A Centaurs Journey Blog

Traveling with horses, we examine what it means to learn from and be partners with animals. We have spent at least 15 minutes of undemanding time every day sitting with our horses and trying to examine the relationship between us and them, and more often in my case, us to them. As I sit with Hardy, who tends to ignore me, chewing his grass looking up only to search my hands for grain, I can’t help but wonder…partners? Really? He had no choice to come out here. He is not in shape to be out here, and the occasional bite marks on my shoulder would prove that he sure as heck doesn’t like putting a saddle on. I take care of him.  Being a domesticated animal he is dependent on the human world and subjected to what we believe is best for him…but is traveling along the Arizona trail for 800 miles for a trip that is for pure human enhancement creating a partnership between human and animal? He has food, shelter, and water. And he is contributing. So he is alive, he is horse. So what about this “fully” business?  What about happiness, enjoyment from our tasks, what is his choice in finding giddiness. How can I help him be fully-horse? Is it foolish to try and apply human ideals and language like “happy”, “enjoy”, or “fully-alive” to other species? Or, by not giving other creatures on this planet the opportunity to be fully what they are do we justify the manipulation, exploitation and disregard for the things that are vital to us being fully human? I find myself in the latter. I am out of excuses. Being alive is sacrifice. A fact. A truth. We move through the world by taking…and contributing…and taking again. If we can look at animals (and plants) with eyes that recognize their worth as fellow earth beings deserving of being fully themselves, we can begin to recognize the gift that life and also our need to give back where we can. So yes, I kiss my horse, I call him sugar, I walk next to him instead of riding him, and I try to understand what he enjoys and how he can contribute to the world in ways that are not degrading and demote him to a tool. I do believe that some horses do love to carry their humans, and when it feels necessary, like it or not, I feel like it is a reasonable request of the horse. However, I don’t see it as necessary for me on this trip as of yet. Hardy and I hiked through the canyon side by side, he was saddleless, packless, shoeless, and happy. And I was with a backpack smiling and enjoying his company and enjoying his giddiness. Riding him would not have been giving him a job or asking a reasonable request of him. I love to walk, I can walk. Riding him would have felt like just doing what made sense in the patterns and nature of the society I’m living in. I hope to be more aware of what the patterns are; what are the structures and habits that I obey without thinking about the alternatives and the ultimate costs. What is the other option? Is it any better? Riding a horse is not animal cruelty, but not being aware of what you are asking of the horse (of the world when we use it) is cruelty to self and to other.