20/09/2024
Becs is doing amazing work , often in the face of criticism,
Dissection is a confronting task but a necessary one to highlight what’s wrong with our industry and to provide learnings
The ethics of dissections
Ethics in simple terms means just because you can doesn’t always mean you should. When I started this journey of wonderment into the horses body I had a desire to share the beauty with a wider audience. Many of you might not know I am an artist at heart and have done artworks since I can first remember, that has helped me greatly to present the work. I do not possess an academic mind, I am dyslexic and function with ADHD which means my ability to hyper focus on things that interest me is a super power but also why I regularly burn out. As I have last weekend completed my 70th dissection I’m reflecting on the work.
People do not come to the decision to put down their beloved horse lightly. There have often been months/years of languish over what to do next, the worry never far from their owners mind. I speak often with people from around the world in this situation , it’s overwhelming. Some horses come with lengthy vet reports which help guide the dissections and pay closer attention to areas on the horses body. The decision to euthanise can not be made by me, I can support owners but the decision is their own. Pain in horses just like humans is an individual experience and poorly understood yet by science from what I’ve seen. In my experience when behavioural problems arise it never seems to be one problem in the horses body but rather multiple. It becomes a chicken/egg problem within a straw that broke the camels back situation. With all this in mind something that is regularly repeated to me is “correlation is not causation” meaning you can’t connect dots to find the problem.
Vets hold all the power and none at the same time. Vets are bound by a code of ethics and their actions are accountable to the veterinary council. To step outside of the lines that are drawn for them in their profession is to risk loosing their licence to practise. As a lay person doing dissection work I am not controlled or governed by the vet council and this must be frightening to the establishments. I must operate by my own morals and ethics but also under the welfare guidelines set out by M.P.I (ministry for primary industries).since my years working in rescue and rehoming I am well aware of the rules set out for welfare around euthanasia. Disposal of waste after dissections is carefully considered each time. My preferred method in NZ is to reuse as much of the horses body as possible and not put toxic chemicals into the ground from barbiturates. That being said I will use what ever method the owner deems acceptable while working with owners. I live in a tiny home I built, I grow my own food and I try to live a low foot print life so reuse and recycle are pillars of my personal life.
Dissection work is skilled butchery, many who hold themselves in high regard will hate that statement. The reality is dissection work is skilfully taking apart a body, layer by layer. It’s a skill I continue to improve on and I will undoubtedly spend my life learning. Staying in my lane is very important, I am not a vet and we desperately need to support vets. Being a vet is difficult on so many levels that most people don’t appreciate, they are humans doing the best they can with the knowledge and technology they have available to them. When vets attend my dissections I respectfully work with them because I believe in collaboration and the academic mind is a great contrast to my own. To the vets who regularly answer my questions, thank you….you know who you are.
Lastly, when viewing my page and the work I present please remember it holds an uneven balance. The horses I dissect have problems, they come with a rep sheet of issues normally by way of behaviour and or lameness. In my collection I have dissected only 6 unridden horses and while they have shown me a baseline this is not enough to draw conclusions from. They have lived a domesticated life.
The point of living is not to arrive at the grave in pristine condition, this is not a life well spent. For a horse we must decide as a society what is an acceptable amount of wear and tear to consolidate a life well lived. Then we must also consider that genetics play a huge role in soundness and athletic ability. Then there is nutrition for strong bones and soft tissues, There is well fitting tack so the horse uses their body well, There is good feet to support the horses massive weight and finally there is how we train. Both a ballerina and a body builder are athletes but have built very different bodies through training. The same applies to horses.
There is much to consider in dissections and their wider implications to my sharing information freely. For most people it’s forcing them to ask themselves questions they hadn’t considered before. We sit at a great advantage through leverage forces on top of a horse, engineers understand these concepts well. Scientific and academic studies are important but the quickest way to make change in my mind is from the ground up. But when viewing my page, remember you are looking at the uneven balance of mainly dysfunctional horses.
For some people my work has been so confronting I have been attacked publicly. Death and the conversation around it always brings heated debate but I find most people don’t understand how many horses are put down monthly. The numbers I estimate would blow most people’s minds, it’s not officially recorded for a reason. Death is as normal as being born, being dead is the same as before you were born, nothingness, stardust. Neglect and negligence is living death for a horse. This world holds much suffering for animals and humans alike.
To make meaningful change in our industry so woefully in trouble will take a village approach. This is a bold post but we should never shy away from hard topics.
Photo below of my dream PRE stallion, in piaffe in a rope halter, barefoot and in a treeless saddle one handed…..be the change you want to see in the world. Chopping up horses is NOT my dream profession but it felt necessary for my own learning.
