Are Horses Sentient Beings?

One of the most important aspects of any equine activity — including therapeutic work — is the question of animal ethics. Are we doing things in such a way as to maximize the well-being of our equine friends?

One of the guiding principles that I have always used is to remind myself each day that horses are sentient beings. Sentience can be a complex subject, especially when you compare perspectives from Western vs. Eastern philosophical systems. However, we can stay away from the endless ruminations and adopt a simple definition from modern Western philosophy: the quality of being able to experience feelings.

Just the idea that our horses — and any animal — can feel pain should be enough of a reminder to do our best to understand how they communicate, how they socialize, and what causes them stress versus what gives them peace and harmony. They may live in our barns and our pastures, trapped in our human idea of what is good for them, but they are still wild at heart. We must honor that wildness… and maybe become a bit more wild ourselves?

"We observe animals, gawk at them in wonder, experiment on them, eat them, wear them, write about them, draw and paint them, move them from here to there as we 'redecorate nature,' make decisions for them without their consent, and represent them in many varied ways, yet we often dispassionately ignore who they are and what they want and need."

Marc's work on the "minds of animals" is ground-breaking, refreshing, and compassionate. Please check it out — and remember that animal lives matter.