I recently read somewhere that in every state, horses are technically classified as "property." This undoubtedly has reasons that are perfectly logical, from a legal standpoint, but it struck me as ironic, given the things I've seen and witnessed since becoming involved with People Helping Horses. They are so much more valuable than that. Yet, assuming their status is no more than mere property, I still am left befuddled as to how some people could treat them the way they do. I know some people who hold more value in their vehicles than that.
It's particularly hard for me to understand when I am around my own horse. I've shared in Tuff's struggles and triumphs so personally that I have quietly adapted them as my own. And I believe he has, with his growing trust in me, joined me in that silent and priceless partnership. Granted, I'm incredibly sensitive, but it just about broke my heart today to watch him jerk his foot in pain at a recently discovered abscess. As Amber helped me treat it, I could only feel that I had somehow failed him somewhere along the way - could I have kept his feet cleaner, did I miss something, etc... Although logically I know that he is already prone to abscesses, it didn't make me any less sad to know he was hurting. But there is no negative association or blame from his end -- he grudgingly allowed me to continue to fuss over him for another 30 minutes. As I reached up to straighten his wispy forelock, I was overcome by how generous and selfless these animals are...I leaned into him and whispered - as I frequently do - "You mean the world to me."
Property? For legal purposes, yes. But what they are to a person's heart cannot be categorized so simply. Anyone who has opened their heart to an animal in need, and felt the generous returns they'll undoubtedly receive from the investment, knows it's so much more.