Not exactly Snowy River.
Another video profiled on the Fugly Horse of the Day blog (generally more geared toward “asshat” owners than unpretty equines) today is this one, apparently the product of more southern horsefolk.
First, they’re kids.
We’ve all done stupid stuff as kids.
We didn’t have YouTube back then, so we can’t say for certain that we would or would not be dumb enough to share our stupid moments with the entire planet.
Some horse people think this is reckless.
Some think it looks like fun.
Some report that the riding trails they are accustomed to are far more challenging.
Others seem to believe that there is no excuse for attempting such a stunt.
I think it doesn’t look a whole lot different than something I’ve done plenty of times, which is ride down Murder Mountain, located on the equestrian trails at Waterloo State Recreation Area.
- The view from the top of the Murder Mountain trail. Photo courtesy waterloohorsemen.org
Here’s why I bother trying to get people to look at things like this differently.
Animal rights groups would like nothing more than to end our enslavement of horses. No horse ownership period. To them, any form of riding is abuse.
But such a direct approach would never work. What happens instead, is that certain groups of horse people begin to feel superior to other groups. Like their way is the only right way. The only “humane” way. And finally, that any other way is “abusive.”
The elite don’t think you should own horses if you make less than a certain amount of money per year, because if you don’t, you couldn’t possibly spend as much on your horses as they do on theirs, and that makes you an inferior owner. Gah, you probably don’t even have matching stall blankets and hoods with their names embroidered on them. Matching boots and embroidered halters as well, natch.
Those who ride in certain English disciplines consider themselves infinitely more evolved than your average Western riders. Those “cowboys” and their uncivilized, sloppy seats. But it isn’t just style snobs.
There are also breed snobs. Everyone thinks their favorite breed of horse is superior to the others. “You couldn’t do that with an Arabian / gaited / draft / ______ / horse.” Surely anyone who favors a different breed is a fool.
There are even guru snobs, who follow the doctrine of the latest and greatest so-called expert and play the games and buy the gadgets, and you’re certainly no match for them if you don’t own all the DVDs and your horse doesn’t do the tricks.
All this together means the horse community is bitterly divided at all times. What a keen observer has only to do, is to pick away at the rights of all by targeting the rights of those that others would gladly help them to lose.
Back to the video… and the comments.
“Break your own neck if you must, but leave innocent animals out of this.”
“What the hell are you thinking? Do ya wanna kill that poor horse?”
“I say we throw THEM off a cliff with a 200 pound bag of horse shit and see how much fun it is when THEY land.”
“I only hope the next time they do this (and sadly I’m sure they will) one of these morons breaks something.”
“I sincerely hope that the next time you go near a horse it kicks you in the balls”
Notice the resemblance to the comments from my last blog post? Yeah.
Here’s the interesting part.
Many of the people who commented are, of course, horseback riders. Their discipline of choice, however, is clearly not Western trail riding. No. Certainly nothing that barbaric.
Some ride cross country. Dabble in show jumping.
Which means they expect their horse to JUMP obstacles such as these:
But, ride your horse down a sandy hill?
Well, they have to draw the line somewhere.
And I’m a “douchebag” for not getting off and walking when I come to a steep hill on the trail!
Funny; it’s called horseback riding, not horse leading. There are marked, groomed equestrian trails made for that very purpose. Many of them have hills.
I’m not an advanced rider, but I know the difference between a stubborn “I don’t wanna” balk and an insistent “I cannot do this” refusal.
I wouldn’t ask my horse to go down the cliff in the video.
But we’ve gone down Murder Mountain a dozen times, and what really is the difference? The degree of the angle? The length of the slope?
Why then should I not determine for them the proper height and width limits for their jumps, and insinuate that they are being abusive to their animals if they dare ask the beast to jump higher, farther?
Why are we not content with leaving each other to our own adventures?
Why must we attack those who do things differently?
- cross country fall
Those that would have us lose the right to own horses sit back and watch with glee as we tear each other down. For goodness sakes, there are farm animal sanctuaries where they ask that you not bring meat or dairy products in your lunch when you visit, out of respect to the animals in their care.
*sigh*
I was actually very impressed with the horse and his willingness to go down the hill and the sure footedness with the way he did it. I have taken my horse on trails where, if they refused this type of terrain could result in a very long trip back to the trailer the way we came. Downed timbers, steep climbs and decents, deep water crossings and rocky terrain are what trail horses do. The fancy ring riders with their tight white pants need to get out and smell the freedom of mother nature once in awhile.
My biggest pet peeve is when one of these stuffed shirts looks at a horse they deem less than desirable and claim it is nothing more than a trail horse. Take one of your spit shined beauties with me the next time I go into the mountains. We’ll see who has the better horse.