Of horses and humans.

I strive to be more like my horse. He is a clear communicator to those of the same species, he is a good leader, recognizes dangerous situations, has a high level of self preservation which keeps him out of trouble, and has a respectable level of self esteeem. My horse is not overly egotistical, however he knows his worth and is not afraid to portray himself as who he is. He is honest with those around him and with himself.

Then...there are some horses that I really would not want to be like. Some are full of fear, disrespectful to others, unfair and show little emotion. These are the horses that have most likely been brought up in an unnatural environment for a horse. Those that have been spoiled, treated as overgrown lap dogs, and completely misunderstood by the humans surrounding them. These are the same horses that often end up in auctions, or passed around as a problem horse, or worse yet, euthanized.

And it is no fault of the horse they behave like this. We have a responsibility to our animals whether they are hamsters or horses. The horse owner that admits there is a problem with the relationship with their horse, and takes action any way they can by getting help is on the road to the right place.

Not everyone can afford to take regular lessons or send their horse to reform school. Not every horse needs reform school either. Most common it's the owner that needs more understanding of their horse. But in cases like Enlightening, she really needed to understand a few things first since she had missed some essential lessons from the herd.

I watched with interest yesterday when she pinned her ears at Turtle and drove him away. She had been on the bottom of the pecking order the last 5 days. She half heartedly nipped at him, I could tell she wasn't really confident about driving him away from her hay, but she gave it her best effort. And Turtle moved, much to her surprise. She's gaining confidence within the herd. Enlightening is working towards finding balance in her life.

In the end, I guess that's really what I'm looking for too. That, and being more like a horse in a herd.