6 ms·

The horse may quit not because of lack of will, but simply because it is physically unable to go on. The body just stops working properly after a certain point

by mark-r 2y ago

The horse may quit not because of lack of will, but simply because it is physically unable to go on. The body just stops working properly after a certain point.

WalterBright 2y ago
A man will drive himself to much more exhaustion than a horse.
- dredmorbius 2y ago
  There is in fact ample history of horses worked to exhaustion: "When Horses Posed a Public Health Hazard" (2008): The horses posed another sanitation problem when they dropped dead — sometimes from overwork, sometimes from disease... <https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/when-horses-posed-a-public-health-hazard/ https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/...> Similar concerns were key in the formation of the SPCA in Britain and the United States: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSPCA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSPCA> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_for_the_Prevention_of_Cruelty_to_Animals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_for_the_Preve...> The legend that concerns over animal welfare inspired creation of San Francisco's cable cars ... seems unfounded: Many people have heard the story of Andrew Hallidie inventing the cable car after seeing horses slip and fall to their death on the hilly cobblestones of San Francisco. The story feels right—as an animal lover, Hallidie went on to found the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals—and has achieved mythical status in San Francisco. But it’s not true. Hallidie was motivated by a much more prosaic demand: making money. <https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/18/san-francisco-cable-cars-dont-know/ https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/18/san-francisco-cable-cars-d...> (Hallidie also didn't invent the cable car, though his father invented, and he advanced, steel wire rope technology and its applications, including in cable cars.) Hallidie did help found the SPCA, so he clearly had some concern for animal welfare.
  - WalterBright 2y ago
    I presume there is a difference between driving a horse with a whip and the horse driving himself.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]

by mark-r 2y ago

The horse may quit not because of lack of will, but simply because it is physically unable to go on. The body just stops working properly after a certain point.

WalterBright 2y ago

A man will drive himself to much more exhaustion than a horse.

dredmorbius 2y ago
There is in fact ample history of horses worked to exhaustion: "When Horses Posed a Public Health Hazard" (2008): The horses posed another sanitation problem when they dropped dead — sometimes from overwork, sometimes from disease... <https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/when-horses-posed-a-public-health-hazard/ https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/...> Similar concerns were key in the formation of the SPCA in Britain and the United States: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSPCA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSPCA> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_for_the_Prevention_of_Cruelty_to_Animals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_for_the_Preve...> The legend that concerns over animal welfare inspired creation of San Francisco's cable cars ... seems unfounded: Many people have heard the story of Andrew Hallidie inventing the cable car after seeing horses slip and fall to their death on the hilly cobblestones of San Francisco. The story feels right—as an animal lover, Hallidie went on to found the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals—and has achieved mythical status in San Francisco. But it’s not true. Hallidie was motivated by a much more prosaic demand: making money. <https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/18/san-francisco-cable-cars-dont-know/ https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/18/san-francisco-cable-cars-d...> (Hallidie also didn't invent the cable car, though his father invented, and he advanced, steel wire rope technology and its applications, including in cable cars.) Hallidie did help found the SPCA, so he clearly had some concern for animal welfare.
- WalterBright 2y ago
  I presume there is a difference between driving a horse with a whip and the horse driving himself.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]