09/17/2026
Horses do not exist simply to do what we want.
They are living, sentient animals with their own preferences, motivations and needs. Acknowledging that does not mean abandoning boundaries, never requiring anything of them, or pretending horses are humans.
And I find it interesting how incredibly quick people are to yell “anthropomorphism!” whenever we acknowledge any of this.
Yes, anthropomorphism exists. We absolutely can project human thoughts, intentions and emotions onto horses in ways that aren’t accurate.
But I think we are often so afraid of anthropomorphizing horses that we swing completely in the other direction and start treating them like objects.
There is a HUGE amount of space between pretending a horse is a human and believing a horse should have no opinion whatsoever about what happens to them.
It means recognizing that the animal underneath you is actually an animal, not a piece of sporting equipment.
If your ideal relationship with a horse requires them to have absolutely no say in anything and to simply do whatever you want, whenever you want it, I genuinely think you bought the wrong thing.
Buy a bike.
