Running With Hope (Hebrews 12:1-3): Inspiration for my Dreams

If you know me at all, you could probably tell people what some of my passions are: Jesus, horses, animals, and helping people. My passion for horses started a long time ago when Mom brought me home from the hospital and held me on a horse for the very first time when I was 9 days old. I don't ever remember not knowing how to ride--some of my earliest memories involve horses. I'm so thankful for the incredible privilege my parents sacrificed so much to give me. Growing up, I assumed that my childhood was "normal" and that everyone had horses. It wasn't until one night when we are at a State horse show and checking on the horses in the barn that my eyes started to be opened to what a blessing I had. I was around 11 years old and as we checked on the horses a family was walking through the barn looking at all the horses and they had a little girl, probably around 8 years old. Goldy, our Palomino Quarter Horse looked magnificent--he was in incredible shape and it was almost summer so his winter coat had shed and he was gorgeous. We asked the little girl if she wanted to sit on him and her face lit up. It was such a sweet moment to be able to brighten someone else's day just by doing something that I took for granted every day. It was at that moment that I began to realize that not everyone was able to ride horses.

Mom and I at the State Show...me on Goldy and Mom on Red

Mom and me a long time ago!

Another defining moment for me was when my Mom's college roommate, Angela, brought her family out to our house to BBQ and ride. This wasn't an unusual event--we often spent the weekend with family friends growing up. What made this day so memorable for me is Angela's son, Nick. You see, Nick was born with Cerebal Palsy--a neurological disease that permanently affects body movement and muscle coordination. Just like any other kids that visited, we saddled up the horses and took him and his siblings for a ride. Riding turned out to be like physical therapy for Nick. At the beginning of the day when he first got in the saddle, his legs were really stiff and couldn't stretch very well. After numerous turns around the property with breaks for food and such in between, his legs stretched out and he was able to ride a lot more comfortably. Nick had the biggest smile all day. From that point on I have always dreamed of working with kids or adults with disabilities with horses as therapy.

Nick on Goldy

During rodeo days one February our 4-H club took Goldy and my rabbit, Pinkie, to a local nursing home. I roped a dummy as a demonstration and then Mom led me and Gold up to the residents so they could pet him. One elderly gentleman was trying to lift his hands up to pet him, but his hands were so arthritic, he couldn't get them high enough. Without any prompting at all, Goldy dropped his head into his lap. It's simply amazing the senses that God has given animals. Shortly after I got Buddy, my Great Grandma Duncan was diagnosed with colon cancer. They went in to do surgery, but the surgeon simply closed her back up and gave her two weeks to live. I ran out to Buddy's pen sobbing and threw my arms around his neck and he literally wrapped his head around me, "hugging" me back.

Little did I know how much Buddy would help me through some of my own health issues. As I've had severe reactions to medications, I lost motor control and had tremors brought on by the vestibular or balance system injury. Riding is such second nature to me, that it helped me rehab immensely this last time. My Mom and sister would saddle him up for me and then help me on and I would walk around the property. That first ride, I was unbalanced and Buddy knew something was off--he gingerly turned corners when normally he would have just turned. When we stopped, Buddy would stand stock still while the tremors went a little crazy, but he never moved until Mom was able to help me down into a waiting chair.

First ride after last vestibular injury...Buddy took such good care of me!

Sadly, Goldy is no longer with us. We had to put him down several years ago at the ripe old age of 33. We miss him terribly but I learned so much growing up with him! From memories of me standing on a barrel trying to get him saddled, jumping on him bareback with no bridle in his pen and trying to get him to go where I wanted him to, to running Flags at the horse shows. My sister and I having "races" under his belly, "skiing" by holding onto his tail and planting your feet in the dirt and letting him drag you, or the time a friend that was a novice rider was riding him and his bridle fell off. All Mom had to do was step off her horse, tell him, "Whoa Gold" and he stopped and they put the bridle back on and away they went. There were fun rides when he decided to be spunky because he knew I could handle it and loved it but the next day my cousin came out and he plodded along like an old plow horse. He was an incredible horse that will never be replaced and I'm so grateful God gave him to us!

I'm not sure where God will take these dreams or if they will ever fully come to fruition, or if it will start with just helping one person at a time. I may not know what the future holds, but I know the One who holds the future and I'm excited to see where He leads in this area. I remember reading a book by John MacArthur awhile ago called "Finding God's Will for Your Life." I was like, "Awesome! This book will tell me what I should be doing with my life!" I got to the end of the book and his conclusion was as long as you are being obedient to the Lord, making Him first, serving in church etc, then you can do whatever you want because He is the One who created you and gave you the passions and desires you have. These passions have always been consistent so we will see what God does!

In Him,
Rachelle :)