Re: RC: Re: Re: Dance Line

[Tivers@aol.com]

In a message dated 3/22/00 10:00:07 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
Merryben@AOL.COM writes:

<< < Even though it is YOUR  life, endurance riding is OUR sport.  When horses
  are overridden, or have to be treated, or even die at rides, it is not only
  the rider that is going to "live with the consequences",  it's everybody
  involved in the sport (to a certain degree).  So, while I'll can't possibly
  care less what you do with YOUR life, I am immeasurably concerned about the
  welfare of our amazingly generous horses, and that of our sport.   >>
 
 I have no opinion about what happened to Howard because I was not there and 
I 
 do not know him but before you write posts like this one, you better make 
 darn sure that nothing bad ever happens to one of your horses and you can't 
 do that.  AS one of the my close friends with over 15,000 endurance miles 
 says, if you don't want a horse to die, don't ride one.  Better yet, don't 
 own one because it will probably happen to all of us..........Maryben
  >>


Maryben is correct, of course. Sanctimonious posturing, self-righteous 
indignation, and self-flaggellation are all man-made spiritual defects that, 
as self-respecting human beings, we must seek to avoid. Instead, we must seek 
the truth. We must seek clarity. We must seek simple honesty. And the simple 
truth here is that a horse possessed by a human is a beast of burden. 
Burdened by the desires and aspirations of its master; and its master, 
clearly, is not God. 

The most we can ask of a human playing God is to use his or her God-given 
brainpower as best he or she can to protect his living possession. The 
substantive discussions that occur on Ridecamp take us all in this direction. 
Unfortunately, this particular exchange, starting with Howard's article 
itself, is all fluff and nonsense. 

ti