This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank for sharing Bonnie. What truth in the words. If you enjoyed this reading I think you would love the book titled "Chicken soup for the horse lovers soul". It is a book full of short stories of horses and the people that love them. It will makes you laugh and cry all at once. Have a great day! Liann in sunny Wisconsin. Weather is turning to spring as the sun in shining brighter and moving closer to 50 degrees each day this week. Fjord fur is flying and spirits are rising with the temperatures.. >> 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 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 - 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, 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. >> >> Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. >> >> _________________________________________________________________ >> Find a local pizza place, movie theater, and more..then map the best >> route! http://maps.live.com/?icid=hmtag1&FORM=MGAC01
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