Monument wars are a permanent phenomenon in Estonia. They do not disappear or emerge out of nowhere, but simply move from one statue to another. Arguments arise over which monuments or sculptures should be taken down and which should be built. Once a new one is erected, people can argue for at least a year about whether it should be removed after all.

Replacing politically charged monuments is an ancient custom, as regimes change and new leaders often dislike old ones. Former leaders are favored by new ones only when at least 50 years have passed since their tragic or comical death. This follows the same logic as burial sites. If you dig up a fairly fresh grave and take what you want, it is grave robbery, but if at least 50 years have passed, it is archaeology.

Monuments also mostly look at past times and interpret them according to momentary preferences, either as a giant head or indeed as an equestrian monument. It is precisely over equestrian monuments, or rather one in particular, that another monument war has broken out.

A sculpture by Flo Kasearu depicting 20th century left-wing activist Alma Ostra-Oinas riding a horse was erected in Tallinn. According to some, the person is right but the horse is wrong, while others think the horse is right but the person is wrong. Some think everything is right, and some think everything is wrong. The late Estonian comedy classic Eino Baskin might have preferred a rider carrying a horse on their back, but since Baskin can no longer have a say, we must invent our own variants.

There are not too many equestrian monuments in Estonia. The total is certainly many times less than in Rome, where one equestrian monument chases another in both the literal and figurative sense. Romans or Parisians, whose hometowns are also rich in equestrian monuments, have certainly argued at times over whether the horse is beautiful enough and the rider dignified enough, but over time everything has settled down. We simply have not had this opportunity yet because there has not been enough time.

Since every dispute and crisis is useful only as long as something is learned from it, we should learn from the sometimes overly passionate exchange of ideas over the Ostra-Oinas equestrian monument. One lesson could be that perhaps not all former Social Democrats were terrible communists and enemies of Estonian statehood. Any schoolchild who kept their ears open in history class probably already suspected this.

A more important lesson comes from the fact that there are too few equestrian monuments in Estonia. When something is special and rare, it receives excessive attention. This creates the feeling that the entire dispute would be more productive and entertaining if every debater were given a horse and a lance and allowed to find out the truth in fair combat at Kiltsi airfield.

If there were more equestrian monuments in Estonia, Kasearu's work would not have received half as much attention. This would be a slight pity in itself, because remembering important people who have faded into oblivion is a very rewarding activity. However, as we hear every day, times are complicated and restless, and we do not need another war alongside the ones already underway.

Estonia has long-standing traditions of decorating cities and settlements in a campaign format. Thanks to a nationwide initiative, many smaller places have received a new central square in recent years. Mostly, these new structures remain in very good condition because people do not visit them.

Therefore, when the round of squares is complete in Estonia, the round of equestrian monuments could begin. Why must Tallinn, Viljandi and Tori always get all the best things? The Rakvere aurochs is a nice sculpture, but someone could ride on its back, and in Luunja there is a horse statue completely without a rider. A prime minister and a president could be crafted on their backs respectively, and when the leaders change, the monument would also be promptly updated.

Unfortunately, many places in Estonia do not have an aurochs or a horse. Donkeys can of course be found, but this is a social, not a sculptural phenomenon. Over the next 10–20 years, this monumental mistake could be corrected, and every city, municipality and village would finally have an equestrian monument. Worthy people would receive worthy monuments, and artists could earn money for their creative union, that has been driven into poverty by scammers.

Overall, a horse does not have to be the mandatory element of an equestrian monument at all, nor does a historical hero have to ride on its back. Estonia is still a progressive and modern art country, where some people can not only ride on the backs of others but also slide.

A nice animal that would fit into every one of our cities is the Pushmi-Pullyu familiar from the Doctor Dolittle stories by Hugh Lofting. The Pushmi-Pullyu is a goat-like creature with a head at both ends, so no one understands which is its front and which is its back, in what direction it is going, and who is directing the whole thing. Exactly like Estonia. The equestrian monument could therefore feature a Pushmi-Pullyu with perhaps something abstract on its back, such as some idea or unattainable ideal like a multipurpose arena or Rail Baltic.

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