I was driving down the busy freeway in Honolulu back a few years ago when I noticed an unusual sight. I saw a couple of pick up trucks hauling trailers containing horses, white horses.
It would not be very unusual to see animals being transported out in the countryside such as up by the North Shore. But they seemed a bit out of place in the big city.
I later heard on the news that some prominent fellow had just recently passed on. The news item stated that his death wish was to have his casket drawn to its final destination by 7 white horses.
And his wish came true.
There is, I think, a fair bit of symbolism associated with white horses, especially so in biblical terms. But whatever his reasons may have been, you’d have to admit this was a dramatic final gesture of farewell on his part. It was kind of like an exit scene in a movie where the hero rides off into the sunset.
I have a soft spot in my heart for horses regardless of their color or breed. I see them as beautiful, noble, gentle beasts. They do not jump up and down, wag their tails and shower you with affection like many puppy dogs so often do. But you know when they like you. They have a warm presence and a keen sense of communication. Often, if you happen to try and snap their picture, their ears will go up and it looks very much like they are posing for you.
Horses have been of tremendous assistance to mankind for many hundreds of years in transport, farming, even warfare, ranching, ect. That was, of course, before they were displaced by tractors, cars, trucks and modern machinery.
They were still in use for traveling and ploughing when I was a kid. This shows you how old I am. But at that time they were already in the process of being phased out.
We loved them, took good care of them and gave them special pet names. But, alas, that was another place in a distant time long ago.
These days, here in the Western US, we have herds of horses, mustangs, still roaming the mountains and deserts. They have a real tough time surviving our fierce endless drought. Their 2 most basic needs, water and forage, are almost nonexistent in their sparse surroundings. But somehow they manage to survive and to this very day they still roam wild and free.
But, sadly, freedom it appears is becoming a long lost and forgotten memory for both man and beast here in our modern society. A government agency, the BLM, periodically hunts these misfortunate animals down, rounds them up with the use of helicopters, separates them from their environment and families and imprisons them indefinitely.
And this sorry spectacle is being continually perpetrated at outrageous taxpayer expense.
So, as I see it, love, kindness and concern for animals seem to be fading away in our new world of machines, digital electronics and instant gratification. These days, if you happen to see and admire an animal, it’s usually through pictures shared on a smartphone.
And speaking of kindness to animals, I’ve got a good example for you. - Meadow Gold was one of the major dairies in Hawaii back when I lived there. They had a large farm out in the countryside of Oahu. That is where they produced their milk products.
Meadow Gold also had a mascot that the locals knew so well. She was a cow that they lovingly named Lani Moo.
After living in big cities and being away from the natural world for so many years, I got to interact with animals again when I worked for a while at the Honolulu Zoo. It was there that I got to meet Lani Moo. She lived in a separate section, the children’s zoo, or as they called it, the petting zoo.
She was fat and happy and was living the good life. When you talked to her she would respond with one word, “Moo”.
She had a zookeeper to care for her every need and want and she got more love and attention than she could ever dream of from all the visiting kids.
If there happened to be a heaven on earth for cows, well Lani Moo had found it!
Dan can be reached at danhughoconnor@gmail.com
