Who am I to OWN another life?

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I don’t know about you but it always makes me feel uncomfortable inside when I say that I own 4 horses.  Who am I to own another life?  I don’t like the idea of buying life, but that is simply what happens in the equestrian world (notwithstanding the dog, cat, rabbit, cow… world).  Now I’m not saying that I want to, can or should try to change this - lets face it that would be an incredible challenge as I see it, but it certainly helps to look at things from another perspective. 

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I remember, quite some time ago now, one of my students speaking to me with tears in her eyes, about her responsibility of care to her horse.  I think the words that really rang true were something like “... his life is in my care ...” - and I thought then ‘that’s it, that’s exactly how I feel about my horses’ - but there it was in words.  I believe that this is how we should all view the horses in our lives, regardless of how much or how little we ‘paid’ for them.  We have a duty of care for the life (or lives) we have brought into our own lives, and this duty of care includes ensuring that our horses’ needs are met as fully as is practically possible.

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Upon reflection of the above, perhaps the term “Guardian” might be a better fit?  Just a thought.