Signature Hope Stables. Learning the definition of Nature and what is Ethical.

Skeeter and I, Photo taken by Katie Stella

My easter plans where to go back home, but my only goal was not to just go to church, but to volunteer at a barn called Signature Hope Stables. It is a privately owned stable by Stacey Mlak. She dedicates everything she has into making sure horses not only around the Cypress, TX area are living respectably and comfortably, but also horses all around the United States. Stacey has adopted horses everywhere from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma. Stacey also participates in collecting old race horses that are being dumped or horses many people can not take care of anymore. If a horse is not being treated for anymore, Stacey seems to be the one to go to.


Signature Hope Stables has been around for almost 20 years. It is a family owned barn and is solely run on donation money and volunteer help.  Everything else is done with the Mlak's own pocket money. "Everything I do is for the horse's", she states, "they are my life."

Me with Micki and Kekya. Photo taken by Katie Stella.

I worked from 9am to sun down with these horses. Though it was not the easiest thing, especially because I have never worked with animals before it defiantly was rewarding. I learned so much about how to take care of horses, I learned what they like, I learned what they like to do,  and I learned how they communicated. In learning all of these different things I came to the conclusion, horses aren't so different from human beings. When being side by side these animals and not just standing and watching them pass as I drive down a country road, it opened my eyes and let me look past what I use to think about animals. When I think about it, my whole life I never actually spent anytime around animals. I learned everything about animals through different people and what society told me about them. I let society make up my own judgement. Which brings me to the question, What is nature? Who and how do we define it? We look to Collard and his writing titled, Rape of the Wild. Collared states, nature is "one thing to lovers, another to scientists, farmers, brick layers, office workers, land developers, and so on." Nature is defined by who and what you are. "'Nature" does not so much define what we see but how we see." Nature is a state of mind and cultural convention. "Nature makes it self while culture is man made." All in all, When wilderness becomes part of a human experience it becomes nature. We tend to view nature as there but then realize it truly exists  only when we come face to face with it it. Just like I did with the horses. Being right up close to something like horses opened my eyes to nature in general. Before nature was invisible to me, I only saw it in the trees and the grass, I have never grasped what was truly out there. To me nature is the trees, sky, birds, all animals, bugs, and all plant life. Others may have a different opinion. Like Collared says, Everyone defines nature differently.

Beasty and I about to be taken out of her stable
 and out for grooming.
Photo taken by Katie Stella.

Another realization that came to mind is when I was grooming Beasty, a female horse that was used to just be impregnated over and over again for a certain breed in demand. She was abused and poorly taken care of. Stacey rescued her just in time before she became seriously ill. When learning her story it brought me to the question, What gives us the right to be the ones in power over animals? Why do we act as if animals are here for us and our needs? We as a society today don't think twice that maybe animals are here to live by us side by side as an equal. In the beginning, the bible was said to give us all the answers in the book of genesis. There are so many versions and interpretations such as one stating that god says when creating the earth, "Be masters of the fish in the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on the earth,"(29) Eventually we come to the conclusion again that, society determines what is ethical and right. We as a culture determine the rights and wrongs. We as individuals are shaped into thinking what our ancestors thought we should believe. Why is or was Beasty an object to man kind? She is apart of nature and our society remains with the belief that we should remain dominate over it.


Last, Then on a similar  note, according to the reading by Merchant the the question of nature and mans relationship is brought to a point. Is nature there for man to control or is man there to learn and prosper along side it? Again, are we here alongside nature side by side as equals? The reading published by Merchant presents that earlier years the natives embraced the land, became one with nature and all “her” teachings. That idea was later lost in “Modern Thought” when Europeans came into the belief of domination of nature. “For some men care only to know nature, others desire to command her.” (46) Now today we result in the Humanistic ways that are fully concurring our worldview as well as the practice of Egocentrism (thinking only of oneself, without regard for the feelings or desires of others). Our world has fully become absorbed in what is good for humans and humans only. According to Merchant today we learn everything about nature and earth through science and every technical scientific explanation. The 20th century view stands at, all objects on earth are here to assure man’s domination over the earth and planets. Throughout time everything from DNA- Biotechnology and Laws based on nature help man figure out the meaning and understanding of our relationship with nature. Through all this man has lost total understanding in whats important and that’s maintaining an equal and healthy balance between nature and ourselves. Working with these horses has brought me out of the dark and into my own beliefs and understandings. 

In conclusion, My experience working with these horses was life changing in a way. Analyzing the experience made it even more understandable what was right and wrong in nature to me in our world today. We all need to take an initiative and make our own decisions for a better tomorrow.

By Schyler duVall


work cited- 
https://ecampus.unt.edu/webct/urw/lc5122011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct