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 -

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