 The following is a story written by Carolyn about her horse
Aquila. It was written for a contest recently and received
a personal commendation from the company running the contest.
Why I
love my horse, Aquila
I first
saw Aquila grazing in a yard full of junk. There was no
grass, or hay; no shelter or water. You could count his
ribs beneath a coat that was as black as coal, but not a shiny
or healthy coat. For weeks, I tried to ignore the pain that tore
at my heart, knowing that he must have belonged to someone. But,
the day finally came when I had to rescue him. He had been
abandoned; left to starve to death and now he had been caught in
a barbed wire fence. I managed to cut him free and bring
him home. Within the next several months, I gained his trust.
Aquila had been shot, abused and left to die a cruel and lonely
death. How he ever learned to trust another human was only
by the grace of God.
As a young
child I always wanted a horse, but my fear of them kept me from
fulfilling this dream as a reality. I had a growing desire in me
that had not been satisfied. I wanted to own a horse, but
more than that, I wanted to not be afraid of one.
I acquired
my first horse at age 32, and I slowly found myself as if
putting the pieces of a puzzle together that would help me work
my way out of my fears of horses. Since then I have owned
15 horses over a period of 17 years, and although each horse was
special to me in some way, none of them quite fulfilled the need
within me to bond with such a noble and powerful beast.
God revealed a truth to me through Aquila, that gave me a peace
about my life, my circumstances and who I am. I am a child
of God, one that He made to love animals with a deep passion.
Of all my
past horses, Aquila is the one that has captured my heart and
soul to the very deepest part of my being, and he is the one
that help me place that last piece of the puzzle in overcoming
my fears of horses. If I were to depict his worth, I could
surely do him no justice. He has faced hunger, thirst,
heat and cold; dangers and sufferings through which he has
endured to no avail. His character exudes strength and stamina,
while his features express soft eyes, delicate ears, strong
haunches and a broad chest. He’s never been a show horse or
experienced the thrill of a victory. He hasn’t competed
for ribbons or titles, or trophies. But the one thing that
he has won is my heart and soul. There are no words
to express the comfort that he brings to me in my present life.
He’s a survivor; beautiful and graceful and a teacher to my
soul. I rescued him from a long and cruel death and he has
been my faithful companion ever since. I love him with all of my
heart.
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