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Why God Gives Us Horses - and Takes Them Away Again
God gives us horses and compels some of
us to love them. Yet why does the horse, an animal with such a big
heart, live such a short life?
Perhaps it's because if our horses lived any longer, we wouldn't be
able to bear losing them. Or, perhaps it's because God wants to
jump.
Perhaps God looks down on the fine horses we raise and decides when
it's His turn to ride. He gives us a few good years to care for and
learn from them, but when the time is right, it's up to us to see
them off gracefully.
OK, perhaps not gracefully. Blowing into a Kleenex is rarely
graceful. But we can be grateful.
To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short
years, a horse can teach a girl courage, if she chooses to grab mane
and hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier
than the tallest of girls. To conquer the fear of falling off,
having one's toes crushed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse
show is an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be
grateful.
Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle - or a computer - a
horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty
and smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen
to break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose
responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily,
we know we've made the right choice.
Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science. Some are
easy keepers, requiring little more than regular turn-out, a flake
of hay, and a trough of clean water. Others will test you - you'll
struggle to keep them from being too fat or too thin. You'll have
their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are
so accident-prone you'll swear they're intentionally finding new
ways to injure themselves.
If you weren't raised with horses, you can't know that they have
unique personalities. You'd expect this from dogs, but horses?
Indeed, there are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with
a sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by finding new
ways to escape from the barn when you least expect it. I found one
of ours on the front porch one morning, eating the cornstalks I'd
carefully arranged as Halloween decorations.
Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or
willing. You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude
you altogether. There are as many "types" of horses as there are
people - which makes the whole partnership thing all the more
interesting.
If you've never ridden a horse, you probably assume it's a simple
thing you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics
on a Sunday - but to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with
a living being is far more complex than turning a key in the
ignition and putting the car in "drive."
In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a
few things to say to you as well. On a good day, he'll be happy to
go along with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day,
you'll swear he's trying to kill you. Perhaps he's naughty or
perhaps he's fed up with how slowly you're learning his language.
Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to
challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) or he
may carefully carry you over fences...if it suits him. It all
depends on the partnership - and partnership is what it's all about.
If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work
at it, you'll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion,
in addition to basic survival skills. You'll discover just how hard
you're willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how
much you have to learn. And, while some people think the horse "does
all the work", you'll be challenged physically as well as mentally.
Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting
on his back is the closest you'll get to heaven.
You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to?
The results may come more quickly, but will your work ever be as
graceful as that gained through trust? The best partners choose to
listen, as well as to tell. When it works, we experience a sweet
sense of accomplishment brought about by smarts, hard work, and
mutual understanding between horse and rider. These are the days
when you know with absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying
his work.
If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of
us have to squeeze riding into our over saturated schedules;
balancing our need for things equine with those of our households
and employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to ride as
well as we'd like. Hours in the barn are stolen pleasures.
If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with
them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their
manes and whisper our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary
in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life's true
priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, someone who loves us,
and the luxury of regular meals...Some of us need these reminders.
When you step back, it's not just about horses - its about love,
life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the
birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That
same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, or a
decision to sustain a life or end it gently. As horse people, we
share the accelerated life cycle of horses: the hurried rush of
life, love, loss, and death that caring for these animals bring us.
When our partners pass, it is more than a moment of sorrow.
We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have
been blessed. Our memories are of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute
union. We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and
willingness to give.
To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To see us in our
muddy boots, who would guess such poetry lives in our hearts? We
celebrate our companions with praise worthy of heroes. Indeed,
horses have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out
of fields of battle.
Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of journeys made
and challenges met. The best of horses rise to the challenges we set
before them, asking little in return.
Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human
heart. Together, we share the pain of sudden loss and the lingering
taste of long-term illness. We shoulder the burden of deciding when
or whether to end the life of a true companion.
In the end, we're not certain if God entrusts us to our horses or
our horses to us. Does it matter? We're grateful God loaned us the
horse in the first place. ~Author
Unknown~
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