I suspect the treatment varies between owners but my experience of those who work with animals [ ie make a living from them rather than say treat them] tend to have the same affection for their animals as an engineer does for a lump of ally…its just something you work with.
Don’t mean to be rude, but as someone who grew up around horses and on a farm, that’s utter bollocks. Just because the closest you get to farm animals is a bottle of milk from the supermarket doesn’t make you an expert on animal husbandry. Every farmer I knew growing up had an extraordinary affection for their animals, sitting through the night with them if necessary and working through terrible weather to ensure they were fed and safe. I’ve personally bottle fed a foal for almost two months after its dam died
Having said that, IMHO punching a horse is absolutely unacceptable – particularly in order to do something to it that it doesn’t want. I’ve never tried to hose down a horse’s ears… a far better approach is to use a damp rag but ultimately, very few horses enjoy having their ears touched at all.
If it is necessary to disciple a horse, body language and tone of voice is surprisingly effective.
Don’t get me started on some (Irish, usually) racehorse trainers and greyhound breeders, though. We occasionally get ex-racehorses on the farm who’ve been pin-fired, and unsurprisingly it’s ruined both their life and temperament.