“Charlotte, why are you eating the apple? That was for the horse.” “I’m sorry,” she said with a smile. “I was hungry.”
My heart was beating through my chest. It had been twenty-five years since I entered a horse show arena; now here I was going through the gate. Twenty-five years is a long way from familiar, and it showed. Nobody knew the kind of cowboy stock I came from. My papers went deep through cowboy country and pastures, rodeos, daywork, breaking, and branding. But none of it mattered. They weren’t looking for my dad, but I was. I could hear him in my head, but I needed him beside me to tell me I could do it.
When my horse almost darted out from under me, I gained control but lost my nerve. I could hear Jessica from the rails telling me it was ok, move on to the next obstacle. I could feel the tension rising within myself, knowing I had to finish, even if I failed every obstacle; we had to finish. It was the cowboy way. My dad taught me that.
It was the evening before the big horse show. Well, maybe big only to us, but it was another dream becoming a reality. I was about to take my family to their first horse show. Eva was braiding Jazz’s mane while Charlotte was brushing her tail, and Tyson was running under her legs. Everyone was anticipating the next morning and ready for the excitement the day would bring. Eva said, while continuing to braid, “Mom, it’s finally our turn. We finally get to go to a horse show.” I smiled to myself, thinking of all the years it was inherent for me. I was sure my children had no idea the nostalgia the day would bring, but I was confident of one thing: it was going to be good.
Just as soon as you attain to one ambition, you see another one glittering higher up still. It does make life so interesting.
– Anne of Green Gables
Pulling in with a borrowed bumper hitch, two-horse trailer proved to be thrilling. Finally, I was there. The sights and smells hadn’t changed a bit. There were dually pickup trucks hooked to four-stall trailers everywhere. Cowboy hats and buckets of water being lugged for thirsty horses. Little kids tugging the reins of an old babysitter horse that was obediently following, and still others were sitting horseback, waiting to enter the arena.
Jessica backed Jazz out of the trailer and started getting her ready for the first event. I was unloading kids and everything that came with them. I had the blue cooler packed with Lunchables, fruit, sandwiches, snacks, juice, and water. In the dry goods bag I was prepared with: paper towels, chips, bug and wasp spray, and a basket full of toys. In my hand, I carried the showbill with all the events highlighted. I was setting out the folding chairs when Jessica came around the corner of the trailer. She laughed, “I have never seen someone so organized.” Not knowing what to expect, I came expecting. Jessica knew horses, but I knew my kids. We teamed up for tacking and untacking all day long. One rider after the next switched out on one borrowed horse.
The sights and smells hadn’t changed a bit in twenty-five years, but my vantage point had. Watching Eva and Charlotte show in their classes was surreal. It made my heart skip a beat with anticipation and pleasure. I watched Eva’s steady demeanor remain consistent and constant as she trotted through the arena. It was her first time to compete, yet she never deviated; that’s her daddy’s unshakeable quality.
Charlotte was a fluttering butterfly as she held her reins, riding her horse, her legs barely reaching the stirrups on her little saddle, which won her first place in lead line. Tyson spent the day next to his daddy on the fence rails and riding in between events. His black cowboy hat said it all for a little guy with a big heart.
The judge walked up to me after my events and said, “Missing an obstacle or being on the wrong lead doesn’t disqualify you, but not understanding the pattern will cost you. It’s not about whether you can ride or not. Everyone here can ride, but can they show? Can they compete according to the rules? That’s the difference.” Now I see the key to success is in the preparation.
If you had told me three years ago that I would pull a borrowed horse trailer with a borrowed horse to our first horse show, I would have laughed. But when you drive a stake in the ground towards your dream, God does something amazing; He goes to work on your behalf.
God has used borrowed pieces to get us to another portion of the dream. You cannot get to your dream alone. God brings people alongside to help get you there. Sometimes they don’t even know they were a part of the plan they just let you borrow the horse-trailer.
When my father was young, he used to dream of riding and rodeos. His cousin let him go with him sometimes, but all he got to do was sit and watch from the back of the horse. He didn’t care. He was on a horse. Today, my father is a horse breaker and teacher at rodeo camps. He has ridden more ridges and ranches than I can count. He has dragged out calves at more brandings than I ever attended, sweat pouring from under his hat. Readily, he preaches from a round pen. He had a dream while riding a borrowed horse many years ago. God’s listening. Are you asking?
“By the way,” my father said. “Prepare to see girls whose father spent 35k on her horse and 50k on her trailer, and let her use his 80k truck to pull it all with. She’ll have on her barrel championship buckle that cost daddy 15k and more in training fees. She’ll be wearing designer western jeans, and her hat will be at least a 50x. Her horse will back out of the trailer wearing shipping boots all around (even though they just came across town), but she won’t have any mud or manure on her boots. She’s on the college rodeo team and has applied for her PRCA card. Even with all of this, she won’t have near the fun ya’ll will. Remember, the fun comes from arriving in an SUV loaded with picnic supplies and a wagon for the little ones. It comes pulling a borrowed trailer carrying a borrowed horse. It’s not about the ribbons; it’s about the family.”
Charlotte and Tyson had fallen asleep on the way home. Eva was looking at all the ribbons they had won, “But mom, you didn’t win any blue ribbons.” I sat staring out the window and responded, “Oh, but I did, I won three. And today I got to watch each of them enjoy themselves on the back of a horse. That’s all the blue ribbon I needed.”
My mother tells me all the time that God is just looking for someone to be good to. Will you believe Him for where He wants to take you? Even if it starts with something borrowed?
For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. Psalms 50:10
