A churchman asked me to bless his small herd of horses this evening, 6 Arabians, a Warmblood and a Mustang. So off I went and so did a lot of people from one of the missions, perhaps they were wondering if their padre could ride.
Shala. Note Well Put Together Barn
Good question! Fortunately I could and rode out on Shala alongside two outstanding competitive horsewomen who've forgotten more than I'll ever know about the sport.
You Ride Better Than What I Do
Still, I held my own and the congregation watching from the sidelines got a kick out of the thing. Great fun.
My Friend's Tack Room
Ride over, I blessed the herd and we all fell back to the ranch house for a delicious meal. What a lot of fun and it reminded me of several things.
One I Took Earlier
Firstly, ride more, a lot more, it's important. Secondly, bring the congregation together for fun, fellowship and worship outside of the usual Sunday morning slot. It builds the communion which is established at the Altar.
Common sense I know, but perhaps it needs stating, especially in a mission setting. With that in mind, sermon over.
Ride On,
LSP
12 comments:
I haven't been on a horse since the summer I spent in Idaho at my cousin's ranch, about 55 years ago.
I loved it!
And there's horses everywhere out here.
Maybe I should look into a "Senior Beginning Rider" course....
One picture reminded me of an incident at this year's Cheyenne Frontier Days. A bad hail storm hit while the barrel races were running. None of the women dropped out. That is courage and determination.
drjim, take advantage and get on the horse! But don't fall off, that's not helpful, we don't bounce so much as we used to. Seriously...
I rode lots when I was young. Started on English saddle at about 10 yo. Many of my friends ride, but my neck is so screwed up it would be a very bad idea for me to do so now.
Now to the funny - on my Feedly I could see the picture of the cattle and right underneath it the thing about blessing his horses. My first reaction was, "Oh, dear - I thought LSP surely knew the difference between cattle and horses. If he didn't know the difference certainly the owner must have.
There is more to faith than a traditional sermon.
Good to see the DLC grows apace.
Wow. That is some barn!
Nothing wrong with reminders, Parson. Thank you. :-)
That's for sure, WSF. And the young woman in the pic is an outstanding rider, so's her mother who was a world champ barrel rider back in the 80s. I felt a bit sheepish riding alongside but it wasn't a competition, just a lot of fun.
Adrienne, I'm afraid I'm all hat and no cattle! But I do ride and love it a lot, and started off English, like you. Some prefer it, close contact.
Sorry about the neck.
I couldn't agree more, LL, and it's important to get the crew to rally 'round during the week. A good time was had by all.
Always looking for more riders, Anon.
Glad it was helpful, Linda, and yes, what a neat barn! Makes tacking up a pleasure.
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