I saw a line of dozens of Yaks carrying three big, full bags each on their backs, trekking around a mountain in the Himalayas. The photo stayed with me, like pictures of donkeys carrying bricks or pulling carts with five people in them. Animals carry our burdens – and not just physically. Equines, especially, hold the form for humanity and always have.
And not just the animals in the photos haunt me; there are humans struggling, like the miners in tunnels with ponies (or even full-size horses), sharing the burden of hard work, shortened lives and injuries. What has been given (or taken) to build the world we now live in is a debt we owe. The modern world owes the animals and ancestors for the lack of struggle we now experience. Of course, much of this world is still building, struggling, pushing its way for simple existence. The disparity can be mind boggling.
The horses, mules and donkeys (as well as other species) silently conform. When they are well cared for and cherished, their humans stand beside them and there is gratitude. When they are disrespected and “disposable”, the humans show no thanks and offer no comfort for them. Am I speaking only of the horses plowing fields, carrying loads, fighting wars… Nope.
There are equines in competitions, riding schools, racing stables, dude ranches… all living either lives of care and appreciation or lives of exploitation. We see it all in the intakes to Sanctuary. An equine’s needs are pretty basic, for good health and longevity. Meeting those basics is the least a human can do and ensuring other needs (companionship, enrichment, comfort and happiness) is the debt we owe.
I have carried burdens (we all have), physical, emotional, mental burdens. Some by choice and others were imposed upon me. Horses never have a choice. Wild horses (& donkeys) can make choices. Their lives are free from our meddling but are not free from dire circumstances. Every living thing faces the consequences of a finite body and the fluctuations of climate and terrain.
Human beings can offer the equine a safe refuge… it’s what we do here, and hundreds of other rescues and sanctuaries do around the country – around the world. For a horse whose life has been stark, oppressive, even cruel, finding sanctuary is a light at the end of a seemingly endless tunnel. The two horses and one mule we took in this past year from a cruelty seizure were beaten, starved, bloody and oozing infection when taken from the monster who used them as “trail mounts”… until a customer recognized the abuse and reported him.
Beasts of burden. Carrying the burdens of humans. It does not have to be cruel. From working in the fields to carrying a rider in competition, the priorities of the human determine the life of the animal and the extent of their suffering or the degree of their pleasure. Horses try to please us. Only when pushed to the point of unbearable pain or confusion do they lash out in self-defense.
How do we change a mindset of “using animals” to an awareness of stewardship? We set examples. We refer to animals as “he” and “she”, not it. We openly speak of their needs and their sovereignty as sentient beings. We take responsibility for our own and keep them to the end of their lives, compassionately letting them go when their quality of life cannot be restored. And we do that humanely.
And how do we connect more deeply with our horses (or dogs, or Yaks…)? We look into their eyes. The three equines I spoke of (who were brutalized) had dull, half-closed eyes with no life behind them. After receiving proper care and being loved, they became new beings. Their eyes were bigger, their sparkle returned and there was life behind them. All it took was kindness wrapped in nutrition and Veterinary care, the very things they were owed from the very beginning. Love is simple. Healing can be simple. We humans just have to provide for the animals the simplicity of compassion.
Stablewomen 