
09/23/2024
Equine Snobbery Syndrome (ESS)
Good morning fellow, crazed horse fanatics. Some of you may have noticed my absence over the last few weeks, some of you may have been glad about it! I have been horse camping with my lovely bride, some really good horses and two questionable canines loosely termed “Jack Russell Terrorists” (the spelling here is not a mistake, think about that for a minute—anyone associated with one of these furry little fireballs can relate to this) We meet some fine folks on the trails and in various horse camps we have visited in our extensive travels throughout the western states of this great land. I have seen some outstanding horses in my travels, and a few that may be considered not so good. But now, I have a confession to make: I have been plagued, afflicted, and infected with an old mental disorder with a brand-new name: Equine Snobbery Syndrome (ESS). This is not Equine Racism (ER), a disease that makes you think YOUR favorite breed is far superior to all other breeds. No, ESS is worse, much worse. Victims of ESS think their horse is superior to every other horse alive. Yes, it's true, I have it…at least, I DID have it.
A few years ago, Annette and I took a trip to the Holy Land. Apart from a spiritual and geopolitical awakening (we will leave those for another place and time) I was able to self-diagnose ESS when I was in—where else—the Holy Land.
One of many amazing things we did was ride horses through the ancient stone city of Petra, in modern day Jordan. Although I was officially a tourist, the vet part of me took hold as I was observing these amazing "dude horses" at work packing tourists through this fantastic setting. Guess what breed they were? Take your time, I'll wait.... If you guessed Arabians, you should be on Jeopardy!
Several things were obvious here. First, most of these horses were small and absolutely NOT the kind 81.6% of Americans would ever consider owning. They were not "poor" by my estimation, but there were no fat horses in Jordan. They work hard every day, packing saddles--a cobbled up mixture of old McClellans, or ancient cheap western saddles with iron stirrups and homemade cinches of an undetermined material-- that none of us would have even as a "decoration" on a fence, much less on a horse. And they dutifully packed dudes that have probably never ridden anything other than something mechanical in front of the grocery store. They survived on forage we would not use as bedding.
Yet, despite all the apparent hardships, these hardy creatures worked all day, every day. Never balking, never shying, never "complaining" under conditions most barn-fed, deep stall-bedded, groomed to perfection, pampered American horses cannot imagine. I saw about fifty of these magnificent beasts and noticed none that were exquisitely groomed, bathed, or clipped, but otherwise well-kept and had absolutely NO lameness. The most impressive part of these horses was that all were well shod, with small, hard, and perfectly conformed feet…and I do mean perfectly formed. I did see two horses that had hind distal limbs wrapped for what I suspect was suspensory desmitis, but all were moving sound.
In the past, I have been guilty of judging some horses as "inferior". I have heard (but I am NOT guilty of) some horses referred to as "junk". But I was reminded of Tom Smith, the real live trainer featured in the 2003 film "Seabiscuit" who was rehabbing an old grey 'nag' too lame to race anymore. His line: "no use throwing away a perfectly good life just 'cuz you're bunged up a bit"” just about gut-punched me. It was then that I realized I suffer from ESS. Thanks to my visit with the hardy little Jordanian dude horses, I am cured—or, at least in remission.
So next time I am tempted to look down my nose at a horse, any horse, I need to remember the image this little story has conjured up. I am thankful for horses, even more now than before. These willing partners have carried mankind in exploration of the entire world, packing our possessions, our families, and our pioneering spirit to places we would not likely see without ‘em. They have plowed our fields, helped harvest our crops and carried us into battle without thought of political motives that brought them there. They may not always think like we do, but they have no "agenda" other than to survive and--if we treat them properly--to serve us.
This trip to Jordan has been life-altering on several levels. This should not have required an airplane trip halfway around the world to receive this particular lesson, as I can learn a lot from a horse right here in the mountains. All I gotta do is pay attention. That’s what I think, anyway.
Strive for perfection, accept only excellence, ride with purpose.
Equine Snobbery Syndrome (ESS)
Good morning fellow, crazed horse fanatics. Some of you may have noticed my absence over the last few weeks, some of you may have been glad about it! I have been horse camping with my lovely bride, some really good horses and two questionable canines loosely termed “Jack Russell Terrorists” (the spelling here is not a mistake, think about that for a minute—anyone associated with one of these furry little fireballs can relate to this) We meet some fine folks on the trails and in various horse camps we have visited in our extensive travels throughout the western states of this great land. I have seen some outstanding horses in my travels, and a few that may be considered not so good. But now, I have a confession to make: I have been plagued, afflicted, and infected with an old mental disorder with a brand-new name: Equine Snobbery Syndrome (ESS). This is not Equine Racism (ER), a disease that makes you think YOUR favorite breed is far superior to all other breeds. No, ESS is worse, much worse. Victims of ESS think their horse is superior to every other horse alive. Yes, it's true, I have it…at least, I DID have it.
A few years ago, Annette and I took a trip to the Holy Land. Apart from a spiritual and geopolitical awakening (we will leave those for another place and time) I was able to self-diagnose ESS when I was in—where else—the Holy Land.
One of many amazing things we did was ride horses through the ancient stone city of Petra, in modern day Jordan. Although I was officially a tourist, the vet part of me took hold as I was observing these amazing "dude horses" at work packing tourists through this fantastic setting. Guess what breed they were? Take your time, I'll wait.... If you guessed Arabians, you should be on Jeopardy!
Several things were obvious here. First, most of these horses were small and absolutely NOT the kind 81.6% of Americans would ever consider owning. They were not "poor" by my estimation, but there were no fat horses in Jordan. They work hard every day, packing saddles--a cobbled up mixture of old McClellans, or ancient cheap western saddles with iron stirrups and homemade cinches of an undetermined material-- that none of us would have even as a "decoration" on a fence, much less on a horse. And they dutifully packed dudes that have probably never ridden anything other than something mechanical in front of the grocery store. They survived on forage we would not use as bedding.
Yet, despite all the apparent hardships, these hardy creatures worked all day, every day. Never balking, never shying, never "complaining" under conditions most barn-fed, deep stall-bedded, groomed to perfection, pampered American horses cannot imagine. I saw about fifty of these magnificent beasts and noticed none that were exquisitely groomed, bathed, or clipped, but otherwise well-kept and had absolutely NO lameness. The most impressive part of these horses was that all were well shod, with small, hard, and perfectly conformed feet…and I do mean perfectly formed. I did see two horses that had hind distal limbs wrapped for what I suspect was suspensory desmitis, but all were moving sound.
In the past, I have been guilty of judging some horses as "inferior". I have heard (but I am NOT guilty of) some horses referred to as "junk". But I was reminded of Tom Smith, the real live trainer featured in the 2003 film "Seabiscuit" who was rehabbing an old grey 'nag' too lame to race anymore. His line: "no use throwing away a perfectly good life just 'cuz you're bunged up a bit"” just about gut-punched me. It was then that I realized I suffer from ESS. Thanks to my visit with the hardy little Jordanian dude horses, I am cured—or, at least in remission.
So next time I am tempted to look down my nose at a horse, any horse, I need to remember the image this little story has conjured up. I am thankful for horses, even more now than before. These willing partners have carried mankind in exploration of the entire world, packing our possessions, our families, and our pioneering spirit to places we would not likely see without ‘em. They have plowed our fields, helped harvest our crops and carried us into battle without thought of political motives that brought them there. They may not always think like we do, but they have no "agenda" other than to survive and--if we treat them properly--to serve us.
This trip to Jordan has been life-altering on several levels. This should not have required an airplane trip halfway around the world to receive this particular lesson, as I can learn a lot from a horse right here in the mountains. All I gotta do is pay attention. That’s what I think, anyway.
Strive for perfection, accept only excellence, ride with purpose.