Anthropomorphism - our tendency to assign human characteristics to non-human animals isn’t inherently a mistake. Often it’s the bridge that allows us to care. But it’s layered: there’s empathy and intuition for our fellow mammals and then there’s supplanting our identity onto them to serve ourselves.

That’s the tension we navigate in our work. The question isn’t whether we anthropomorphize, but when it helps and when it gets in the way.

The language we use to refer to our horses sets the tone for how we relate to them. Too often they are spoken of as objects: it. Or infantilized as ‘my boy’ or ‘my girl’. Relationships are framed in transactional terms like buyer, owner, or rescuer. But what if your words reflected the deeper truth of your bond?

This piece is a reflection of Say What You Mean and is an English translation of the original Spanish commentary. This reflection does not equate the experiences of enslaved people with those of horses. Rather, it questions how language and expectations reveal a shared pattern: treating living beings, human or non-human as objects meant solely for use.