How come we pat our horses hard, and loud.  Dogs we will pat with a good strong pat also.  Cats however will not tolerate a hard pat.  They will probably strike back with a claw.  Truthfully, if you pat a cat-like you would a horse or a dog you would send them flying across the room.  Have you ever seen a cat that is really mad?  No, you don’t want to.

Why do we feel the need to give a strong pat to a horse?  Did you ever think about that?  When a horse gives a strong whack to another horse they usually get double-barreled in return.

Cats we pet.  We stroke them long and gently.  Smaller dogs we will do the same.  Larger dogs will get a strong pat like we do a horse.  Where did that come from.  Watching to many cowboy movies?

We see it all the time at horse shows.  A horse will do well for its rider and the hand comes out and boom boom boom, we thank them for a job well done.  We are excited, and grateful, but we can’t jump off at that point and give them hugs and kisses.  You’re in the middle of a show ring with all these people watching.  However, horses are very forgiving and just think that we humans have a strange way of expressing out emotions.  Actually, they’ve learned to ignore our strange ways.

But let’s think about this.  When one horse is friends with another, how do they treat their friend?  With rubs on a favorite itch spot.  Just because they are around 1000 lbs. doesn’t mean they don’t feel a gentle pat or rub.  Let’s face it – if they can feel a fly or mosquito we don’t have to slam them to let them know they did good.  A gentle stroke and kind words will do just as well if not better.

I patted one of the horses this morning after I turned him out and thought now why did I do that?  I mean he’s used to it.  He’s 26 and has been patted his whole life.  But if you asked him what he would prefer I’m sure he’s say a good scratch, you know, on the itchy spot on my belly.

When you’ve done a good job, and someone comes up and gives you a good hard pat on your back, I know you are glad for their approval and celebration of your job well done, but wouldn’t you prefer a different sort of job well done?  Gifts, and money work.  A night out to dinner, etc.  Just kidding, although I like the night out to dinner a lot.

Old habits die-hard, and I will probably find myself patting my horse with a strong hand again, but I certainly will think about it the next time I do it, and perhaps I will be more like their horses friend and just give them a good scratch.

Sometimes I just think too much.