Morning Feed: Friday, February 24

Good morning, Horse Nation! Congratulations–you made it through to another Friday, nice work.

One thing that struck me as I scrolled back over HN’s posts at the end of the day yesterday was how much contrast exists within our equestrian world.

At one end of the spectrum, we had the column written by 15-year-old McKenna, who loves her pony Dorito with so much devotion and loyalty that it’s inspiring. On the other end, we had the stories about the Pennsylvania horse trainer who took in 120 ex-racehorses only to sell them for slaughter, and about the British author of several horse books who is on trial for the neglect of her own horses.

How can so much humanity exist alongside so much inhumanity? I can’t help but thinking, in the case of the horse trainer and the author, that they can’t have always been so evil. At one time, were they horse-crazy little girls like McKenna? And if so, at what point did they feel compelled to turn away and head down such a dark path?

I suppose you could ask the same things of the world at large, but within our community, the extremes just feel that much closer and more tangible. The best we can do, I suppose, is hold one another accountable, making it clear to lawmakers with our letters and voices what we as a Horse Nation will and will not tolerate. We know what’s best for our horses better than anyone, after all. Let’s not put up with anything less.

Go hug your horse.