Barn Banter: An Exploration of Anthropomorphism and ‘Equine-o-morphism’ as Agency

Abstract

Barn banter describes and analyzes the sardonic and whimsical verbal exchanges of humor as they function both to develop an elaborated sense of imaginative camaraderie, and to typify constructions of personhood, mutuality and community among horses and those who ride with them in three contemporary South Dakota boarding barns. Although a broad literature on the anthropomorphism of animals, including horses, exists, there is a lack of data on what we call the ‘equine-o-morphism’ of humans. Barn banter, as a kind of insider’s knowledge and shared argot, is not only a playful way of minding animals, but also, in practice, develops horses’ potentials as actors and partners with their humans to form an elaborated and highly intimate sense of co-being or shared identity for horse and rider that situates them as a pair within the wider barn community.