Have we only left our horses their dreams? Have we not taken their agency, their will to choose their friends, to stay with their families, and to spend their time as they choose? Go where they might. Encounter their own challenges and find their own moments of harmony and beauty, fill their bodies and minds with the full essence of being a horse as a horse was created to be.
Do we remember to thank our domestic horses every day for what they have given up to be in our yards, pastures, fields, ranges and barns? There is no comparison between the life of a horse as it was meant to be and the one we give them.
We must remember that horses’ minds and bodies are still tuned in to their nature, which has been taken out of its rightful place. Some deep calling in our domestic horses must yearn for all those things that they have lost.
I have returned from Shackleford Banks profoundly changed by observing the wild ponies. They have shown me the beautiful, social depth of horses’ lives lived with true agency, way beyond what I had even imagined.
Life is tough on Shackleford Banks, and the ponies come out of winter thin. They must work hard to find enough food and water, but they are filled with determination and purpose. Struggle is part of life for them, and these ponies have learned to deal with it, but it’s also part of what builds cohesion in the bands and intensifies their moments of peace and harmony.
There is a sense of confidence, purpose and serenity in these ponies that I have not seen in domestic horses. There is a solid feeling of cohesion and trust among the band members enough for a stallion to go into laying down, deep restorative sleep in the middle of the day, surrounded by his band mates.
I am totally struck by the richness and cohesiveness of their lives that true agency provides, and I do not know how to proceed now that I am back in my world. This is a big moment. I cannot ignore what I have seen, yet how to go forward from here is a major question that will have to develop over time, regarding both the work I do with people and their horses, and how I live and interact with my own horses.
My horses already live as one mixed, unchanging herd out 24/7, with shelter, but surely there is more I can offer than just my gratitude and profound understanding of the richness they have been forced to give up by domestication. I feel the wild ponies of Shackleford have given me a gift, they have enlightened me, but it is not an easy enlightenment, and it will be a challenge to incorporate going forward. Yet, I feel a responsibility in some how sharing what they have shown me.
