He is beautiful, but I climbed out of Plato's cave way too long ago to care about appearances. Can he go forever? Will he go where I ask him to? Will he get me there with with minimal pain on my part and none at all on his?
Will he be glad to see me when I walk by?
Scoundrel is a very high percentage Grand Canyon stallion and is the son of Rowdy Yates.
What am I looking for in a breeding stallion? See paragraphs 1 and 2 above.
I cannot stand to do anything what so ever for the sake of appearances. I read his week about a man who spent $800,00.00 buying clothes. I bet that he thought appearances were of vital importance.
The man who wears a $5,000.00 tailored suit will still be the same man if he is wearing an orange jumpsuit.
But I do not hold beauty against a horse any more than I hold a horse, or a person, in misplaced esteem because of appearance.
So what color horse is my favorite? So which strain of Colonial Spanish horse is my favorite? So what bloodlines are my favorite?
See paragraphs one and two above.
If one finds it too hard to look at a horse's merits the established horse world will happily explain to you what is wrong with your horse and how to best ignore reality and stick with what really matters--owning horse that other adherents to the edicts of the established horse world
have determined to be appropriately beautiful.
And like the prisoners who are chained the cave of Plato's great parable, maybe every now and then you will get to see the reflection of a rider on a horse that can go forever,that goes where his rider asked him to,that will get that rider there with minimal pain to the rider and none at all too the horse.
Might even get to see a horse who is glad to see his owner approach.
1 comment:
YES. I've always loved the allegory of the cave... not just for what it teaches us about the worth of appearances (none) and how they decieve us... But for what it teaches us about just going along with what we've been led to believe is the only way to see, to be, to do. In order to break free of the cave, we must look beyond "established knowledge" and things that are done a certain way because "that's what we've always done and that's just how it is."
I've always been an outside-the-cave thinker in general. Coming to MSIH has expanded that way of thinking in me where horses are concerned.
And Medicine Dog... She may be a beautiful horse of a different color, but that's not what made me fall in love with her nor bond with her. It was riding her enough to begin to get to know her heart, and witnessing her willingness to do as she's asked (so long as I'm a confident enough leader for her) as long as she trusts and has confidence in me. That's a powerful thing to behold. Every minute I spend with her that bond deepens and her personality unfolds more. Mere words cannot convey the power that holds for me. -Rivka
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