Hello? this seems like an appropriate instance in which to invoke the concept of "grooming"

[oursin]

(And resisting the temptation to entitle this 'Horsey keep your tail up'.)

Article in today's Guardian on the controversial movie that attempts to humanise the bizarre world of zoophilia.
Devor decided that a highly stylised approach would be the most effective to counter the widespread dismissal of these men and their orientation. Anyone seeking

Comments

[green_knight]

The arguments seem very similar to those sometimes invoked to justify paedophilia.

They are exactly the same.

I used to hang out on equestrian forums, and at some point, if you do that long enough, and are unlucky enough, you will come across zoophiles justifying themselves. To my ear, there was absolutely no distinction between the reported justifications of pedophilia and theirs - it's all about 'having loving relationships' with someone who 'gives sublimal signals that they are willing cooperators'.

And yes, the brain bleach would have been quite handy.

On the one hand, I get the impression that, well, I used to live in the country where the men are men and the sheep are nervous. It's happened before, it will happen again, and at least they're not molesting children or obsessing about adults.

On the other hand, the justifications are close enough that I feel a deep sense of unease regardless. The zoophiles were bad enough; but when the discussion suddenly turned and began to justify pedophilia - after all, exactly the same arguments were used for both - I felt extremely uneasy, not to mention violated, and that is why I cannot regard zoophilia as a mostly harmless eccentricty.

On a much more practical level, small dogs that hump everything in sight might be amusing, but a doberman-sized dog - or a stallion/gelding - that has been conditioned to think of humans as being involved in sex is decidedly dangerous.

Breeding stallions are difficult enough to handle at times without the possibility to transfering that behaviour to anyone who might encounter the horse in stable or field.

[fox_in_sand]

Very good points about stallions/large dogs, especially in view of the how that man died at the beginning of the Guardian article. I am glad I haven't come across this so far on equestrian forums, nasty.