Couple of friends and I were hanging out, and eating lunch at the office today and we were watching an animal show on TV.  The show was some rescue show where they save mistreated animals and try to rehabilitate them.  I took a moment to share my views regarding horses.  I wasn’t really surprised at the reactions I got from them.

You see, I don’t believe horses should be ridden by people at all.  For what it’s worth, I personally don’t think ANY animal should have the hairy, lazy, descendant of an ape riding around on its back.  I view horses as beautiful, majestic, graceful, intelligent animals that represent some of the finest qualities found in all of us.  Horses, much like the loyal dog, share a place in our history that few other creatures have or can.

Don’t misunderstand me, I realize, thanks to one of my lunch buddies, that hoses originally were too small to ride and that it was only after years of specialized breeding that they grew large enough to ride.  This is where his reaction started.  Yes I learned something today. I now know that horses were selectively bred specifically for the purpose of being ridden.  This didn’t change my mind at all. I know horses played a pivotal role in medieval times, then onward through history to young America where we would not have been able to colonize and develop this country without them.  That time is past however.  Horses are no longer needed to get from point A to point B.  They aren’t needed to plow fields, tend crops, or deliver mail.

The point I am trying to make is that we should view and treat the horse with some reverence and respect.  These animals are one of the few that can actually show you love back. It drives me nuts to think of fat, greasy Homo sapiens hiking their legs up and SPURRING or whipping these gorgeous animals into submission.

I firmly believe that horses should never be ridden.  I don’t care how many horse advocates say “oh they like to be ridden” or “oh they want to be ridden”.  It’s pure nonsense.  Horses deserve to be treated with dignity. After all, you would not want a saddle slung on your back and bit jammed in your mouth so a chimp could lead you around a mountainside or round a race track.  Have some decency.  Don’t ride horses.