I usually glide through these photo challenges, feeling amused and clever. I struggled with this one. Broken is a word that’s uncomfortable for me. In fact, I hate it.

In the horse world, broke(n) is a term used sometimes to refer to a horse that has been trained. It’s an old school word that has a connotation of harsh methods, usually involving physical domination. Most of us use more politically correct terms now, but the methods remain.

No small number of women were broken in their young lives, many times by the same harsh aggression used on colts. It’s something our society condones when someone is wild or free or beautiful. We are unnerved by that joy in others. Some of us think the constriction of hard work, intimidation, even violence, is the antidote for being filled with light.

This is Vinnie: Started young, passed around, used, injured, and rescued…