A
Anonymous
Guest
The Horse's Prayer
To thee, my master, I offer my prayer. Feed me, water and care for me and
when the day's work is done, provide me with shelter, a clean, dry bed and
a stall wide enough for me to lie down in comfort.
Always be kind to me. Your voice often means as much to me as the reins.
Pet me sometimes, that I may serve you the more gladly and learn to love
you.
Do not jerk the reins, and do not whip me when going uphill. Never strike,
beat, or kick me when I do not understand what you want, but give me a
chance to understand you. Watch me, and if I fail to do your bidding, see
if something is not wrong with my harness or feet.
Do not check me so that I cannot have free use of my head, If you insist
that I wear blinders, so that I cannot see behind me as it was intended I
should, I pray you be careful that the blinders stand well out of my eyes.
Do not overload me, or hitch me where water will drip on me.
Keep me well shod. Examine my teeth when I do not eat, I may have an
ulcerated tooth, and that, you know, is very painful.
Do not tie my head in an unnatural position, or take away my best defense
against flies and mosquitoes by cutting off my tail.
I cannot tell you when I am thirsty, so give me clean, cool water often.
Save me, by all means in your power from that fatal disease.
I cannot tell you in words when I am sick, so watch me, which by signs you
may know my condition. Give me all possible shelter from the hot sun and
put a blanket on me, not when I am working, but when I am standing in the
cold.
Never put a frosty bit in my mouth; first warm it by holding it a moment in
your hands.
I try to carry you and your burden without a murmur, and wait patiently for
you long hours of the day or night.
Without the power to choose my shoes or path, I sometimes fall on hard
pavement, which I have often prayed might not be of wood but of such a
nature as to give me safe and sure footing.
Remember that I must be ready at any moment to lose my life in your
service.
And finally, OH MY MASTER, when my useful strength is gone, do not turn me
out to starve or freeze, or sell me to some cruel owner, to be slowly
tortured and starved to death, but do thou, My Master, take my life in the
kindest ways, and your God will reward you here and hereafter.
You will not consider me irreverent if I ask this in the name of HIM
Who was born in a stable.
- AMEN
To thee, my master, I offer my prayer. Feed me, water and care for me and
when the day's work is done, provide me with shelter, a clean, dry bed and
a stall wide enough for me to lie down in comfort.
Always be kind to me. Your voice often means as much to me as the reins.
Pet me sometimes, that I may serve you the more gladly and learn to love
you.
Do not jerk the reins, and do not whip me when going uphill. Never strike,
beat, or kick me when I do not understand what you want, but give me a
chance to understand you. Watch me, and if I fail to do your bidding, see
if something is not wrong with my harness or feet.
Do not check me so that I cannot have free use of my head, If you insist
that I wear blinders, so that I cannot see behind me as it was intended I
should, I pray you be careful that the blinders stand well out of my eyes.
Do not overload me, or hitch me where water will drip on me.
Keep me well shod. Examine my teeth when I do not eat, I may have an
ulcerated tooth, and that, you know, is very painful.
Do not tie my head in an unnatural position, or take away my best defense
against flies and mosquitoes by cutting off my tail.
I cannot tell you when I am thirsty, so give me clean, cool water often.
Save me, by all means in your power from that fatal disease.
I cannot tell you in words when I am sick, so watch me, which by signs you
may know my condition. Give me all possible shelter from the hot sun and
put a blanket on me, not when I am working, but when I am standing in the
cold.
Never put a frosty bit in my mouth; first warm it by holding it a moment in
your hands.
I try to carry you and your burden without a murmur, and wait patiently for
you long hours of the day or night.
Without the power to choose my shoes or path, I sometimes fall on hard
pavement, which I have often prayed might not be of wood but of such a
nature as to give me safe and sure footing.
Remember that I must be ready at any moment to lose my life in your
service.
And finally, OH MY MASTER, when my useful strength is gone, do not turn me
out to starve or freeze, or sell me to some cruel owner, to be slowly
tortured and starved to death, but do thou, My Master, take my life in the
kindest ways, and your God will reward you here and hereafter.
You will not consider me irreverent if I ask this in the name of HIM
Who was born in a stable.
- AMEN
">