As you know, in every human circle, or family, there’s always a leader, guide, person who coordinates the event, or a dominant personality that sets the scene for the group. In healthy situations, that individual is wise, kind, loving, and is considering the best interests of those involved.
In the animal world, this truth is similar. The herd, pack, or flock, follow the strongest, most superior one. That leader will use whatever means necessary to maintain his/her position.
It’s only when humans want to use the animal to work for us, or be our companion, that we need to interfere. In those cases, the natural behavior that animals possess must be altered to suit our agenda. If left to themselves, our furry friends would naturally take the easiest path of least resistance without considering the health/safety repercussions to the human handling him/her.
Take this photograph comparison for an example…the elk just BARELY clears the fence in her jump. She could easily sore over a fence twice that high, but she drags her legs and belly across the barbed wire. The cow elk doesn’t think about tripping into a headlong crash sending a human into a possibly bone breaking blow to the body. Neither does she consider that if she catches an appendage on a barb, infection could set in causing us expensive vet bills and time off due to injury. That day, I watched the whole herd carelessly do the same thing as they flew over the fence.
A beautifully balanced jump supporting a rider’s weight, being safely guided to avoid injury, wasn’t a concern for the elk. Their only thought was getting from point A to point B, in a hurry, to evade a predator’s presence. Survival training, and instinct, is all that’s necessary for the elk in the wilderness.
Although not having a career as a jump horse, this little mare in the picture was within her means as she glided over the log with a safe height, good balance, and control. In her respect for me, she chose to execute the jump in a manner to bring me to the other side with comfort and confidence. Contrarily, left to herself in the wild, the mare might’ve scraped the top of the log, in her natural laziness, being accountable for no one else’s safety.
Bringing me to my discussion thought, yes, animals must be in our strict guidance and control to be used of man. Without their one hundred and ten percent reverence for us, obedience, and choice to love we humans as their companion and leader, any animal will favor the loafing, unsafe for man, path.
Some people believe that allowing their animals to be natural, as in the wild, is okay. But as illustrated, that thought holds no safety for the two-legged species handling them. Thoroughly instructing the animal to execute all tasks with precision is a must. Creating a loving bond between animal and human, with the natural alfa position held by man, ensures security for all.
In The Life of Lexi, this principle is well depicted. The patient tenacity of the ladies, in waiting for the mare to chose to allow them to take their rightful role as leaders, is rewarded with unmatched gratification for all. Although outlandish and crazy, the means used to gain Lexi’s love will shock you as a reader. If your mind is open, you can take ahold of the nuggets of wisdom within the pages and use them to grow as you apply them to your own life.
In my novel, Alone?, I played with the idea of replacing fence rows altogether with solar powered emitters of shock on the top of each remaining fencepost and corresponding shock sensors placed on every domestic animal that would cause irritation every time a domestic animal approached the fence line, with something similar to an electric fence, but more gradually stronger.
Wild animals and birds, without sensors in collars around their necks, could easily pass through the old fence lines. On the Great Plains, elk, antelope, bison and deer could migrate again, enhancing the range productivity, while domestic animals would stay in place. Only crops would have to be fenced, but farmers would need to allow passageways through their crops for migrations to continue and wild grasses and plants to return.
I am unable to patent the idea, but someone may already have.
Ron