I meet my friend at a coffee shop. Just back from vacation, she’s excited to tell me all about the trip. We find a comfy spot in the back and she pulls out her phone. We sip coffee and she narrates, scrolling dozens of shots of herself and her husband as they explore a new city. I see museums, restaurants, parks, historical monuments, and loads of cute selfies. Then we get to those pictures.
She sees it in my face, hears it in my silence, knows I do not approve. She is quick to explain.
“I know what you are thinking,” she says. “But the horses are so happy. They are well taken care of and they just love to work.”
I can feel myself screw up my face in disgust. “What makes you so sure the horses are happy spending every single day of their lives pulling carriages of people through city streets? Even in bitter cold or blazing sun they do it, surrounded by crowds and cars. You really think they love it?” In my head I see the videos of these poor creatures collapsing from exhaustion. I have cried over these images
My friend describes how lovely the stable is, how the driver adores his horses and gives them plenty of rest time and water all day. She even took photos, she explains, as she scrambles to find them.
Her point of view is so typical. We are conditioned to think non-human animals are content doing slave labor for humans. We are told this is so and we believe it because we’ve heard it all our lives and because the alternative is to come to terms with what we actually do to other species.
“That’s great,” I answer, “But wouldn’t horses rather be in a pasture somewhere, enjoying freedom, running and playing with other horses, breathing fresh air, and grazing?”
“Well, yeah, I guess so.” My friend answers.
Well, duh, I am thinking. Of course, they would. What do you mean you guess so? I want to keep on it. I want to ask if she thinks those horses really want to work every day. Do they ever feel tired or sick or have a pain somewhere? What if they need a day off? Could they express it? Would anyone listen? What I really want to do is drum it into her that what she thought was a fun carriage ride is actually animal abuse.
But this just isn’t the time or place. So I drop it, for now at least, with her agreeing horses would rather be free. I have planted a seed. We move on through the vacation on her phone. All the while, however, I am not focused on her words or her photos because in my head I’m still asking questions.
How have we humans become so desensitized to cruelty we believe animals actually enjoy slavery? Why don’t we understand that animals want freedom and that they deserve it? Why has taking away an animal’s freedom become so acceptable that it is done for our entertainment?
What gives us the right?
Susan Barzallo is the News & Associate Editor of The Animals Voice.
