Pray for Casey

I found this in my stash of many items to save.
I don't remember who sent it to me. So I am going
to put it here for horse lovers.... Author is unknown.
But I am also using it as a prayer for Casey, Marianne's
horse who isn't doing well.

For the Love of a Horse

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 ride.

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 an 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 across streams...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 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 riding, 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?"
May God Bless You and Yours.


Author - Unknown


UPDATE.....
Casey passed away....may he R.I.P.