Upon entering the palatial hunt seat equitation/jumper barn property I was not
looking forward to it - I felt as though I was a rescue organization
coming in to see who needed homes.
A friend of mine let me know the
farm she works at is now selling shavings from Canada and feed. I don't
want to change my feed right now but I said I'd take a look at the
shavings as I am in need of some in the near future.
She also told me
the farm owner knew of a few folks needing retirement homes for some
older show horses. Great! I thought. That I can stomach. Caring for
older show horses - just the ones I want to be with.
Upon entering the
barn it was dark, moist and confining. I felt horrible for the horses
standing inside. Of course they were muscled due to the work they are
all kept for, but they looked skinny, desperate for more of
life and checked out. Some had cribbing straps, and each had "toys" in
their stalls to help with boredom. Like zoo animals.
Upon entering the
tack room area it was an absolute horror - a place my first "real"
trainer (like Mark Rashid's old man - she's my old lady) would have told
me to run away from - Olympian photos posted on all the walls with
ribbons and double twisted wire bits, expensive "get r done" bits and
contraptions for that special "fix."
I'm so grateful to have a place to
put these thoughts out because I have been hiding them for decades! Some people see these places as havens to stroke egos and give themselves an
identity and be with the animals they truly love.
The man running the
farm was shaking - I didn't want to believe he was nervous speaking to
little old me - I wrote it off as maybe neurological damage due to a
fall or perhaps it was the morning
jitters from not enough to drink. After all, he only breaks even in all
the glitz and glamour. Or maybe it's Parkinson's and he has great self-worth, but has not made the connection about the equine soul yet. I cannot know unless I spend more time with him.
The poor man I now pray for has a heavy burden
on his shoulders - pulling this sport thing off and looking inviting to
feed more money into the abuse. Maybe he seeks self worth
for himself through teaching/controlling people, animals
and his environment. If so, he's got a very heavy load to carry indeed.
I left
there feeling just as sorry for him as I did the horses. But yet, this
is a man I would have worshipped and killed to ride with as an innocent
child because he rode with a very excellent Olympian rider. Ignorance
is bliss for some I suppose.
I choose to be real. And that is why the
path I am on is not for everyone. Some don't like reality and they like
to escape it, or not like to but don't know how to stop. Whether its
drugs, alcohol, people, places or things.
So today, I was so happy to
be walking out of there with this new identity cloak I now wear that is
real and true to me and that I can be an instrument and tool for these
people to gain a little semblance of goodness by sending their horses to
me because we are creating places where people know they will be cared for and given the worth, dignity
and respect they deserve regardless of how well they may have
performed in the heat of their "working careers."
I am grateful to be
living in a country where I get to do this and live out a passion of
mine and be there for those that need it most. Not just the horses -
but for the people as well.
ANONYMOUS OurHorses guardian
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