Museumsaktivisme for hestevelferd. Om kunnskapsforbindelser mellom Weary Willie på sydpolekspedisjon i 1911 og Saint Boy i De olympiske leder i 2021

Abstract

The article argues that we legitimise the use of nature through cultural nature rationales. We adapt our understanding of nature to how we want to use it in a cultural sense. The material for the discussion is equine husbandry, using a past and contemporary perspective. The treatment of the horses that Robert Falcon Scott brought with him on his south pole expedition in 1910–1912, and the treatment of horses today were and are culturally acceptable. However, researchers in the field of equine science and some experts in horse keeping believe some of our contemporary understanding of horses may be problematic for horse welfare. The many cultural versions of the nature of horses is a topic that lends itself well to museological discussions. Usually, museums only present horses as representatives of a biological species. A stronger museum-activism approach looks at horses as culturally produced and as individuals with personalities shaped in interaction between horse and human. This can create new and better versions of horses, better for horse welfare in the future.