The Duty

Its been a while since I last posted, I've been busy as usual and not much of it is material I can post. So I thought I'd post this subject which is very important to me.



The Duty

"We order the time of their conception and the time of their death. In between we have a Duty."
~ Terry Pratchett - "A Hat Full Of Sky"

And it is true. We order just about everything in their lives. We make demands of them that is most unnatural. We expect and desire their unquestioning obedience. We use them for pleasure, for entertainment, for companionship, to make money and for our egos. We rarely give them choices unless it is a choice between what we want and discomfort.

We have a duty to care for them. We have a duty to ensure that they are safe, comfortable, happy and secure in themselves. We have a duty to provide for them as they cannot provide for themselves and we have a DUTY to learn as much as we can about them and to always seek more knowledge for their benefit.

I spoke to a person this week concerning an underweight horse. This person told me the horse was fed twice a day however in my opinion for that particular horse's circumstances she was not getting enough. The person told me that his mate had done her teeth a few months ago but this mate is not qualified nor attended any sort of course. The person told me with all the conviction of a seasoned horseman that blood tests only show if a horse has worms or not. I was completely gob-smacked. That is pretty much the only thing a BLOOD TEST can't tell!!!

This person considers themselves very experienced. Unfortunately because of this train of thought - this person is not interested in trying everything to get the horse back to proper health and is neglecting their duty as the animal's carer and provider.

And should the day come when they break down or we decide we don't want them or that they don't suit our needs and wants - it is our responsibility and our duty to spend the time, dollars and effort to ensure they go to a good home or live out a kind retirement, or are put to sleep with dignity. There's no "I don't want it, give it to the first person to come asking, I can't be bothered with the hassle." If you didn't want a hassle why did you get a horse?

We owe it to them. Just as we owe it to our children. We have a duty and we must uphold that. I know I couldn't live with myself not to and I will gladly and have frequently sacrificed something for myself to ensure my horse never goes without.