|
| Author | Topic: Yes Virginia, we do care about animals |
| Intelligent Responses |
posted 10/7/02 5:28 AM
I teach high school age students every week day from 8am until 3:30pm. With that being said, I do have a college degree in regards to the psychology of teenage individuals. Day in and day out I gauge each student's individual skills and knowledge and determine what they have retained and what they need to know before I pass them along to another teacher, or graduation. I rodeo as well. I have always had a love/trust relationship with my equine partners. They are my heroes. Last week, I hung a few rodeo pictures of myself and my partners on my desk. One depicts me sliding off of my bulldogging horse, Elf, at a college rodeo. The other shows my heel horse firing on the corner to give me as quick a shot as possible. Anyone with experience in rodeo could tell you right off that my equine partners put me in a position to succeed. My students thought I was doing some underhanded boasting by hanging these pictures up. "You must have a high opinion of yourself," they'd say. I let that go on for a couple days until I had enough of them in the room to make it count. One finally started in, "Do you have a big ego?" I told them, "You look at those pictures, and you see me. I look at those pictures and I see the largest living thing in the frames, those two horses with whom I've trusted my life, my money, and my loved ones to. They paid my rent. They paid my tuition for five years so I could be here in front of you. In the end, Elf saw it in his big horse heart to give his all for a highschool kid out of South Dakota so that I could have enough money to pay tuition for my student teaching semester. "I look at those photos and I see two individuals who gave me their all so that I could be here before you. I see the sorrel heel horse that sits in a pasture longing for the day when he and I can follow the burro around in circles without the bridle again. I see black bulldogging horse who whispers to me in between classes to make the most of my life and my career as a teacher so that his new life in South Dakota will not be in vain. "I look at those photos and I see two of the most influential individuals in my life. Now, what is it you see again?" All it takes folks is a few minutes of your time to sit and listen and understand. We could be your best friends in the world if you could only take the time to see things from our perspective--you'd see that we really aren't that much different from you. |
| Varmit |
posted 10/7/02 9:36 PM
Nice post IR, I feel the same about my horses. I have been lucky enough to have 3 super great calf horses which I have broke myself. Have always found more gratification when someone compliments my horse than myself. |
| Alexie |
posted 10/13/02 4:16 AM
Very good post. I feel the same way about my horses and other animals. They are family and friends, not just pets. Just because we not an AR fanatics doesn't mean we can't love our animals! |
| David Carroll |
posted 10/16/02 10:50 PM
>>"my bulldogging horse, Elf,"<< Elf, huh? Hmm, do you know what your horse is doing when you're not around? :D Sorry, couldn't resist. |
| IntelligentResponses |
posted 10/30/02 4:38 AM
His name was Keebler when I bought him, but the day I tried him out I was at a high school rodeo and one of the college rodeo guys (which was going on at the same time) was standing behind the box watching the move. Elf was getting a little excited and I kept hearing this voice behind me saying "Keeeeeeeeeeeebler, Keeeeeeeeeeebler." I just couldn't see hangin' that handle on that good 'a horse. |
|
|