H is for HORSE

I have a fascination with horses. Unfortunately it only extends as far as the Grand National. That's one day every year though I'd be pushed to tell you who won it last time. i did manage to make it to Aintree once and it turned out to be a pretty special occasion as the now famous Red Rum galloped past on his way to a first ever triumph. You can work out the year for yourself. The only slightly disconcerting moment of the afternoon was queuing outside and being bombarded with a variety of men from a local Gospel Hall, all of whom were attired in sandwich boards and kept reminding the masses about hell. I wanted to tell them that I was a believer too and also to apologise for going into the raceground, but I guessed they wouldn't have listened.Although there is a bit of a family history regarding horses in that my grandfather would never miss the local horse fair in Moy, dad had no interest, though he did slope off to the races once or twice, until mum decided that was not part of the package she had signed up to. My uncle was also a keen enthusiast and owned several racehorses that brought him a considerable amount of success but I never recall horses treading the hallowed ground of our farm. I think it's something to do with dad having worked with cattle all his life, that you soon find out a horse to be an entirely different being.

Well that was the case until a few years ago when my wife decided to rekindle the fire that had awoken in her heart when she was a young girl. It began with weekend jaunts to the riding school nearby and when that close, I guessed that the desire had worn off. How wrong can one be? Lo and behold she found another riding school not much further away and so began a midweek sortie to this establishment with her friend. It's funny but when you waken a sleeping giant, it's hard to get him back to sleep and before long enquiries were being made about buying a horse. Now, I don't wish to seem prejudiced about this but I'm not entirely sure of a horse's reason to be. At least a cow can give you milk and will keep a family of four fed for most of the winter if necessary. A horse? Well it just sort of stands there, arrogantly, in a field waiting to be amused and if it's in the mood you might be allowed up on its back. And its health is on the weak side of delicate all the time with the vet seemingly never away and the blacksmith a close second. However, she was not to be denied. Initially, a neighbour loaned a white horse that she didn't have time to look after. It was called Dandy but there was nothing dandy about it. Accustomed to a leisurely life in a field of fresh grass, it was thrust into exercise, along country roads until, one afternoon, it rebelled. The anxious phone call from hers truly mumbled about a horse lying in the middle of the road and refusing to budge. I empathised! Within a day or too he was back with his owner before any lasting damage was inflicted but not many weeks hence he was replaced by Shandy. I should have taken to drink there and then but I let things take their course. This time, Shandy didn't come free and for a while seemed to fit the bill, along the roads and in the country park. Yet, again, like a bad dream, one night he just refused to get up. The vet said there was a problem with his hip. I empathised! We spent the evening all in one car, watching the shooting stars and waiting for movement but it never came. The owner took pity on us and kindly refunded our outlay and I was relieved.

But another creature became available and with a good track record it was enough to convince wife that one more shot at the horse game was worth a try. So Roosky arrived. What is it about horses' names ending in Y? This was an altogether better purchase and for several years he provided ample companionship for herself and youngest son. But he needed constant attention, feeding and cleaning out during the winter and wife daily had to roll out of bed in the early morning darkness to do her horse chores before she went to work, when she could have had an extra hour in bed. I empathised, but then rolled over! He was a wise old horse and he knew a horse lover when he saw one, but for some reason he always turned his bottom towards me when I approached. I never sat on him but I know he was a faithful and trustworthy old friend and never let her down once. Sadly, after several years of a beautiful, symbiotic relationship they had to part company but he still lives nearby and has shown as much allegiance to his new owner as he always did.

God never turns His back on me, even when I don't exactly please Him in the way I have lived my life. It's not that I intentionally set out to be disobedient but sometimes it just happened and then I knew that it was wrong. Yet He never lets me down nor disowns me, always faithful and always there. But He is also fair and if I knowingly continue to embrace those things which displease Him I have to expect that He will some day no longer be able to forgive me when I ask. That's why I need to talk to Him every day, just to keep reminding me that He sees me as well as hears me. And that's also why I asked Him to forgive me of everything that I had done wrong, even things that now escape my mind but not His and John reminds us that 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.' What a lovely picture of faithfulness.