Everything is relative – even understanding

My friend told me she’s not interested in horse related things anymore, and based it on how she can no longer bear to watch the unwell people and horses around her. I do understand this, but once again it gave me something to think about regarding my own mission, which, surprise surprise, is of course about the well-being of horses.

Deep down all of us humans are equally good or bad. Each of us base our choices on our own experiences, and an understanding of what’s right. I think I’ve come to the 

realization that this is the heart of the problem.

When talking about a horse’s well-being, for instance, some people think it means good food, water and shelter, not to mention a good setting. Yeah, sure, but those are the basic necessities and requirements of living. And when they have been satisfied, you can start talking about well-being, which I think is a much wider concept. My own humble but loud opinion is that defining a horse’s well-being is not very hard at all, if you have the will for it.

It includes getting a horse that’s suitable for the task it is used for, that the horse is trained right and also coached so that nothing that it has been taught will cause a problem, for example in a competition situation. Or well, that’s what you might imagine.

So is it acceptable to hit or kick a horse? And if it is, in what situation? When you’re crossing a road and the horse stops? Could it be justifiable to hit the horse in order to make it move on, so the fear of being hit by a car will pass? Hm… first of all it should probably be considered whether the horse has been taught that hitting with a whip or kicking with spurs means something. Whether the horse has a signal registered in its brain that says: aha, that kick means “carry on” or that the day after tomorrow it means “don’t hesitate, jump”, etc….

I don’t think it’s important to consider whether the horse is being hurt or not. Of course it is. I’d rather approach the matter from the viewpoint that if a rider is, for example in a competition “forced” into a situation where the pressure builds up and he has to hurt the horse, what will the horse learn from it? A new signal? That when humans are tense, they get frustrated and kick or hit? Or what? Answers and comments are gladly accepted =)