Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Ridecamp Archives
ridecamp@endurance.net
[Archives Index]   [Date Index]   [Thread Index]   [Author Index]   [Subject Index]

Re: [RC] OT, Perhaps: Potent Prose - Laney Humphrey

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''

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=




=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


Replies
[RC] OT, Perhaps: Potent Prose, Lynne Glazer