I vividly remember an incident that happened on a trip to Mahabaleshwar. It was long back, I was quite young don’t remember the exact age though.
It was a family trip with a stay in a nice hotel with great food and an antique vibe. It had a beautiful veranda with armchairs to sit and contemplate the workings of the universe for which we were quite young.
Blissful was it, cool weather with nothing to worry about but reap the delights of life only the very young can with impunity and abandon. But I digress, From the horse.
I was an adept rider of horses when young galloping fearlessly enjoying the looks of bystanders quite aware of trots and canters and gallops. The young heart is fearless, unhindered by the fear of consequences, and indulged by the handlers I used to ride wild. This was when I was even younger, we were allowed trips to Matheran without adult supervision as young as 10. Again I digress, my mind wanders meanders too much through the complex labyrinth that is our subconscious when I sit down to write forcing up inane bits of information. And now back to the horse again. But as time passed an empathy evolved towards animals and I stopped riding.
While riding you are urged by the handlers to keep the reins tight making the horse very aware of the painful and uncomfortable bit in the mouth. They ride the same way ruthlessly making the bit hurt the soft insides of the mouth. However, I always kept the reins loose letting the horse manage the bit and it worked just as fine.
We were taking a horse ride that trip, my horse was a little lame in one foot and I was taking it very easy. After a long ride visiting the decided-on points we headed back to the hotel and there’s a small open ground right outside just on the edge of which we were to dismount.
I asked the handler what would happen if I try and take the horse and run away and he very confidently replied that there’s a whistling hearing which the horse will stop in its tracks and head straight to him. On that cue, I urged the horse on caressing its neck very gently murmuring gentle endearments in its ears and it responded. Started to gallop as if telling me to take him away from the endless pain and hunger and beatings that was his existence, tied to it till it died.
Run it did but I now not knowing what to do gently reined it in and turned back triumphant yet sad at the same time. While dismounting I still distinctly remember the look of sheer rage on the handler’s face as he led away from the poor horse i am sure to an evening of hard beating and retraining. It’s been years and I still can’t forget that incident. After which I stopped taking rides on animals and still don’t as a principle.
Did I give the Horse a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreadful existence or did? I destine it to an evening of even more pain?
