{"id":790,"date":"2013-04-02T10:18:05","date_gmt":"2013-04-02T10:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.all-creatures.org\/blog\/?p=790"},"modified":"2013-04-02T10:22:34","modified_gmt":"2013-04-02T10:22:34","slug":"a-horses-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.all-creatures.org\/blog\/a-horses-prayer\/","title":{"rendered":"A Horse\u2019s Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Horse\u2019s Prayer Compiled and Edited by SBH Clay<\/h2>\n

\"lambrt-60\"<\/a>The prayer of a working horse<\/h3>\n

To thee, my master, I offer my prayer.
\nTreat me as a living being, not as a machine.
\nI always try to do cheerfully the work you require of me,
\nAnd day and night I stand for hours patiently waiting for you.
\nFeed me, water and care for me,
\nAnd when the day’s work is done,
\nGroom me carefully, for, remember
\nA good grooming is equivalent to half a feed.
\nClean my feet and legs, and keep them in good condition,
\nFor they are the most important parts of my body.
\nProvide me with shelter, a clean dry bed,
\nAnd stall wide enough for me to lie down in comfort.
\nAlways be kind to me. Talk to me like a friend.
\nYour voice often means as much to me as the reins.
\nPet me sometimes, that I may serve you more gladly
\nAnd learn to love you.
\nDo not make my load too heavy,
\nOr force me out of the regular gait: you will not have my strength when you want it.
\nAnd oh, I pray thee, have me well shod every month,
\nThat I may serve you in comfort .
\nNever hitch me where water will drip on me.
\nNever tie my head in an unnatural position.
\nNever take away my best defense against flies and mosquitoes by cutting off my tail.
\nNever jerk the reins or whip me..
\nNever strike, beat or kick me.
\nIf you insist that I wear blinkers,
\nSo that I cannot see behind me as it was intended I should,
\nI pray you be careful that the blinders stand well out of my eyes.
\nNever put a frosty bit in my mouth,
\nBut first warm it by holding it in your hands.
\nWhen I do not understand what you mean,
\nGive me a chance to understand.
\nWatch me and if I fail to do your bidding,
\nSee if something is wrong with my harness or feet.
\nWithout the power to choose my shoes or path,
\nI sometimes fall on hard pavement,
\nWhich I have often prayed might be of such a nature
\nAs to give me safe and sure footing.
\nI cannot tell you when I am thirsty,
\nSo give me clean, cool, big buckets of water often.
\nI cannot tell you in words when I am sick,
\nSo watch me, that by signs you may know my condition.
\nSave me, by all means in your power, from disease and injury.
\nExamine my teeth when I do not eat: I may have a painful tooth.
\nGive me all possible shelter from the hot sun,
\nAnd put a blanket on me — not when I am working but when I am standing in the cold.
\nAnd, finally, O my master, when my useful strength is gone,
\nDo not turn me out to starve or freeze,
\nNor sell me to some cruel owner, to be slowly tortured, starved to death.
\nNor bring me at auction, to be bought by a slaughterer and turned into meat.
\nBut, my master, treat me throughout my life and in my death in the kindest way,
\nAnd your God will reward you here and hereafter.
\nYou will not consider me irreverent
\nIf I ask this in the name of him who was born in a stable.
\nAmen.
\n~ ANONYMOUS<\/p>\n

Go on to: Prayers and Love to all Aquatic Animals<\/a><\/p>\n

Return to: Prayers for Animals<\/a><\/p>\n

Since \"date\"