WELCOME TO COFFEE WITH GOD 

By Pastor Jerri

HORSE RAN AWAY WITH ME 

I was an excellent rider, I learned to ride bareback as I didn’t have a saddle when I started riding. That is the best way to learn. I learned to ride at the age of 15. My sister had her horse pastured at our place. She told me I could ride him if I wanted to. So, one evening I saddled him and went for a ride. This was a thoroughbred gelding he was about 16 1/2 hands tall. At this time, I was about 18 years old. I always prayed the Lord’s prayer at bedtime, I trusted God to protect me in my life adventures and He did!  

Our place was near an airport for small planes. I started riding towards the airport and it was a good thing I did! Everything was going fine until… this horse decided to run! I tried to pull him up, but he got the bit in his teeth, and I could not stop him! I prayed for God to help; we were coming to the airport, and he was running full speed. There was a parking lot with 6-foot fencing with the barbwire three strand topper that blocked off the airport runway. I knew the only chance I had was to turn him into that parking lot. It was late evening and there were no cars there. I pulled his head to force him to turn into the parking lot thinking it would stop him at the fence. 

I was wrong!!! He headed to that fence at full speed ahead, I knew what was coming and prepared for it. He lifted his front end like a champion jumper, I leaned forward to take the jump. To my surprise he made it over the fence, but his back hoof was hooked on the barbwire and down came the fence with the horse and me! As we were going down, I kicked my feet out of the stirrups as he went down on his side. I was able to straddle him and found myself standing over him as he lay there stunned. I stepped off him and started checking him over to make sure he was ok. Thank God he was, however, his hoof was caught in the wire. He allowed me to get his hoof off the wire and then I got him up. By the grace of God, he was ok. He didn’t even limp.  

I walked him home, all the way with such mixed feelings of shock and joy. Shocked that he cleared the fence, and we were both ok. Thrilled that he made it over that high fence and the thrill of the ride as he did it. I thanked God that we were both ok. I have never felt such a rush as the power of that horse surging over that fence and that I sat it like a true jumper. I had jumped small things on the trails such as logs and such but never jumped a high jump! I have never forgotten that feeling, and have thanked God for that experience, grateful we were not hurt and grateful for that rush of the ride.