"Do horses have feelings?"

"Do horses have feelings?" This was the first question asked by the 7-year-old kid in the family after we got off this horse-drawn cart one afternoon. I did not expect such a question to be popped out at that moment so I asked her, "What?" And she repeated her question, this time with emphasis on certain words like "horses" and "feelings". My answer was "yes" and I was instantly reminded of a short story by a certain Filipino short story writer, A.E. Litiatco, who wrote an almost similarly titled short story, "It Isn't Just Horses". I was sure she hadn't heard nor come across such story. I asked her "Why?" And her response was, "I wish that horse good luck", referring to the horse that brought us to that place. So I asked her again another "why" and she said, "Its owner is beating her". I did not anymore press for more questions nor made any additional comments. There are things that are just beyond our control and I think this is one of them.