Great Horse Stories

by Rebecca E. Ondov

  God had a plan! Pharaoh’s daughter kept Moses and unknowingly hired Moses’ mother to be a nursemaid. Moses was saved! He grew up as part of the family of the Egyptian pharaoh!

  God’s plan was carried out with His perfect timing. Moses was born at that exact moment in time so he could be prepared by God to deliver God’s people—the Israelites—from bondage. Moses was a great leader, yet I’m sure that if we could go back in time and ask his mother about him, she’d say that her dream of keeping her son alive when all the Hebrew boys were being killed was an unlikely prospect. Yet she held on to her faith and diligently worked to see it through.

  Through Ute’s determination and diligence, she had achieved her dream too. One morning when she turned the horses out, they trotted through the dew-drenched grass and into the golden sunlight. Suddenly Tory turned around, walked back to Ute, and stopped in front of her. Towering over her owner, Tory’s big brown eyes sparkled as she gently nudged Ute’s shoulder as if to say “Thanks. I love you.” Then she turned and trotted away. The bond Ute had always wanted to have with a horse had come about!

  God works like that.

  Lord, give me the wisdom and courage not to quit. Help me persevere when You want me to. Amen.

  • Thoughts to Ponder •

  What dream have you had that took an unexpected turn? Did you give up on it? Did you ask God what He wanted you to do? Is it something God still wants you to pursue?

  11

  THE TRAIN!

  A Miracle

  The Bitterroot Mountains of Montana rimmed the valley from north to south. The light June breeze and sunny days had melted the snow off the mountains’ rugged faces and pine-studded shoulders. The snowmelt gushed into Como Lake Reservoir, which fed the irrigation ditches that wound through the ranchland in the valley below. So much snow had melted that the ditches nearly overflowed their banks. Many of them were so wide and deep they looked like rivers. Years before, railroad companies had built trestles to span them.

  Lady, a five-year-old, blood-bay mare, easily walked alongside the railroad tracks. The gravel crunched underneath her hooves while 17-year-old Suzy relaxed in the saddle and reviewed her interview for a summer job. She hadn’t been able to catch a ride to town in a car, but that wasn’t a big deal. Earlier that morning she’d ridden Lady into town and tied her outside the local hamburger joint while she applied for a job. Often she’d ride her horse the five miles to town by going along the railroad tracks. In all the years she’d been doing this, she’d never seen a train. She wasn’t worried about it anyway. If she heard a train coming, she could rein her horse onto one of the nearby country roads while the locomotive and cars chugged past. At least, that’s what she figured.

  Suzy’s body swayed in the saddle as she rode around the bend and up to the trestle. She reined Lady to a stop in front of a gate. The fence ran horizontally from the trestle along the bank of the ditch to keep people out of the rushing water. She couldn’t ride across the trestle because of the gaping holes between the railroad ties that made it impossible for a horse to walk across. Suzy usually led Lady through the gate and then rode her down the hill, through the water in the ditch, and then up the other side.

  The water splashed against the beams of the trestle. The saddle groaned as Suzy dismounted. Holding the reins, she fumbled to open the gate. Suddenly Lady bolted as if she’d been stung by a bee. The reins zipped out of Suzy’s hands. With her mouth open, she watched Lady spin around and take off. Hooves flung gravel as the horse launched into a gallop. Suzy screamed in horror as Lady turned and raced out on the railroad trestle. The sound of her hooves pounding against the ties ricocheted through the still air. Suddenly the mare lost her footing and crashed down. Her body slammed against the ties near the middle of the bridge and right over the ditch. The air was driven out of her lungs and she grunted. The trestle vibrated and then stopped.

  Lady lay still.

  Suzy scrambled onto the trestle. Her heart raced. Crouching down, she stroked the mare’s coat. The bay horse’s hide felt clammy.

  Lady groaned. Her nostrils gaped open for air. Her neck and head were stretched in front of her. Her eyes squinted in pain, and her legs seemed splayed out like a spider’s. One front leg was under her body, the other out in front of her. One hind leg was canted off to the side, and the other one was lodged between the ties all the way to the hip. Clearly she was in shock.

  Suzy gasped and felt the blood drain from her face as she took in the details. Oh no! What am I going to do? How can I get her off this trestle?

  She glanced around for help. The nearest houses weren’t very close. Then she heard it. A train whistle. Tooooot! Toooooot! A train was probably crossing the side road beyond the bend in the tracks! Suzy couldn’t believe it. A train is coming! Her head whipped around. She stared down the tracks. The train wasn’t to the bend yet, and that was only 100 yards or so away. There was only one thing to do. She shoved herself up and sprinted between the rails toward the bend. Her red cowboy boots slammed against the gravel and the ties. She panted for breath. Pumping her arms, she ran faster and faster. God, please help me! she prayed. Although the train was still out of sight, Suzy could feel the ground shake from its rumble. Finally she reached the bend. She gasped for air as she spotted the train in the distance. The roar of the engine consumed her world. She ran down the center of the tracks waving her arms and screaming, “Stop! Stop! You’ve got to stop!”

  Under her feet the ground quaked from the power of the train. God, help them see me! The locomotive, with car after car strung behind it, bore down on her. Suddenly she heard the hiss of the brakes. They see me! she thought with relief. The wheels squealed against the steel rails as they locked up, but the train kept charging forward. The noise was deafening. Suzy stepped off the tracks in shock and felt a rush of wind strike her as the cars sped past. She screamed, “Oh, God, please make the train stop!” A horrible realization assaulted her. She’d heard that sometimes it can take as much as a mile for a train to stop because of the weight of the cars and cargo. There wasn’t a mile between the train and where Lady was trapped! Suzy took off running.

  The metal wheels screeched, but the train was still sliding forward. It seemed like an eternity as Suzy hurried behind the train crying, “God, stop the train!” Yard after yard the momentum of weight and speed propelled the train forward, closer and closer to Lady still pinned in place on the trestle.

  The wind swirled behind the train, kicking dust into Suzy’s face. Will it stop in time? She ran as fast as she could, gritting her teeth as if bracing for a blow. The rail cars smashed against each other. Her heart constricted as she watched the train crawl closer and closer to the bridge. Suddenly the shrieking wheels came to a halt.

  Suzy sobbed as she ran past the locomotive. Miraculously, it had stopped 10 feet from her mare. Lady was still so deeply in shock that she never moved a muscle when the train was bearing down on her. By the time Suzy got there, a small crowd of people had gathered around the heap of horse, including the engineer. Some were crouched down, evaluating the predicament and talking among themselves. Suzy knelt next to her mare.

  The engineer stood over Suzy. “You’re probably going to have to get a helicopter to put a sling under her to lift her up.”

  Tears streamed down Suzy’s face. She stared at Lady, who looked so pitiful with her legs sprawled in grotesque angles. Her neck was stretched out, and her eyes had rolled back in her head. The worst position was the hind leg that disappeared between the ties. Can Lady get it out with breaking it? Suzy pleaded, God, help me!

  A man who knelt next to the mare was examining her leg. He spoke up. “No, I think her leg is broken. You’re probably going to have to put her down.”

  Everyone grew quiet. Only the train’s engine chugging could be heard. Everyone looked at Suzy with compassion.

  Suzy gasped in pain and sobbed. So that’s it? Lady is going to die.

  A loud moan broke the silence. Everyone’s attention turned
to Lady as another moan came out. With a sudden burst of energy, the mare shifted her weight. Everyone scattered as she gathered her legs and tensed her body. Suddenly she flipped onto her back. All four feet were in the air like a dog wanting a tummy rub. Lady rolled off the bridge and fell into the ditch below. Splash! The water sprayed into the air and seemed to swallow the horse.

  Suzy scampered off the trestle and down to the ditch.

  Lady bobbed to the surface. She struggled to get to shallow water.

  Is one of her legs broken? Suzy hit the water at a full run.

  Lady found shallow water and stopped. Miraculously the mare was standing tall on all four legs.

  Suzy waded across the creek and over to Lady. On the trestle everyone stood awestruck as the young woman wrapped her arms around the mare’s neck. She rested her head on Lady’s wet coat and sobbed. A few minutes passed before Suzy led Lady out of the water and checked her over. The young owner grimaced when she looked at the spots where the mare had lost some hide on her legs and stomach. Other than that, the bay appeared fine. Breathing a sigh of relief, Suzy turned and waved at everyone on the bridge. She yelled “Thank you!” before turning to lead the mare home.

  Suzy will never forget that day—the day she totally depended on the all-powerful God who delivers His people. When Suzy cried out to Him for help, it was as if Psalm 91 played out before her eyes. “[The LORD says, ‘The one who loves me,] will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him’ ” (verse 15). It was nothing short of a miracle that the train stopped in time. Even Lady’s sudden burst of energy and motion seemed orchestrated by angels scooping her legs out from between the trestle ties and flipping her on her back. One miracle after another played out in front of Suzy and the people on the trestle.

  In my many adventures working from horseback in the mountains as a wilderness ranger and on crew for a backcountry trail-riding outfit, I’ve personally watched miracles unfold. I saw God deliver a mule who was stuck upside down in a mountain “avalanche chute.” When I was left alone in the mountains to guard the food and supplies for a trail ride, God protected me from grizzly bears. Another time a shear wind (think “tornado in the mountains”) struck the forest all around me. Trees were uprooted and flung like toothpicks and everything was destroyed—except my horse, my mule, my dog, and me! (You can read these stories and more in my books Horse Tales from Heaven and Heavenly Horse Sense.)

  Each time I witness the power of God, I’m amazed. But why should I be? He’s the all-powerful God who loves us and watches over us!

  Lord, help me walk in the confidence of the truth that You are my Deliverer. Amen.

  • Thoughts to Ponder •

  Do you believe in miracles? Has God delivered you or someone you love from a tight spot? How did you feel afterward? Did you share what He did with the people around you?

  12

  SADDLE BLANKET

  Walking by Faith

  A light, spring breeze and shafts of golden light drifted through the double doors at either end of the indoor arena. The place was silent except for the cooing of the pigeons in the rafters and the soft hoofbeats of two horses in the sand. Every day after school Cat, short for Catherine, and Holly met at a neighbor’s arena to ride horses.

  Sixteen-year-old Cat sat straight in the saddle and pressed her leg against the side of a liver-colored chestnut mare. The mare turned. Cat stroked the horse’s neck and murmured, “Good girl, Delhi.”

  The last few months, for five days a week, Cat had been training the mare to respond to leg cues. A strange thought drifted through Cat’s mind. What would Delhi do if I climbed on without a bridle or saddle? Does she know the cues well enough? Immediately Cat rode to the side of the arena. She dismounted, stripped off the saddle and bridle, and then scrambled back on Delhi. The horse now wore only a halter and lead rope, which hung limply over her neck.

  Cat settled onto the mare’s sweaty back and gently grasped a fistful of blond mane. Her long legs dangled down the mare’s sides. She leaned forward and squeezed her legs. She could feel the muscles in the mare’s back ripple beneath her as the horse tentatively stepped forward. It was almost as if Delhi were asking, “Am I doing this right? You want me to move?” The teenager softly spoke words of encouragement and squeezed her legs again, urging the horse on. After a few hesitant steps, the mare confidently lengthened her stride, and Cat’s body swayed rhythmically as they walked around the arena.

  Concentrating on maintaining her body position, Cat pressed her left leg against the mare’s side. Cautiously, Delhi turned right. Cat’s heart leaped. Yes! She rubbed the mare’s neck in reassurance.

  After laps that included turning left and right, the horse’s confidence surged and her response time to Cat’s cues quickened.

  The teenager beamed. Her training was paying off. Delhi was looking to her for leadership without the use of a bridle, with its bit, reins, and chin strap. Cat shifted her weight back, and the mare stopped. “You’ve got that down too! That-a-girl, Delhi!” Cat exclaimed.

  As she stroked the mare’s neck another crazy idea raced through her mind. What would Delhi do if I took her sight away? In the wild, horses are preyed upon by predators, and they rely on their sight and other senses to protect them from danger. Will she follow the cues if I put a blanket over her head? Or will she freak out, bolt, and shake the blanket—and maybe me—off? Cat knew this would be an ultimate test of trust.

  Cat yelled to Holly, asking, “Will you please get me a clean saddle blanket?”

  Holly disappeared into the tack room.

  Cat’s heart raced. With her legs, she loosely gripped the mare’s sides so she wouldn’t get thrown off in case the horse spooked.

  Holly returned and held the blanket up to Cat.

  Reaching down, Cat firmly grasped the multicolored blanket and held it off to the side for Delhi to inspect.

  Turning her head and with her nostrils slightly flared, Delhi sniffed the blanket and then seemed to lose interest.

  Cat exhaled. So far, so good. Draping the blanket over the horse’s neck, Cat leaned forward and slowly pushed it up the mare’s neck toward her head. Inch by inch the blanket slithered up the mare’s neck as Cat offered soft words of encouragement. When it reached the horse’s ears, Cat felt Delhi’s back muscles tense. The mare raised her head more. Cat paused for a moment and held her breath. Grabbing either side of the blanket, she gently lifted it over the mare’s head and let it settle. She grabbed a handful of blond mane and waited.

  • Delhi and Cat •

  The mare stood frozen in place, every muscle as rigid as steel. Her breathing was faster and shallow.

  The chirping of the birds in the rafters echoed through the arena. Minutes ticked past. Delhi slowly lowered her head to normal position, a sign she’d accepted the circumstances.

  Cat gently rubbed the mare’s neck before shifting her weight forward and nudging the horse with her legs.

  Delhi lifted one front leg high, not sure if she needed to step over something. She swung it forward.

  The teenager grinned. “Good girl, Delhi!” She squeezed her legs again.

  With jerky movements, the mare lifted her legs like she was a high-stepping horse and swung them forward. Step-by-step she trudged around the arena, slowly turning left and right on cue.

  With each response, Cat’s respect for the horse deepened. When they completed the circuit, Cat pulled the blanket off the horse’s head and slid off Delhi’s back. Her heart soared as she wrapped her arms around the mare’s neck and buried her face in the velveteen fur. Cat had achieved her dream in training. Delhi totally trusted her—even being willing to walk blindfolded. Delhi had moved forward in faith—faith in her trainer.

  When Cat shared this special memory with me, my jaw dropped. It had never occurred to me to put a blanket over a horse’s head to see if my training was effective and if the animal really trusted me.

  I thought of how m
uch this story resembles our relationship with God. Our foundation in Him is built by walking in faith. Paul wrote, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV). But in order to do that we need to develop a relationship with God that is filled with trust and confidence. Years ago I studied John 10:27: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” I yearned to recognize God’s voice faster and more clearly. It seemed like the chattering distractions of this world boomed louder than His “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12). Because I was hungry to learn, God gave me an opportunity that stretched my faith so much that I’ve never been the same.

  At the time I was working for some airlines in Kalispell, Montana. It had been another slushy, dark day in March. I left work exhausted from handling 149 irate passengers whose flight had been cancelled. I unlocked the back door of my home and heard the phone ringing. When I answered, my sister’s distressed voice recounted her troubles with her car, an older, red, Chevy Cavalier station wagon with dark-tinted windows and bumper stickers plastered all over the back end.

  Julie’s husband was in the army and stationed in South Korea for a year. The army had recently moved the family to a base in Olympia, Washington, and then sent him overseas. Julie hadn’t had time to develop good friends there yet. Her voice shook as she told me she’d taken the car to the same garage quite a few times and spent well over $1000. That day she’d dumped another $200 into getting it fixed. And now it was running even worse. Her wavering voice asked, “What should I do?”

  During my college years, I’d worked in a garage. I knew enough about cars and garages to know she was being fleeced. After giving her advice, I hung up. As I twisted my long, blond hair into a knot, God nudged my spirit. Why don’t you go help her? You have tomorrow off from work, and you can fly free with one of your airline passes.