Wild Horses CapturedI had the opportunity to see first hand some wild horses recently captured and taken to a domesticated environment. To witness the fear they possessed about humans was truly an eye opening experience. Their heightened sense of fear would cause them to react in seconds leaving their safety at times discarded. You couldn’t get any closer than 20 feet away from their enclosures before they would scurry to the other end of the pen. Sometimes even throwing their bodies against the other side almost not realizing it was there. I sat quietly way outside the pen to consider their position and perspective wanting to understand how the wild horses interpreted their world. The first obvious observation was to feel and see their emotional fear of being confined to an enclosure. It was not natural at all to them. The feeling was when loss of freedom ensues, death surely follows. I have also witnessed the same fear in some domesticated horses. The moral here is to recognize that just because we think they are domesticated doesn’t mean they know they are! Care and consideration must be taken into account.
Wild Horses & FoodThese horses had no idea what oats, carrots or any other grains even were. So much for thinking a way to their head was through their stomachs! :0) There were moments when it felt like they were wondering if they were getting poisoned with these unfamiliar foods! The suspicious looks were many! Which lead me to think again about the dietary considerations we have imposed upon our domesticated horses. Are we really doing what’s right for them?
The Safety ConcernWithout a doubt all horses regardless of their living environment require the feeling of safety. I refer to safety from their perspective not just our own. What seems natural to them is the following:* freedom to move at all times * companionship with others and their choosing * available food and water * shelter from weather conditions So I have instituted with great success all of the above! I have a herd of horses varying in age from one to thirty, boys and girls all living harmoniously! They move as a group wherever they need to. Unfortunately, I do not have hundreds of acres for them to roam (I wish I did) but what I can see is; contentment, rhythm and flow of life amongst them. Of course the wild horse herds do not have geldings but bachelor groups of stallions. We often do our stallions in a domesticated environment a cruel injustice by keeping them alone in stalls too often too. They all need to know that their own kind is with them.
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