All God's Creatures

Andrea Corwin's " End Captivity" got me thinking about the relationship between humans and animals. And how it's beautiful - and ugly too.

I've ridden horses since I can remember and have a personality that makes me very successful at training them. There is no-one with more patience than I have and I was trained by a master. Wolfgang Dellefont was an assistant riding instructor at the Spanish Riding School and his compassion for horses was unequaled- I learned from the best. He taught me to be methodical, patient ,and above all, kind. Dressage is the art of having a horse present natural movements on command. It takes 6-8 years to train a horse properly physically and mentally, and the one saving grace is that the tests are scored according to "harmony" and " submission" , so mistreated horses don't win as a rule, thereby creating an incentive to treat the horse with kindness and patience. A horse will always display tension and therefore a lack of harmony, and social media has made bad judges accountable for their slanted judging in dressage. Seeing famous dressage trainers and riders charged with cruelty is heartbreaking for those defenseless innocents, but has made the discipline so much better for horses long-term- and witnesses much more empowered to speak up. It's not that way for other equestrian sports, sadly.

I currently have a blind 11 year old old Dutch Harness horse who has the run of the place. He can go in a stall or stay outside, he has a fan if he wants to stand under it and clean fresh water at all times. I have fairly lush pasture ( because I have just one horse) but he likes hay too so he has hay in one of the stalls. Horses are healthier in a free- range lifestyle and so that's how I let them live with me.

But what about other animals? My firm belief that we are obligated to make the world a better place for God's creatures- He allowed man to name them, He gave us dominion over them. We dress pets up in people clothes, we paint their toenails but what about the ones we see, that we don't own, that are in need? Do you pull over to move a turtle off the road, or escort a family of ducks across a highway to safety? I had a snapping turtle grab my pant leg after I got him off the road, making me fall in the tall wet morning grass on the shoulder of the road, entertaining the traffic that I stopped in both directiobs to save this indignant brat. When I first started stopping traffic to help animals off the road , I was afraid that drivers would get mad but everyone seems to be patient , even on 4 or 6 lane highways! Every animal deserves our help if we see them in peril or suffering, even if we have to call someone else to help them. And be their voice. I tell everyone that if they trap a "nuisance"animal at their place, I'll take it, and then I turn them loose on the properties around me. We have the power to make the world a better place for animals, whether it's being an animal advocate like Andrea Corwin or by doing something good for a random animal you see.

Social media is full of videos of animals doing humanistic things, and almost all of them have been abused to make them do it. Dogs walking on their hind legs carrying a little purse, photo shoots with monkeys posing with people, elephants posing, and horses being abused by brutal riders and handlers... report the videos, don't just close it and allow it to go un-noticed. Be the voice for them and make a difference.

Be kind, inspire others by your actions, give something away today.