Some friends and I went to a screening of Unbranded last night. The film is about 4 men that ride from the Mexican border to the Canadian border on Mustangs they adopted from the BLM.
I won’t spoil the film but will tell you, which I think goes without saying, that the trip from border to border across The West was no easy task. Long hard days for horses and humans.
As we were exiting the theater one of my friends said “Oh My God, my horses would hate me”. I totally understand her initial reaction to the magnitude of a that trip was long and hard and the horses worked all day everyday for months in heat, with limited water etc..etc…After reflecting on the comment though it occurs to me that those horses which marched across country are probably “happier” than mine and most people’s for the matter. I struggle with the word happy as a human emotion but I do think animals that have a job are more content in life than those without.
Those Mustangs were doing what they were made to do, travel long distances and move every single day. Most modern day horses on the other hand have limited space to move, work less than 3 hours a day and usually not even everyday. That is a hard life for something that was designed to cross country seeking forage and water. I’m sure in the minds of the horse owner, the easy life is good…but is it really good from the equine perspective?
When did we get so uncomfortable watching an animal, be an animal? Animals love jobs, they need jobs and it is OK for us to ask them to work.
Little Pieces Of Me 
I look forward to seeing that! I struggle with the same thing- sometimes in training I ask a lot of my horse for distance and some speed… If I do too many days in a row I notice she doesn’t want to come as easily in the field. I worry I might make her sour with too much work… But also she is young so maybe giving time for her to develop into her job. She seems to love our events though! Good perspective!
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I consider your horses to have a job and suspect they are pretty content. They get lots of activity and training. I know many many horses that stand 5-6 days a week (mine included during the Winter season).
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Interesting thought – although it is a hard life for the wild ones, when they have no one to intervene on their behalf. I think the average mustang only lives about 10 years, and the domestic horse can live about 25-30.
I really want to see this movie now!
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It’s a great movie. These mustangs may have the best of both worlds then. Human intervention to take care o their basic needs to extend life. But still a daily job to give them purpose.
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