Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Outstanding In Their Field

No, they're not all mine (thank goodne$$).*


The black mare to the left of the group, the bay gelding next to her facing right, and the two grays to the upper right are four of my Thoroughbreds. Milton The EvilPony™ wasn't visible in the photo.

Only two of my current six equines are rideable. Milton is just too small, but I've been known to threaten him with the prospect of buying a pony cart and harness. The others have chronic injuries that don't prevent them from being happy pasture ornaments but make it inhumane to expect them to work under saddle. They were already messed up when I bought them, and I did so with full knowledge that I'd never be able to "use" them.

Had I not bought them, they would very likely have gone to slaughter. I am beyond disgusted by people who can breed horses, show them, race them, ride them, and then throw them away like a broken golf club when those demands prove more than their bodies can withstand.

Maybe its just encroaching senility, but I find I enjoy paying out hundreds of dollars every month to keep useless horses happy more than all the show ribbons and trophies from my misspent youth.

* Want to make a small fortune in horses? Start out with a large one.

3 comments:

Bonnie said...

Nope, that's not senility. That's the sort of "humanity" more people should strive for. :-)

Anonymous said...

I feel the same way. I volunteer at the local animal shelter, and we constantly get animals from people who "just can't take care of them anymore". We recently had a guy bring back a puppy that he adopted because it tore up his sofa after he left it alone in the house all day while he went to work. What did he expect, that she would do the dishes?

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