When we were vacationing in Lancaster County, PA....right up the road from our campground, there was an Amish home...and right next to the driveway was a fenced in horse stable/riding rink that stretched right up to the road. There was a little boy, no more than 8 years old, who had a small horse that he would ride on all the time....some kids ride scooters, skateboards, or 2 wheeled bikes....this kid rode a small horse. I must have seen him on it a dozen times during our trip. So did Gavin.
Our boy took an immediate shine to the horses which peppered the countryside of Lancaster County and, during the harvest season, were all over the fields, hitched to various threshing, mowing, and harvesting equipment, under the lead and direction of many young Amish boys. Being the natural leader that we are seeing our boy emerge to be....it seemed natural that he'd take an immediate interest in those Amish boys who held control of these horse teams.
Upon our return to MA, Gavin still showed an amazing interest in horses. We told him how his mama and I saw wild horses (Mustangs) running wild on the beaches of the Outer Banks, NC and he became even more intrigued. We went to the library and he took out a half dozen books on Mustangs and other horses. He was hooked.
The Lord...seeing all of this...decided to hook us up big time.
My father had an old acquaintance whom he had reconnected with a few years ago and kept in sporadic contact with over the last few years. This man, Mr. Jack Scott, owns "Blessings Farm" in Charlton, MA. which provides riding instruction and horse-keeping direction to kids who would normally not be able to afford it. The way Mr. Scott puts it: "Everyone loves horses. Little kids, who have never seen a horse in real life, are drawn to them and they can't even explain why. They keep pictures of them on their wall and dream of riding horses. Learning to ride and care for horses should not only be for the rich but for any of those kids who have an active interest." Mr. Scott is one of those men of God that, after meeting, you walk away from feeling so fulfilled and blessed and inspired.
This afternoon, Mr. Scott invited us to his farm to meet some of his horses.
The Scott's keep 10 horses on their farm. We met about 4 of them including this absolutely amazing horse names "Abi" (she's pictured in the middle and bottom picture). Abi is a 24 year old Arabian who is absolutely gorgeous. Her countenance around children was something amazing to behold. Now....I had very little preconceived notions about what today would hold. Here's, in order of levels of realistic expectation, what I'd hoped would happen today:
A: Gavin and Ivy would get to pet and/or brush a horse
B: Gavin would get to briefly sit on a horse
C: Gavin would get to be led around on a horse for a lap or two by Mr. Scott.
Never, in a million years, did I expect to witness what actually went down.
We saddled Abi and took her down to Mr. Scott's indoor riding rink (which, just the fact that it exists is a miracle in itself. I won't give away the story but, there is no mistake that this place is called Blessings Farm.) When The Lord puts His blessing into something, there is nothing, no act of man, that can stop His might hand. Hearing how this riding arena got built and the obstacles that were overcome in it's construction was a true testimony to the providence of God. At any rate...Gavin WAS able to mount her:
Mr. Scott led him around on Abi for a full lap and a half and then, when they were both down the far end of the rink, we could hear Mr. Scott talking to Gavin but couldn't hear what was being said.
Chrissy and I were thinking that perhaps Mr. Scott was giving Gavin some history about the horse. Either that, or he was correcting Gavin, in his infinite Alpha- Male persona, on some overly-aggressive actions....we couldn't have been more wrong. Mr. Scott, who is one of the most patient men that I have ever met in my life, was instructing Gavin on how to control and lead Abi on his own.
2 minutes later....we saw this:
and then this:
and this:
and this:
for the better part of 30 minutes, Gavin led this horse...weaving her around the rink, around us and then back down towards the far end and back again...over and over and over. I was in utter disbelief. Mr. Scott had told us that Abi was an exceptional horse in that she was so in tune with the youngest and most inexperienced riders, but then, when mounted with a professional rider, could manipulate barrel-racing obstacles like she was shot out of a cannon. I was almost brought to tears watching my son connect with this beautiful animal. While he was mounted...we talked about "dominion" and how The Lord gave us these animals to work along side us....to help us accomplish tasks while we cared for their needs. This was a beautiful afternoon on so many levels.
Ivy even got a turn:
She was fearless. Ivy has had an affinity towards animals her whole life. I know that most kids like the idea of animals...but Ivy has such an interest in them. She wants to pet every animal she sees. She talks about them all the time. She pretends that she's a kitten 86% of her waking hours. I wouldn't be surprised at all if she found her life's work along side animals.
It was a wonderful day...far exceeding my expectations. It's amazing when you meet a fellow brother in The Lord who has submitted to Him and is doing The Lord's work. You get to see the may facets that The Lord calls us to. To some, it's direct ministry: pastoral, counseling, theology. To others, it's public service and loving the unloved. To some others, it's homeschooling and training up the future generations.
And for others, it's something unique.....like keeping horses and inviting scores of children to learn to ride, keep, and care for these amazing animals...and not "the elite"...but regular, everyday kids of hard-working, blue-collar parents. Mr. Scott has made it very clear that horses should be for everyone who has the desire...not just those who can afford it.
Today was one of those things that you probably couldn't fully appreciate without being there yourself....which you can be: Blessings Farm in Charlton, MA....ask for Mr. Jack Scott.
That farm is the most aptly named place I've ever been to.
