Colic Of The Heart

I will never forget a time when I was young and we went to Walla Walla and my Parents bought 3 good broke horses for us to ride. We were just getting into roping I was about 14 years old. My mom picked out a horse for herself out of the 20-some head we looked at. She was a really cute bay mare that was dog gentle. It was a great week after that. We rode together in the evenings and it became a family bonding time.

It was the end of July and the weather was perfect for another ride. My Grandpa swung by and brought a 5 gallon bucket of oats by. He just cleaned out the combine and was getting ready to harvest some barley for someone. He thought it would be a great gift for us and all of our horses since we owned 6 head now. I was excited about it, free grain! We have never grained our horses. Alfalfa hay and a salt block was all our horses ever got. Being young and excited to treat our horses I grabbed that bucket and headed out into the pasture. Being young and uneducated, when I arrived in the middle of the pasture I poured out that bucket and headed back to the house. Knowing there was way to much for one horse after they divided it up amongst themselves there was just 2/3 a gallon a piece.

3 hours later my Mom's little bay mare was standing at the gate closest to the house ringing her tail and had some eyes on her begging to be caught. I walked out there and put a halter on her when I tried to lead her out of the pen she wasn’t walking too good. So I assessed the situation, and realized that she had never learned how to share. She kicked all the other horses away and finished the bucket. The vet showed up shortly and and diagnosed it as colic. I have never heard of such a thing. The next 4 hours we watched that bay mare die due to my ignorance about horses. It was sad. That was the only horse my Mom bought for herself in her life. Even to this day she gets old rope horses that are half crippled that get dropped off at her house that are only good for an occasional trail ride. That is about it. I felt so bad for my Mom and a dominate mare out in the pasture that was bar none the most gentle horse on the place when anyone would catch her didn't know how to share. I just wasn't educated about things about horses. It was the school of hard knocks and that lesson left a mark that resulted in reading, asking questions, paying attention to nutrition, and food rations for my horses.

Colic is word that encompasses an array of digestive-tract problems. Is nothing more then a laymens term that describes many different gastrointestinal problems. The three most common is sand, Dehydration, stress colic. My Mom's mare ate too much grain, got a stomach ache which equaled a twisted gut, built up stress then died. I had no idea.

My moms first horse died because of my lack of knowledge. I couldn't change the past but I sure tried my hardest from that day forward to learn as much as I could so silly/dumb things like that would never happen again.

Hosea chapter 4:6 says. "God's people perish for a lack of knowledge..."

As easy as it became a habit to learn more about the care of my horse for different seasons of life; God knows how to care for your heart so we can walk threw the things that life brings our way. A lack of a personal relationship with God, or the importance of leaning on His leadership in our heart, limits His ability to rescue us. He is God!! He is also a GENTLEMEN that would never make a one of us submit to HIM or listen. All He is waiting on is for us to ask for help.

Matthew 7; 7,8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

There are many different seasons in life that we all have to walk threw. It can be very hard when rely on our own strength alone. Life can be a whole lot easier if we are willing to lay our selfishness down and learn of HIM. We could avoid a “colic-ed” heart.

We can't change the past, but God sure could work with our future if we will let HIM. A simple prayer will do wonders.

Until Next Month, Ride with God

Travis Klingeman

www.onwhitehorses.com

A prayer that works: Lord, I am tired of trying to tackle life on my own strength. Please help me to walk threw this month. I need your leadership. If You will guide me, I will follow. I know You have an easier way if I will surrender because you love me. Thank you for meeting me where I am and adding to my life hope. And washing away the pain. In Jesus Name, AMEN