The Wicked Truth

I know every one has heard the old saying "As healthy as a horse". However, I'm not aware of many people who know the truth about how healthy horses really are. They aren't. Really.

Horses themselves are like walking, grass-eating disaster zones. Anything that can go wrong with a horse, will. Horses can find extremely creative ways to get stuck in or on just about anything. I once found a yearling with his tail stuck to a fence post so tightly, I thought he would break his tail trying to get free. In the end it took two people to free the frantic animal.

Any thousand pound creature balanced atop long, spindly legs with a flight instinct worse than a bird's is an accident waiting to happen. When a horse falls, it is never pretty. A broken leg almost always means certain death.

Not to mention the myriad of diseases and injuries that can affect a horse. I happen to have one horse who colics [a serious condition in horses, often leading to death if not hastily treated] if you look at him the wrong way. He often chokes on ordinary things such as hay. Due to their lack of gag reflex, a choking horse does not have long before his life is in danger. Not to mention all the hoof ailments that can cripple a horse for life. And eye injuries. And broken bones. And abscesses. And... well you get the picture.

Whoever came up with the saying "As healthy as a horse" had a wicked sick sense of humor.