Ode to the Work Horse

He pulls. He prances. He leaps. He chases. He spins. He bends. He slides.

The horse has worked hard for us for centuries. He expedited the agricultural revolution. He furthered westward expansion. He carried messages from tribe to tribe, mail from town to town. He ran for the doctor when someone was sick. He pulled the wagon to town for supplies. He raced for the princes and for the poor. He herded cattle from south Texas to Oklahoma.

He’s been a best friend to young and old. He’s shared victories and he’s shared failures. He’s given his all to tasks that were not of his own choosing, nor for his own benefit. He’s been dressed up at playdays, been shipped off to shows, been braided and brushed and shaved. He’s worn glitter on his hooves and ribbons in his mane. He’s played cowboys and Indians and carried riders up mountains.

He is so loved by many, but so under-appreciated, too. Is there a page in a history book anywhere that gives credit to the horse? I would like to write that page.

This Labor Day, lets thank one of the laborers who gave so much of himself for us. Let’s celebrate labor in its most devoted form: the horse.