Nature and the natural order of things

I thought it was interesting that a recurring theme in the book was something being raised outside of the natural order of things. When we first hear about Beryl's interaction with Paddy, there is a reference to the fact that no matter how tame they tried to make Paddy all they really were doing was "twist something natural into something else." Clutt goes on to say "you can never trust an unnatural thing...Poor damned animal." I thought these were interesting comments from her father and couldn't help but wonder if he realized that there was a slight parallel to how he raised Beryl. Not that a fierce woman is unnatural but it made it harder to fit in with the other women, just as taming Paddy caused him to be without any lion friends. Did anyone else notice the similarities here? Do you think the author was trying to make these parallels?

I noticed the parallels between Beryl's relationships with the men in her life and Beryl's horse training techniques. I thought that her patience, training methods and respect for the horses and nature was something she knew how to do well and in some way she used these methods as best she could with her dad, Ruta, Jock, Denys, and Markham. She didn't try so hard with the women in her life but she seemed more willing to take the time and allow space for the men in her life.