I appreciate everyone's feedback.
My friend has one horse who was afraid of so many things. She claims that it wasn't treated very nicely. The poor boy was startled every time a branch cracked under his hooves. In the past year he has regained so much of his confidence.
She rides all of her horses and I guess one could argue that this isn't right. That they should be let free into her pasture to graze for the remainder of their lives. I've questioned this too. But she is so gentle to her horses. She never yells at them, she only talks in a soothing voice and tries to reassure them. She never hits them, whips them, and the like. I know that these attrocities frequently happen in the horse world.
I suppose I'm trying to deal with my own guilt. Is it OK for me to ride her horses? I'm a huge animal lover and I actively speak out on animal welfare issues. I guess when I initially read that AAS was against pony rides, it once again made me look in the mirror and ask myself if persuing my love of riding is the right course of action to take.
Would I want to be a Tibetan monk? I haven't really thought of that seriously. However, with all the special animals that currently share my home and enrich my life, it would not be possible. While I live here in the Western World, I have to figure out how to lead the most "animal friendly" life possible. And this means constantly reevaluating my current practices.