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 suit's 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 recovery 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