Never Mind

"Animal People"
I've been wondering for years. How much is born into us, and how much is learned? I am leaning towards the learning, more and more. My memories involving animals and Dad were all about disinterest, if not disdain. Dad loved to tease cats. He was a meanie. If he was home when I found a stray, that stray was gone. Not dead, just refused. Bye, bye, to many tears and pleading, but always to no avail. At least Mom was NicE about it:)

Dad grew up after WW1, and volunteered in the Navy in WW2 times, in a hard working class family. Food was tight, times were always tough. Dad's Mom was NOT an animal person. Not, not. There are very few animal people on Dad's side of the family. They are very successful, for the most part. So that blows one theory:) Or maybe it opens another up, not sure..

I think limiting exposure to animals early in childhood must be part of the key. If you have no animals in your life, how will you react later?

Mom's mom wasn't animal interested either. None, except for edibility/wear-ability. Wealthy, beautiful, spoiled woman, my Mom's mom was. And yet my Mom was very interested in animals, early on, I'm told. Point is coming, be patient:) Mom, (remember?) saw a kitten get squished in a carriage horse barn, when she was very young. Mom remembered that very clearly, her shock and horror was deep. A terrible, sad experience for a young girl. And of course, her dad wasn't around much. Mom loved cats, just LoveD them. Dogs too, but cats were her thing. Mom loved all animals.

So, even though her new husband was no cat person, Mom's cat was also duly married to my Dad. They HATED each other. My memories of this cat are of a constant growling, rumbling, angry grump.. Poor old cat. Dad delighted in tormenting the cat, I remember. Poor Mom.

ANYway, so, big sister is just like Mom. Animal crazy, can't bear the sight of death, freaks out at the site of a squished critter, and constantly bothers me, the second kid, into wondering what the fuss was all about. I wasn't so much "So what?" as I was, "Well, It Happens!!"

Dad teased my big sister's cat into leaving home. Dad basically scared my kid sister's cat into a functional vegetative state that never really improved. Picture sleeping kitten, and then large tall Dad stomping his foot right beside her and roaring her name. Yeah, nice, eh?

I loved cats, don't get me wrong. And? It's so odd to me now, that I can be construed as anything other than humane, simply because I'm Mom's daughter. I guess my Dad's genes force the pragmatism.

I was interested in animals. I was always studying them, finding them. I was horse crazy. Thanks, Butch:) But I wasn't overBLOWN out of my mind by the sight of death. Suffering, fear, pain, cruelty, of course I can't/couldn't bear it, or abide it.

But death, the sight, I found interesting, mostly because it bothered the HECK out of big sister when I would discuss the finer points of what was dead. "Big" sister is at least 7 inches shorter than me. Thank you, tall chromosome.

Through my attempts at acceptance into vet school, I'd often spend lunch-time in the large animal pathology lab. Just for interest. I guess that's weird. My work at the SPCA for semesters off allowed me further anatomy study. I always liked to know how animals worked. I've always been fascinated by the beauty and ferocity of the natural world. It doesn't make me shudder to see death happening. A cat killing a mouse. A dog killing a snake. (I did give Flip crap for it yesterday.)

DogsDeserveFreedom was prophetically and kindly pointing out my next issue with Flip. Leash time, for Flip:) We need a herd of miniature sheep. Maybe wind-up sheep, yeah, that's it.

The CHDC & A Brief Boring Political Rant
From what I can see, the absolute "End to all Slaughter" tag line is the stumbling block in discussions between the CHDC and the real-time farmers and related industry workers. The government,as we know, isn't managed very well. Not nearly enough women and not nearly enough brains, all t'way 'round. All kinds of work, though. Just not for people in this country.

Born a city chick, and sheltered from many things ugly, didn't really prepare me for the truths I learned from horses, and later from my ex-farmer husband. I do get both sides of the debate. I do get the horror city folk and pet-horse owners feel, at the thought of a horse being slaughtered, and more cruelly, slaughtered badly.

The fear these animals can and will endure breaks any kind heart. I just don't get the "us versus them mentality", that seems to have sprung up with the PeTA/HSUS lobbying. City versus country. Country folk are outnumbered by the city folk. Yet both would say they are being kind. Which has the larger voting base?

But for the RealDeal farmer, whose livelihood has been steadily whittled away, the anti-slaughter stance will deny their very relevant voice to be heard, or it will be dismissed out of hand, as we know "farming" is inherently cruel. (No, it is not, imo. It is a fact that humans have eaten, and will continue to eat meat, of all kinds.)

Real Deal Farmers are being replaced by "waiting for the developer deal to go through" bull shite Farmers, around here anyway. Like my neighbour to my north, and now south. Cutting down everything, flattening everything, ready for the houses to go up. There's so much money involved, it's mind-boggling.

I'm more confused, now. Are there less kind people in the world? I think there are many people who have no idea how the real, natural world works. They assume too much. I just wonder how many animal people are being born compared to non-animal people. You know, statistically speaking. As if we could ever really know. I'm feeling pretty outnumbered, I guess.

The "in-fighting" between the various animal lover factions will destroy any credibility we might have, as a united front.

You see, for me, it is kinder to euthanize a horse that has no use, and is in pain, or cannot be cared for properly. If that makes me cruel, I'm sorry. I wish the word slaughter wasn't so inflammatory, to so many. The word slaughter, for me, has always meant the brutal or violent killing of a person. But that isn't it's first meaning, in most dictionaries. That's why I think the word needs changed. Not that it will happen, or anything. The re-thinking of slaughter practices has benefited the animals. Would making the practices humanely acceptable, allow a new word to be coined?

I wish for a happy comfortable retirement for all horses, but just how realistic is that? I have enough trouble right now, worrying about my own life..



I really liked this..

Sail and Rudder, 1806
.... the rider has adjusted his bridle of such a length, as to be able to give the horse all of his head, at first setting off; for he should feel his horse's mouth as soon as he has taken a step or two, but not before; since (as before observed) the switch is the sail,and the reins are the rudder. The reins should no more be used, before the horse is put in motion (either by speaking to it, or the switch), than the rudder of a ship should be used, before the sails are set.
STRICKLAND FREEMAN from The Art of Horsemanship.

Okay, so substitute your leg or voice for the "switch". I didn't know horses HAD a switch:) No, he means a whip, for those confused. Old S. Freeman Guy had something there, didn't he?

But I still love this the best.

To Flatter and Coax - Xenophon (long frickin' time ago 444-365 BC)
The hand must neither be held so strict as to confine and make the horse uneasy, nor so loosely as not to let him feel it. The moment he obeys and answers it, yield the bridle to him; this will take off the stress and relieve his bars, and is in conformity with that maxim, which should never be forgot, which is to caress and reward him for whatever he does well. The moment that the rider perceives that the horse has begun to place his head, to go lightly in the hand, and with ease and pleasure to himself; he should do nothing that is disagreeable, but flatter and coax, suffer him to rest a while, and do all he can to keep him in a happy temper. This will encourage and prepare him for greater undertakings.
from XENOPHONS'S Treatise on Horsemanship.

It's not very watery, but it sure gets the point across. No, I've never read this quote by Xenophon before. Big surprise to see GoLightly mentioned. Kinda cool, really. Hey, I'm a student of the horse. I've never graduated.

GoLightly in the hand, sheeple.

To Slo Lopin' Scotch.

Remembering the story in the comments by Paddy of the backward moving rescue horse, brings this on for me. Who did this? I can just hear it. "Well, the horse just wouldn't move forward off my cue. It isn't respecting me. I back him up, to teach respect." It's completely illogical to the horse. The human isn't using basic animal logic for Horses.

Horses are PREY animals. We are predator animals. All that is "taught" is fear. Probably while exerting pain on the horse. Oh, yeah, it is fun to torment them, for SomE. Power of the lesser intelligence, and all that crap. People (myself, as a kid, included) seem to take enjoyment in causing the horse discomfort. (shivers) Some people's kids. Sorry, Mom. It's a power trip, for sure.
We have to learn to think like prey, to understand the horse. Really hard for us to do. Really, really.

Beating up on half a ton of flesh. Sorry. It's been done by others, from what I hear. Terrible. Stupid. I know, the stupid aren't going to disappear. Look to my left, and yup, my neighbour is still there.. Eeesh, I do have to blog that story. What a display of horsemanshit. You can label stupidity all you want, with whatever BNT flavour of the day, but it won't change the nasty stupids.
Like MB, there, to my left<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<.


Huge tangent. Let's call it a fork, today. For the first time in my 53 years on this earth, I successfully fed 6 humans. Scottish Mince and Tatties. Look it up. If I can do it, it is Possible. My German SIL called it "slop". It also looks like "glop". Yummy, though.

Brother in Law is here, looking for work. Anybody need a Theatre House Manager? An amazing Manager of People? Guy is a genius. Hard to find work for the smart, these days. At least, judging by some of the management practices I've read about, through the years..
BIL Managed the Ford Theatre for the Performing Arts, in Vancouver, for good old Garth. Drab guy? Ring a bell anyone? Criminal. Drabinsky. BIL babysat Chastity Bono, Cher's kid, when he managed the "O'Keefe", now knownas The Hummingbird Centre, maybe. They might have changed the name again. BIL knows just about everything and everybody. Mathematical and computer genius. And an amazing musician. Yeah, pretty over-qualified, for this city.

Sorry for the blathering ramble, my kid sister has promised to finally send me a picture that I know will brighten the day. The Face of Kindness. Often mistaken for grumpy. You'll have to wait for it, it's coming.

I'm decreasing post quantity, and Trying to increase post quality, not quite, though, eh ColoredCuttingHorses?
Jeeesh, everybody's a critic:) I like it, please don't stop. Plus the longer I blather, the less NCCatnip will demand revisions:)
We need way more people like NCC. IMO. Hugs to Prince and the menagerie!

Rivers and horses.
They both move forward. It's what they're born to do. The way they move forward is their very own. I think we can be too quick to try to change that way of going, when we begin their training.

I will NeveR understand teaching backing them up, too early in their education. Ever. What on earth do these people think they're teaching the horse? It's pretty unnatural to ask a horse to back up at a thousand miles an hour. Biomechanically 'n all. Sure isn't something they were born to do, so early in training.
Just sayin'. jmho. Shoot me.

That ad in Blatant's post by the palomino owner. "She walks and backs up." THAT equals BROKE?? That prompted this tirade. Don't back them up, until they are REAL clear about going forward, under saddle. Heck, on the ground, too. Just stop all that backing. What is the point?

To soft hands and kind riders. Riders that want to go forward. Quality Education, equally, for everyone. An opportunity to see nature, as it really works, without the posturing of a PeTA extremist, colouring the opinions of honestly kind, but ultimately uninformed people.

To more animal people, being born.



And a kind end, for all.

Happy Easter, everyone. Happy Birthday, Dad!

All wet, and out.
(sorry CCH & NDa, I sure hope my next post involves drier ideas.)
To your flood waters receding, in real time.

Here's a picture of how carefully I dress when I'm gardening.. Don't look if you haven't eaten yet.