Someone wants to ride your horse? (You’re welcome.)

Everybody dreams of riding horses. Don’t they? OK, nearly everyone. And, when non-horsey folks hear of friends who have horses, isn’t this a frequent request?

"Can I ride your horse?"  (Or my personal favorite, "Can my kid ride your horse?)

Wait a second.

Do you hear that noise?

That’s the sound of hundreds of horse lovers, all cringing at once. In the background, maybe you can also make out the sound of tons of insurance adjusters, revving up their calculators to re-evaluate our collective premiums (if we even carry equine insurance). Listen carefully, and you might also hear scores of barn owners groaning over the possible liability suits that may arise, regardless of any signed waivers, if Johnny Noclue or Katie Neverrode should be suddenly launched from a horse loaned by a too-trusting owner.

And in the distance, you might also pick out the sound of an equine veterinarian, warming up the truck for another barn call.

So here’s one direction the horse riding request conversation might go.

“You have a horse? Can I come ride him?”

“Well, let’s see. You have a fancy motorcycle. Can I come out and try it?

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. It can be a little unpredictable. It sort of has a mind of its own.”

“Ah, I see.”

You’re welcome, fellow horse lovers.

It’s not that horse owners are stingy. It’s just that many of us work long and hard to afford our own horses, so we can school and train and care for them, hoping to follow our equestrian pursuits for the long haul. We know and understand the potential dangers of stepping up onto huge, strong, energetic creatures with their own attitudes and wills. And we have at least an inkling of the possible legal and financial ramifications of putting our prized animals or our friends at risk.

After all, horses aren’t exactly bicycles.

My bike, I’d readily loan to a friend. My horse, not so much. 

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Should a horse (or animal) lover love Jello?

Gelatin grosses me out, but not for the reasons you may think.

Maybe there’s not always room for Jello anymore. This long-time comfort food, lauded for generations as a flu remedy, molded salad base, and party shot glass filler, seems to be slipping in popularity. Some of us have always wondered.

Why are folks frowning about gelatin?

Perhaps several dietary reasons may be responsible for gelatin’s apparent fall from favor in recent days. First and foremost may be the fact that sweetened gelatin generally contains plenty of artificial dyes and high fructose corn syrup (or artificial sweeteners).

But that’s not what makes me cringe about gelatin.

Jello (perhaps the most popular gelatin product) is made with just a few primary ingredients: gelatin, sugar (or sweetener), artificial coloring, artificial flavoring, and water.

OK, we knew that. But what is in gelatin?

Gelatin is made from processed collagen, which comes from animal protein. Usually, gelatin comes from ground up pigskin. Sometimes cow or horse skin is used. In some parts, cow, horse, or pig hides and connective tissues may be included as well. The animal matter is ground up, treated chemically, and boiled to dissolve it. Then it makes a gelatinous powder, which is used to produce gelatin.

I’m not a vegan or even a vegetarian – but something doesn’t feel just right about that, even if eating gelatin is supposed to help a person grow healthy fingernails.

Maybe there’s nothing outright harmful about gelatin. But it sure doesn’t feel like dessert anymore.

Now, who still has room for Jello? Or can we just save the pigskin for the football field?

By the way, a whopping list of foods tend to contain gelatin. Some may surprise you. Take a look:

• candy corn
• canned meats (such as chicken, ham, or SPAM)
• canned soups with meat
• chewable vitamins
• chewing gum
• gummy candies
• jams and jellies
• jelly beans
• marshmallows
• prepared cake frostings
• processed cheeses
• sausages
• throat lozenges

Some yogurts, cream cheeses, and even frozen vegetables are made with gelatin too. It pays to read food labels carefully, if you’re concerned about contents. Because when it comes to healthy eating, we’re not horsing around.

Now, who still wants to feed a couple of marshmallows, holiday Peeps, or Rice Krispy Treats to a horse?

 

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Clever video guide to horses for non-horsey significant others

Horse lovers are a strange sort. We get that. And we honestly appreciate when non-horsey folks try to understand our world, perhaps only to affirm or validate us. We may even find it fondly cute when loved ones stumble into the horse barn or lean over the pasture fence and step into the proverbial pile of faux pas, simply because they do not know much about things equine.

Here’s a fun video that may prove informative, but also entertaining, both for horse lovers and for those who love us. Check out “A Non-Horse Person’s Guide to the Horse” from The Horse Collaborative.

Not sure if that helps, but I liked it. Anything to add?

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Video screenshot – fair use

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