chosen by a horse

To close out a series on the special connection we have with horses, I wanted to share one of the more poignant animal-themed books I've read, and one of the first I reviewed for not one sparrow. Susan Richards'
Chosen by a Horse is an honest and beautiful account of two intertwined stories of tragedy and redemption, the memoir of a scarred middle-aged woman wrapped around an unexpected adoption of an abused and emaciated racing horse breeder.

Susan's own story had quite a few ghosts in it, along with two horses of her own, when she suddenly got a call from a local chapter of the SPCA that several horses needed immediate rescue and housing from a filthy and derelict Standardbred farm.  The horse she ends up taking home, appropriately called Lay Me Down, fights to restore her health while at the same time demonstrating an unbelievably tender and loving spirit despite all she'd gone through. 

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War Horse

Updated on February 9, 2012 by Ben DeVries

Many thanks to Lauren Merritt of The Christian and Creation, and a horse trainer and riding consultant, for this very insightful review of the recent blockbuster film War Horse (Touchstone '11) ...

As a horse trainer, I have always gone into horse movies with a heavy dose of skepticism.  Even some of the most beautiful movies ever directed can fall apart for me when the references to riding, training, or care of horses are incorrect.  I imagine doctors or nurses have a similar experience when they watch medical dramas on television.  The movie magic shatters for a moment when a soldier mounts his horse from the wrong side, or a doctor is shown galloping a horse over rocky roads for miles only to arrive at his destination with a sound, unlathered horse.

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Buck, a "horse whisperer"

To kick off a few posts on our unique connection to horses, I'm grateful to Nick Olson and Christ and Pop Culture for allowing us to share this poignant review of Buck (Meehl '11), "a powerful documentary that shows how even inhumane circumstances can be redeemed into something beautiful, creative, and compassionate" ... 

Early in the documentary Buck, Dan “Buck” Brannaman tells a crowd of attentive, aspiring horse trainers that there are rarely “people with horse problems” but most often “horses with people problems.”  Yes, Buck is interesting because he’s a primary inspiration for Robert Redford’s 1998 drama The Horse Whisperer, but his story becomes especially fascinating as we learn of what this real-life horse whisperer has endured to become a magical horseman.

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the lion will lay down with the lamb

The week before Christmas our chuch choir performed a beautiful Advent cantata which I had the privilege of participating in as a reader.  I was struck by a few passages from Isaiah which were featured in the arrangement and how much application the book has, not only to us as followers of a Messiah who came as a humble baby in a manger, but also to God's creatures and the hope He has in store for them. 

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of mice and men (and mercy)

Following up on Robert Burns' empathetic poem addressed to a field mouse, Lauren Merritt of The Christian and Creation writes movingly of an opportunity she had to show compassion to a drowning barn mouse earlier this Fall ...

There were three of us, early that humid September morning, sharing in the spectacle of life and death, animal survival and human dominion.  A chestnut Thoroughbred mare, a tiny, drowning gray mouse, and me.

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19th century British Evangelicals on cruelty to animals

Following our two historic and extraordinary examples of early 19th century British Evangelicals speaking out in a strong way against cruelty toward God's creatures.  First is the passionate poem "On Cruelty to Brute Animals," from a Friendly Hints poetry section of The Evangelical Magazine, 1806:

A MAN of kindness to his beast be kind;
But brutal actions shew a brutal mind.
Remember, he who made thee made the brute;
Who gave thee speech and reason, form'd him mute:
He can't complain; but God's omniscient eye
Beholds thy cruelty,—he hears his cry.
He was design'd thy servant and thy drudge;
But know,—that his Creator is thy Judge!

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closing tracks, a win for all

It was great to see Citizen Link, a Focus on the Family affiliate, address horse and dog racing earlier this year in a blog post by Chad Hills.  In "Closing Tracks, A Win for All," Hill mentions some of the harsh realities which racing horses and dogs can face, including whipping in the case of horses and inhumane warehouse kennelling for greyhounds, and all too frequent injury and euthanasia for both of these noble creatures.

Hills also mentions the gambling machine supporting both racing industries, even gambling unrelated to the actual races: "Today, if a track survives, it’s likely dependent on revenue from highly addictive slot machines.  Empty stands surrounding the tracks replay past generations’ entertainment to a mere handful of spectators like a dusty, broken record."

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ask the animals

Good friend and not one sparrow contributor Karen Swallow Prior recently wrote a compelling reflection for Flourish's online magazine on the important role fiction has played in developing her appreciation and concern for animals, "Ask the Animals, and They Will Teach You."  As chair of the English and modern languages department at Liberty University, and with a forthcoming memoir woven around her interaction with various works of literature, Karen is ideally suited to tackle this intriguing theme:

Literature—from the simplest of children’s stories to the greatest classics—is filled with animals.  But just as our relationship with animals in real life is complex, the roles animals play in literature are likewise varied and inconsistent. ...  Animals fall along the entire gamut in literature, from vehicles for communicating human interests to beings in their own right, worthy of care and compassion.

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a mother is a mother ...

Updated on May 8, 2011 by Ben DeVries

In honor of all the moms in our lives, I thought we might pay tribute to some animal mothers who went above and beyond the normal call of duty.  The following heartwarming report features a shelter dog named Lily whose own puppies were adopted out, but who still took on some very special charges in their stead (thank you to John Laukkanen of Ahavafriend for sharing):

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a neglected horse and a study in value

The last post in our companion animal series is about Max, a former racehorse who lost his value to his owners and the industry he served, but not to his rescuers or to Lauren Merritt who reflects on Max's treatment.  But she also acutely points the way to our next series, when we'll be asking whether even the countless and often faceless farm animals we raise and consume for food have value before God?  Here's "Max: A Study of Extrinsic Value," from The Christian and Creation's series Addressing Animal Welfare and Suffering ...

The last post in this series defined “sentience” for the purpose of discussing animal welfare.  A sentient animal is “an animal for whom feelings matter.”  Feelings of pain, suffering, anxiety, pleasure, contentment and more.  This post about sentience was necessary to now talk about how we think about – and treat – sentient animals.

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