Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

That's beautiful; thanks for sharing!
Laney
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lynne Glazer" <lynne@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Ridecamp Correspondence" <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 8:15 PM
Subject: [RC] OT, Perhaps: Potent Prose


> Something to share with our friends and family that aren't horse  
> people, perhaps.
>
> ---
> 'God Jumps'
>  by Lauren Davis Baker
>
>  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.
>
>  O.K., 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 oversaturated 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-it's about
> love, life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating
> the birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or re covery from an illness. That
> same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, 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 brings 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. And so we pray:
>
> '' Dear God,
>   After You've enjoyed a bit of jumping, please give our
> fine horses the best of care. And, if it's not too much, might we have
> at least one more good gallop when we meet again?
>
>  Amen''
>
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

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