Sunday Soapbox: Your horse is not a dickhead

If your social media feed is anything like mine, you've probably already seen this "Mr Dickhead" blanket by JW Equestrian Supplies.

You've probably seen it a lot.

By all appearances, it's been very popular. That doesn't surprise me. A lot of people really do think their horses are dickheads.

I'm not one of them.

I think horses are kind, willing, conflict avoiding creatures who put up with a lot from the humans in their lives.

If they're being "difficult", there's a reason. It might be confusion, fear, pain or some combination of the three.

And let's be honest about this: A lot of the things we ask them to do are hard and require a lot of strength and stamina. It's entirely possibly your horse might prefer to spend his day eating with friends rather than trotting a million twenty meter circles in the blazing sun. 

I feel that. I'd rather eat and hang out with my friends, too.

I do not think horses can be evil. They aren't deliberately defiant, they don't plot against us or do things out of malice.

They aren't dickheads.

We are sometimes...

(sorry, guys)

but they're not.

If you like the Mr Dickhead blanket, that's fine. I'm not going to try to change your mind.

But maybe the next time you think your horse is being a dickhead, take a moment and try to see the world through his eyes. You might be surprised to discover who the dickhead really is.