, the so-called “disposable” horses. Oh not from my point of view, nor yours either if you’re still reading this. You and I, we love all horses don’t we. We’re drawn to helping the less fortunate, right?
What’s The Fix?
How can we get buyers to stop creating the demand for the horses uncaring breeders create?
How do we inspire people to think further into the horse selections? How do we get them to embrace the concept of finding great horses for our needs today? Great buddy horses. Sturdy trail pals. Weekend warrior mounts? Not the high strung, imbalanced, nut-jobs some of the current unnatural selections are creating. And mind you, I love those horses too. Very much. But they’re very hard to place. Sometimes even impossible.
Horses Live 30+ Years
Maybe the disconnect here is how people seem to conveniently overlook the fact that horses live to be thirty years and more. So while they may offer them employment for the first 5 or 6 of those years – what happens to them when they’re ‘spent’? Ask any equine rescuer what happens to them. That’s where we need to stake a claim in responsibility as horse lovers. We need to look beyond the gorgeous scenes of show horses and race horses in their jobs – and acknowledge that throughout the upper levels of these pursuits – those horses we see in the shows and at the races are thoroughly replaceable. Me, I know my 3 have another 25+ years on them and I am arranging my life and their training accordingly.