Despite what Hollywood portrays, horses go not go faster simply because you flip the reins up and down. Think about what the reins are attached to...a metal bit in their mouth. Would you go faster if someone put a spoon in your mouth then flipped it up and down so that it hit the roof of your mouth? Well, you might because you're now mad and in pain! Think about your actions and the effect they can have on the animal. The bit in the horses mouth is to control where you go and how fast you get there. Use it wisely and only as needed, otherwise the horse will become dull to your aids or will resent the hands on the other end of those reins.
Animals are not vindictive, they don't go around thinking, "How can I get them today?", and don't plan out anything. They don't try to knock you off going under a branch or "take out your knee" by getting too close to the fence post. They don't understand where you are in space relative to them. Much the same way that if you were to put a toddler on your back and then start to go through a doorway, you have to stop, think about how tall you now are, then compensate. Animals don't think that way. If they fit, they go through. If their belly doesn't rub on the fence post, then they think they fit. Or if you stick your hand out and get bit, it's not the animal's fault. You reached out to them, they are used to people feeding them, so use some sense and don't stick your fingers in their mouths. Please don't say that my horses are "out to get you." It's up to you to be the logical one in the relationship
But I digress from the subject of this post which is......respect
How would you like it if you were penned up and others came by and tried to scare you, made fun of you, or taunted you? How respectful is it to the animals that God has given to us, entrusted to us, if we lord our supposed "superiority" over them? We were not meant to trample over the creation that God gave us, but rather use it to our benefit, be a good steward of it, and be respectful and thankful for it. I'm all for eating meat and using the products that animals can give us, but I also take care of the animals I have been entrusted with, I don't tease, scare, or mock them, and I respect them. Probably the animals have no idea that they are being mocked or teased, but if we have that attitude with them, we probably have it with others around us and they will know when they are being put down. To those that we think we are better than. We take our superior attitude and are cocky, arrogant, and demeaning. It's fun to have animals around and they certainly provide a laugh now and again and it's quite alright to laugh at them. But respect them just like you would all of God's creation. Hopefully you respect the earth and it's resources and more importantly, you respect those around you and the God who created it all. He gave us a beautiful gift called Creation. I wish I could have seen the original, unblemished Creation because the sin-tarnished one we have now is pretty incredible. So my parting words will be part of the creed of the Sagamore Council which every Tecumseh camper will hear during Friday night devotions: "I will respect the world around me- the plants, the wild things, the people and their ideas; and each day will bring new adventures."
