Sen. John Stennis of Mississippi was as wrong on civil rights and many other issues the nation faced as were most southern senators of his time. However, he had a strong sense of personal integrity and decency. He faced a potentially strong opponent in one of his last races. Big time campaign consultants were brought in to create attack ads and direct mail pieces.
Time after time he rejected campaign pieces brought to him because they were scurrilous, dishonest, or simply undignified. Finally, an exasperated consultant snapped at the old man, "You do not understand. If we are going to win we have to do this!"
Sen. Stennis replied softly,"No, young man, you do not understand. We do not have to win."
Some things are too important for compromise.
When looking at the preservation of the Colonial Spanish horse/Spanish Mustang we have to look at those things that are too important upon which to compromise.
Have we fallen into the dangerous trap of equating successful preservation with being able to sell colts at a profit? Even if that is not the equation, has it become a key variable in that equation?
It has been said that if we are going to receive big money for our colts we must demand big money by setting and holding out for that sales price. It has been said that if we are to receive big money for our colts we must breed them to be larger. It has been said that if we are to receive big money for our colts we must participate in the shows and competitions of the established horse world. It has been said that if we are to receive big money for our colts we must impress the established horse world.
But, to echo Sen. Stennis, we do not have to get big money for our colts.
I am not aware of anyone who ever got rich by selling Colonial Spanish colts. The success of our preservation efforts hinges on drawing more people into the effort and one of the biggest draws to get people into the effort is the fact that our horses need not be expensive.
They need not be expensive to purchase. Natural hoof care and natural horse care knowledge makes it so they do not need to be expensive to maintain. Adam Edwards, of the Spanish Mustang Foundation, has hit the nail on the head when he writes of the niche that our horses fill.
They are healers.
Preserving these horses is a privilege and it is a calling. If one wants to get rich perhaps one should dabble in stock that does not eat hay. If one wishes to enrich the lives of others, all horses, but especially these horses, are a great way to do so.
No, we do not have to come up with a scheme to turn Colonial Spanish horses into ATM's. But we do have to preserve them and we do have to use them to bring light into very dark worlds.
And that is the endeavor in which we have to win.
The arguments for compepting and breeding bigger horses, injecting our horss into the establishment are as scurrilous as trying to drag small organic (I dislime the term.) or natural farmers into the world of Big Ag...Monsanto, ADM, etc....
ReplyDeleteJust as the niche farmers continue to do, we must keep the niche growing, but must also accomplish that aim without compromising the qualities of the horses as they are...it is the gentle and teachable nature, and the long riding athleticism, the natural vigor that must be preserved, and those qualities must be kept out front of everyone who would ride. Otherwise we may as well fold up tents, build barns and become another faceless breeder of modern bred horses. Nahh...there are plenty of those.
Right along with the analogy of natural agriculture, the practices of natural horse care , natural horsemanship, and barefoot hoofcare must be kept at the fore....there is as little sense in staying with the way it has always been done as there is in using chemical fertilizers on our veggies and calling them organic.
You won't see me putting horseshoes on my tomato plants anytime soon, either. -Lloyd