Are horses pets? If not, what do you consider them to be?

Recently a non-horsey friend asked me if I thought of my horse as a pet and the question completely threw me! What do people think? Is your horse a pet? If not, what is he/she? We buy and sell them like commodities, we 'use' them for sport, we breed from them (does that make them 'livestock'?) and in some countries we eat them (although I guess no-one who comes on this forum would be doing that!). So ... what are they to us?

I'd love to hear your views!

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Mine is a pet. BUT I also recognize that he is livestock and that what I ask him to do is a bit ridiculous in the sense that we don't ask cows or sheep to jump over objects ar run around sideways. Interesting question!
Hmm, I think that actually I am my horse's pet. :)

It is a difficult question because it also depends on how one defines pet.

My horse is my my team-mate, my teacher, my personal trainer, my stress reliever... sometimes he is transportation, often he is comedian... he is always my companion, my confidante... he is best a friend and family member to myself and my boyfriend... he is a puzzling creature to our dogs. He has a wonderful and unique place in my life, and pet alone cannot sum up everything that he is to me.

He is horse... a word that encapsulates so many things that only a person who has loved a horse can comprehend.
I think you summed this up beautifully! The only word that came to mind for me was 'companion'. But a horse is so much more.
Thanks! I think that the relationship between horse and horse-person is such a wonderful and complex relationship that it really is hard to put into words.

Is my horse a pet... in many ways, and by a dictionary definition of pet, yes... but he is so much more.
I completely agree. I would be lost without my horse. He is my sanity.
Yes, my horses are my companions and confidants, teachers and students, and my loves.
This is a wonderful summary Ferrous.
A horse is ALL of those things and more to some people.
I think of a horse as a working animal - more so than a "pet" or plain old livestock.
The horse I am riding now loves to work and loves his "job" - together we are a great team.
He has a steady routine in the barn and gets outdoor "play time" at least once a day, even in the winter.
My dog is a working dog too - he is a border collie who works each day at the golf course with my husband and then comes home to our family life (read: Crazy life with two little kids) at home at night.

Working animals need that mental stimulation. I think that is what makes them so special.
Horses are pets!!

I dont have a horse, but if you ever look into their eyes, no one will ever call a horse an "animal."

They each have their own soul and spirit. I studied them for 4 years in college, so marvalous!

www.ValentinasEquineNews.com
Yes, horses definitely have souls and their own spirits.
I think that horses sometimes make their owners THEIR pets, and then you have to remind them that things like respecting your space and obeying you are still important. Remember, safety first, then love fests are permissable. If you do not set boundaries they (the horses) can literally end up walking all over you, which can be REALLY unpleasant.
I never expect a slavish devotion (ala dog) from a horse, and I expect them to respect me, unlike a cat. I also do not treat horses like a dog or cat, I respect their strength and power, and I treat them like HORSES, with respect and firmness and full expectation that the horse will obey me, because it can be truly dangerous to both of us if the horse is not trained and cooperatively obedient. I do work for and hope for the horse deciding that I am his or her friend of higher ranking, a safe boss.
I think that any pet, of any species, must be treated with respect for its strength and power, and one must communicate with it in a manner appropriate to its breed. I have a dog that weighs almost as much as I do, and I respect her strength and immense jaws, and I must behave in a manner that teaches her that I am the head of the pack. I do the same with my extremely intelligent but smaller dog, who easily manipulates people into giving him his way if they are swayed by his cuteness and do not assert their place as "big dog". My barn cat is a feisty kitty who can become all sharp edges if irritated, but she never does so to 'her humans' because we have taught her what is acceptable behaviour in our 'family'.

In our household, we are keenly aware of what our behaviour and body language convey to each of our animals, and we act in a manner that conveys a clear message of our expectations of them and of our relative places in the group. We do not treat our dogs, cat, horse, goose etc the same, as each is a unique type of creature. We do feel that they are all pets... since they are all animals that we keep for companionship, and we have affection for them all.
Oh yes--my Great Pyrennes certainly could command respect, as could my little Scottie. I tend to get along with strange Dobermans because I approach them (and Rotties, Pit Bulls, etc.) with great respect and politeness. I guess that I'm reacting to the fact that people often treat "pets" in a more infantile manner as opposed to "friends of another species who deserve to be treated with respect and who can be worked with for a mutually enjoyable and productive relationship" with the human as alpha, of course.
I have MS, and I approach the horses I ride with the expectation that at some point THEY will have to take care of ME, with intelligently applied disobedience to any accidental aids that don't make sense. Yeah, sometimes I have to convince my horse that I am physically able to ride whatever I ask my horse for. To me this is not a pet, this is a relationship built of respect and honoring the individuality of the horse, who also respects me and helps me with my disabilities, often by telling me to face my limitations that day. I hope this makes sense, I rode this morning and I'm real tired.

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