On with the Show by Ron Hevener

If Horses Could Talk

The world of horses has always been politically charged. There is competition in the show ring and every step along the way. As a result, horse lovers are not strangers to controversy and speculation.

Although most horse lovers hope political and financial events on the national scene won't impact their way of life, that isn't always true. Right now, it seems like animals are in the news almost every day and it also seems like there is more and more confusion about which way horse lovers should turn.

It doesn't have to be like that.

One of the great things about having horses is their way of calming us in times of confusion. Maybe it's because they don't speak our language (or, maybe, it's because they do and we still haven't scientifically proven what true "language" actually is) but they really don't seem to get very excited about who is running for political office, which bank is hitting the skids or what the price of oil or gold is today. They don't seem to care which laws are being dreamed up to mutilate their bodies without their consent or take away their freedoms (local and state ordinances controlling how they are allowed to live). They're not concerned about shots and pills and veterinary attention. It's the ones who love them (us) who are into that.

Horses do care about being fed, groomed (sometimes) and they like to have a dry place to sleep. If they're lucky enough to make a friend or two along the way, and those friends happen to be human, well, they like that, too. And, sometimes, they like it a lot.

All this is well and good if the plan is just to keep things on a basic, mediocre, almost Ritalin-kind of level. If people don't want any excitement, or real challenge in their lives, hey, there's nothing like a few more laws to tighten the handcuffs of creative thinking and fun. Safety, after all, is the objective ... isn't it? For years, "safety" has been the cry behind animal control laws, traffic laws, smoking laws, drinking laws, you name it. "Safety" has been the banner of something none of us ever heard of until just a few years ago, when all those laws were passed in the name of "Homeland Security."

Horse lovers weren't the only ones who found it slightly odd when our leaders suddenly changed our world in the name of "security" like it was the latest fad, and the latest craze. Other animal lovers — especially dog and cat owners — found it strange, too.

After a lifetime of raising animals, writing stories about animals and designing collectible merchandise for the people who love them, I really do believe that animal lovers are the keepers of the highest emotions in our world.

Does it matter what laws are passed to govern us? Of course, it matters; especially when those laws are forced on us by authorities who "think" they understand love, and sentiment, and trust, and joy ... but who really can't prove it, like most horse lovers can.

Does it matter that individualism is reduced to mediocrity in the name of "security and safety"? I believe it matters very much, because I believe the element of risk (and making the right choices for yourself) is a mark of having your own mind and being grown up. Don't you find it strange, for example, when banking systems suddenly hold your deposits longer, asking where your money came from if the deposit is over a certain amount, determining how much you can withdraw — even requiring fingerprints to cash a check?

Strange? No, it's very real. Very real indeed. Such things can affect whether we have enough funds for the feed bill that week, or for the vet, or the mortgage. Are we supposed to be treated like we're feeble- minded or immature; so delicate and fragile that we can't make intelligent and wise decisions for ourselves? We're the horse community. What's going on here?

Horses don't take care of themselves in today's culture. It takes people who love them to do that, and (no matter how much force or power the organizations pushing for rules to change our lifestyle might think they have) ... it's unlikely that horses ever will be able to pick up a phone to call the farrier, or hold down a job to pay their bills.

Truth be told, all one has to observe is how very little it matters to the general public that a Vice-Presidential candidate is out there shooting animals from a helicopter ... to realize, once and for all, that PETA, HSUS and other groups like them really don't have the clout they pretend they do. Oh, they can bully animal lovers with laws. (They're good at that). But, only to the extent that we let them. And, remember ... there has never been a law that couldn't be thrown out.

Politics? Politics start with our very first breath of life, when we decide we're going to live and struggle and fight to keep it that way. Politics continue through childhood, as we play and compete with each other, finding our way through the maze of everyday life. Just like it is with a litter of puppies, or a crop of foals in a field, "politics" is a natural force of nature based on leaders, followers and everything in between.

For those of us carrying the responsibility of a stable or even one horse, there are more complicated things to deal with. We must handle banking, record-keeping, buying supplies, licensing, taxes and all kinds of expenses — and, most important of all, we must figure out how to devote the time, make the money and the trade-offs to pay for it all. Is it a business? Sure sounds like a business to me, which brings us right back to politics, banking, and all the other fears in the press right now.

Some horse lovers run around, hearing experts on the radio, watching the news on TV, and seeing headlines in the newspapers. Does that make them well-informed about politics? In a world gone mad, who knows? The only thing we know for sure, is, our horses probably aren't any more nervous today than they were a week, or a month, or a year ago, no matter what's in the news or happening on Wall Street.

Wouldn't it be great if we could feel that way, too?

If they could talk, horses might have a lot to tell us right now. After all, who has more access to the news than a horse in a barn listening to the radio all day?

Some of our horses might be very serious. But, others (maybe the mischievous and naughty ones we love best) might flip up their tails, roll their eyes and laugh in that horsey way we all know so well.

"Politics? Schmolitics!" they might say ... "Quit worrying and let's go for a walk!" ...

That's what they might say ... If horses could talk!

Mr. Hevener has written stories and novels for over 40 years. He raises, trains and shows Arabian horses (Selket Arabians). He is currently working on a film, Fate of the Stallion, and his documentary by the same name has been broadcast on over 150 television stations. For more information, please visit www.RonHevener.com or www.SelketArabians.com.

Past articles by Ron Hevener:

Hello Readers! (February, 2005) | The Tide is Turning (March, 2005) | What's it all About? (April, 2005) | Another Morning ... (August, 2005) | One Beautiful Thing (October, 2005) | Producers In Spite of Everything (March, 2006) | Invasion of the Privacy Snatchers (May, 2005) | The Mark of a Champion (June, 2005) |