The Shackles That Bind Us

     I have been looking at horses' pictures since we went on an out of town trip two weeks ago.  Beasts of burden, was how I saw them that day.  Being rented for a leisurely ride along the slopes of a mountainous destination is not the best job an animal worker can have.  Not enough time to rest and no healthy diets to help endure day-to-day fatigue.  Still, they have no choice because at the end of the day, shackles will confine these equines to stables less worthy of being called as such.

       As I picture those horses-for-rent and what it would have been if they free themselves from their shackles when nobody's looking at night, I remember the book by Maggie Stiefvater entitled "The Scorpio Races".  The plot is in Thisby, a fictional island somewhere in Ireland, though it was vaguely described by the author.  In this novel, horses have minds of their own.  They are strong-willed and powerful.  Majestic, is how I picture them on my mind, just like horses of royalties...but grungy as how wild horses are.

     These Celtic water horses are the exact opposite of the horses for rent I saw last two weeks.  They were weak, tired and powerless.  In a society where livelihood is scarce, compassion for animals will most likely take a backseat in order to feed mouths of hungry families of the horses' handlers.  I am a supporter of animal rights, but at this point, it is hard to judge whether that act is acceptable or not.  I just wish they are in a better place, both the horses and the caretakers.  In my opinion, welfare of animals is as important as the issue of, and course of action towards women's suffrage.  It starts with us. Kindness to animals is overrated.  But does it always exist?  It sure is a wonderful scenic spot - horseback riding on a hill overlooking a volcano under the clear blue skies, embraced by the cool breeze with scents of pine, streets and walkways lined by century old Sequoia tress, constant greetings by hospitable local residents.  If only the horses are well-taken cared of, everything would be perfect.

     I began comparing how equines are bound by shackles while people have a different bondage.  For almost every person, there is something about our lives which we want to be set free from.  It can be a bad past, an addiction, traditional beliefs or bad attitudes we want to change.  Invisible to the eyes, as they most often are.  Men's freedom in bond.  The shackles that bind us can be more mental than physical.

     " His shackles empty left, himself escaped clean. "  - Spenser