a Letter to the Editor

Dear Jo,
An e-mail I wrote to Jo Browne at HORSE Magazine after the 'GreavesleyGate' scandal.

I think it’s important that everyone remembers horses are creatures with their own ideas about what is safe and what isn’t, and they can’t be ‘fixed’ , ’once and for all’.

A horse is perfect for what he is: a fast, fit, flighty creature who considers safety his primary focus in life, above all other considerations. The reason we love them so much is that despite all these things, they choose to be with us, to let us touch them, ride them and ultimately ask them to be ok in unfamiliar and scary situations – I might add we’d NEVER force ourselves to face our fears...so why is it ok to make our horses do it? The fact that they do trust us, that most horses with sensitive training out on the roads alongside road users who are kind and thoughtful, a horse can become comfortable with traffic, but it only takes one scare to put all that work back to the beginning, and some horses will never recover from a fright, and neither might the rider.

I feel so cross and saddened that there are people we share our planet with that have so little empathy for their fellow creatures that they’d be willing to risk the safety of all concerned..who are these people?

I think I must be very lucky indeed, because iIhave the nicest drivers in my village...cyclists on the other hand.....are a bit better at slowing down!

Thanks for reading my rant,

Shelley