Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride,
Friendship without envy,
Or beauty without vanity?
Here, where grace is served with muscle
And strength by gentleness confined
He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity.
There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent.
There is nothing so quick, nothing more patient.
~Ronald Duncan, "The Horse," 1954
On Sunday 3rd January 2010 in the town of Olympia, Greece, a horse was dragged behind a car for 2km before being thrown into a ditch. Still alive and screaming in pain both the horse's forelegs were broken and it was completely skinned on one side with deep wounds exposing it's intestines. A vet later destroyed the horse humanely.
People who witnessed the incident reported it to police immediately and the person responsible apparently laughed and boasted about it. We are told by our counterparts in Greece, that police so far have not taken it seriously and have not apprehended the person who openly admits committing this crime.
Another BLM Wild Horse Roundup: Submit Comments Today! Comments Must Be Received By Jan. 27
Removal of 550 horses in eastern Nevada set to begin next month
Just When We Thought It Couldn’t Get Worse – Government Claims More Than 670,000 Acres Can Only Support 100 to 200 Horses
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The proposed Eagle HMA plan puts these wild horses at great risk because the BLM is reducing the number of horses to dangerously low numbers, which could threaten the viability of the herd. Many horse advocates believe this is the BLM’s method of systematically dwindling horse population numbers down to untenable levels in order to ultimately eradicate these American living legends from public lands.
The Obama Administration is continuing the Bush Administration policy of targeting wild horses in order to serve special cattle and other industry interests. Under President Obama's oversight, the BLM is actually accelerating the pace of wild horse removals, with 12,000 horses targeted for capture from our public lands in Fiscal Year 2010 alone. The majority of these horses will be sent to government holding facilities, where they will join the 35,000 wild horses already stockpiled at taxpayer expense."
Horses, the American Mustang, a symbol of spirit and freedom. Today these magnificent beings face an uncertain future.
Men has no need for them anymore and many men seem to believe, that if men has no use for it, it then must go. How sad, how terrible, how unenlightened.
I remember watching the movie "Misfit" with Marilyn Monroe, when I was very young. (Excerpt from Movie Comment section: This is a movie about a woman in Reno, Nevada (where else?) who is there to get a divorce. On a whim (she makes up her mind fast!) she drives out to the desert on the day of her divorce with a washed out aging cowboy (Clark Gable) and his buddy (Eli Wallach) as well as her friend (Thelma Ritter). This begins a wistful adventure and sometimes sad relationship for her with the cowboy and his misfit friends (including Montgomery Clift). They grapple with life's issues from divorce, friendship, greed and even cruelty until finally, everyone's character and philosophy of life is laid bare in a showdown over 6 wild horses.)
This movie left a deep and lasting impression in my heart. I somehow sensed that these beautiful Horses that love freedom so much, that fight with all their might to remain free are somehow linked my me in some way that I do not understand. In many ways I have been a Misfit all my life not fitting in all together. In the movie, the sadness of the characters and their pathetic life's are a reflection of society and the endless pursuit of happiness that leaves so many empty, still. The wild mustangs fight for their freedom opens up all the misery at the end. It is utterly gut wrenching to see Marilyn in the character of Roslyn throw herself between the men and the horses.
In today’s world they the Horses, The Wild Mustangs are indeed Misfits, misunderstood, under appreciated or even not appreciated at all, belittled and nullified, declared useless and many called them a nuisance. What a sin against God to say God created something that is useless or a nuisance, what a sin against God!
We humans, what do we really know and understand about them ... NOTHING. Do we know what they know, or think? No, we don’t. Our heads are filled with knowledge but our hearts are ignorant.
By simply observing with our eyes and our hearts we should know, that they love their life as much as we do love our, they love to be free as we do, and they can take care of themselves pretty well if left alone, unfortunately as many of us have forgotten how to do.
What a gift they are, and yet we don’t see it, we throw these gift aside after they lost their purpose to us, like a broken toaster, or a broken doll.
But they are not toasters, not dolls, they are of flesh and blood, the same God that created all life creates them, they are full of spirit. THEY ARE IN this world and they are a blessing from God!!!
We tend to our automobiles as if they were irreplaceable; we care for materials things and neglect the truly irreplaceable. I cannot think of a world without them and I am tortured every day by the knowledge that we make them suffer horribly, even eat them, that we find it acceptable to use them for anything to make a buck.
My heart has sunken so deep over this. Almost every day I cry! I understand them. Their eyes when they look at me talk silently to me. They say “We know you are one of many who understand, but there are millions that don’t!” Their eyes say: “We are afraid!” Life to us without freedom is not life at all!” Their eyes say: “What have we done to fall from the good graces of humans? What have we done!” “Have we not served you and carried you?” “Have we not earned our place on this earth and in history?” “Why are you so cruel to us?” I can only look back in to their eyes, lower my head and be ashamed for humanity!
