It

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jaypeebee

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Following on from another thread where a number of people showed their dislike of the word "it" when referring to the horse of uncertain gender. Is this not the same as referring to the horse as "the horse" rather than "the mare" or "the gelding"? Why are some people so hung up about those who choose to use the word "it" when they do not know for certain the gender? Isnt this rather trivial?

I have referred to horses as "it" more times than I can remember during my lifetime. Does that put me into some sort of category with the H&H fraternity and if so should I watch my "Ps", "Qs" and "its"?
 
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Following on from another thread where a number of people showed their dislike of the word "it" when referring to the horse of uncertain gender. Is this not the same as referring to the horse as "the horse" rather than "the mare" or "the gelding"? Why are some people so hung up about those who choose to use the word "it" when they do not know for certain the gender? Isnt this rather trivial?

I have referred to horses as "it" more times than I can remember during my lifetime. Does that put me into some sort of category with the H&H fraternity and if so should I watch my "Ps", "Qs" and "its"?

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Devil knows.
If I know the gender, I generally refer to them as 'he' or 'she', if not, it's 'it' til I find out.
I suspect that horses' grasp of the niceties of English is probably not sufficient to give them a gender identity crisis when I call them 'it'.
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For me personally I hate hearing horses called "It". Seems very disrespectful to me but each to their own.

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In the same manner as calling it "the horse" is disrespectful? Both "it" and "the horse" is non gender specific so are both uses disrespectful on this forum? Do the horses care? None that Ive met seem to care what I call them.
 
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QR
I should have said - I do the same with people of an indeterminate gender.
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A woman after my own heart. Me too.
 
I quite often refer to my own horses as "it" - but I view that as a term of endearment !!
I suspect (oh ok then I know) that the animals themselves couldn't give a toss how they're referred to !!
 
I think 'It' is the least of the insults I throw at my horse when he's being a t!t... Tbh, its never struck me as a sign of neglect or abuse or even laziness. I often say 'it' about a horse who's gender I don't know- it isn't meant with disrespect and my horse certainly doesn't know.
 
Well obviously the horses don't care, that's hardly the point is it
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I don't care if people call them it - i'm in racing so it's very common. However, my horses and the horses i look after are people in my eyes so i call them him or her.
 
But they are NOT humans. Really makes no odds to me.

Does the same apply if someone rides down the street and a passer by shouts 'that's a lovely horse'
 
I'm with you and Shills on this one.
I often refer to my pets as "it",doesnt mean I dont care for them and when animals are playing up,"it" is one of the nicer words used
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This thread may get very intreasting!

I can and do call horses It...mainly when i dont know their name/gender but sometimes just because its easier and quicker...
It doesnt seem to be at all popular on this forum though..

...i call children IT to...but thats to being deliberately annoying in most cases.
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When i call a horse it its simple because it's an animal not a human....and i dont see why its so important.
Im not doing it to be deliberately provoking.Its just something i do.I come across way to many horses to remember all their names.It is a nice short way of identifying something.Saying "the horse" is longer.Which stable is "it"in?, which stable is "the horse" in?....i dont see what's wrong with those sentences...(apart from my truely brutal grammer
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The horse doesnt know any better....and its not exactly cruel is it?

wonders how entertaining it would be if she named one of the youngster's IT.....he does like acting the clown...and the name Tinker isnt very Pc anyway's
but decides that would only be confusing for everyone involved
 
I just don't see the problem really - I care far more about how people act towards horses. I've seen other threads where people seem to assume people who use the word "it" go on to treat their horses badly which isn't true.
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Now, because I've got a mare and 2 geldings, George has been called a good girl on many occasions - oops.
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And on othres, a lot worse than it! Sh*tbag comes to mind - although he was monkey face today!
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It doesnt seem to be at all popular on this forum though..

... The horse doesnt know any better....and its not exactly cruel is it?


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Surprisingly
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there are a lot of people on this forum who think that those of us who ever refer to horses as "it" do not care for them in the slightest
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If only a horse's worst fear in life was to be referred to as "it".
 
QR
I was asked by a non-horsey person the other day if I'd find him refering to my share horse as 'it' rather than 'he' odd. Well, yes, I would. And the non-horsey guy was asking becasue he'd picked up on the fact that I would speak to and about a horse in a similar manner as I would a person.

I'm used to people accidentally saying 'she' rather than 'he' becasue share horse is such a pretty Arab but I think the linguistic respect of talking about them as if they are living, gendered, organisms is important. Not for its own sake but because of the general attitude it shows.

If you refrer to people as 'it' too then at least you're consistent!

And as to indeterminate... well, at least with a horse you can usually have a quick peak to find out!
 
Does the horse honestly care. I have yet to see my horses cry themselves to sleep at night because I may have, by mistake, called them 'IT'.
On some days thats the least of what I call them!!
 
I worked in a riding school for a few years and taught many different level of riders.Whist teaching i would never refer to a horse as it as i believe it unproffesional however when dealing with your own horses it really dosent matter providing you treat them with repect.
I do try on the whole to refer to them by their sex but each to their own really.
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Does the horse really care? Its not like 'it' knows....

Sort of off subject....I must stop referring to babies I come across as 'it'...but it just slips out....
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Does the horse really care? Its not like 'it' knows....

Sort of off subject....I must stop referring to babies I come across as 'it'...but it just slips out....
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I've done that as well
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but then I am far less interested in other people's babies than in their horses
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I worked in a riding school for a few years and taught many different level of riders.Whist teaching i would never refer to a horse as it as i believe it unproffesional however when dealing with your own horses it really dosent matter providing you treat them with repect.


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So did i, however after several years when teaching group lessons i started to call them all it! The reason for this was if i had a lot of different horses coming in for lessons in 1 day i would start to get them mixed up. I always knew the horses but by the end of a long day i would be getting my hims and hers the wrong way around, then correcting myself. However on private lessons i would call them him or her, just not in large group lessons, although i did often call them by there names
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I know what you mean sometimes when you have a large group the brain goes into meltdown
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.Think im better at remembering horse names than human names so i would sometimes call out the horses name and then end up appologising to the rider who probably thought id lost the plot
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I always managed to remember human names quite well, but heaven help me when they were on the ground with no hats on, didnt have a clue who half of them were then
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