Thursday 10 April 2008

I believe in Magic!

Magic is a ten year old white Arabian stallion. All his life He was abused and neglected. The day this picture was taken that stopped. No more! This picture was taken March 2007 by Theresa at the horse rescue farm where I work as a volunteer two days a week. Magic had been beaten with chains, ropes and 2x4's. Men could not get close to him. Even Theresa was cautious, he did not trust anyone. He was not mean or aggressive, only totally frightened. Theresa was concerned about his health, his feet were horrible, not sure of his teeth, he needed blood work and vaccinations but how? A couple of months later she had him drugged to calm him down, it did not work, the vet could not get close to him, what to do?

Finally, yesterday, April 9, 2008, a year later something had to be done. The vet arrived and after much discussion a plan of action was decided. The vet went out with an air rifle and darted him twice from a distance to calm him down. After a few minutes Magic calmed down and Theresa went up to him and placed a shot/drug into a vein that quickly knocked him completely out and down he went. He was alert, did well but did not even twitch.

The vet immediately examined his teeth, ground down some sharp edges, took blood, gave him his shots and Theresa groomed his mane & tail which were heavily knotted. Me, I am the one with the cowboy hat. I took some pictures and also helped with the grooming. Ola, the farrier, an excellent one at that, a 26 year old young lady, did his feet. She is one of the best farriers I have ever met. Definitely the prettiest!

You would think that after a year of great care Magic would have relaxed and learned to trust us. But no. His memories were too strong and he was not going to risk being beat or abused anymore. Horses do not forget. As a result, for his well being the extreme measures had to be taken. By the way, Magic recovered well. He will still be somewhat groggy today.

I have a question for you reader. Are you having any trust issues? What is in your background of memories? How do you relate to all of those around you? Maybe you even have had physical abuse, get help. Poor Magic, he had no way of knowing a year ago that the physical abuse was over, he cannot reason that. You can reason, get that help I mentioned. Learn to trust in Christ and seek His guidance. Find a Christian counselor, maybe a pastor. Find Christian friends - who are you hanging around with? Christ will never use a 2x4 on you, He loves you and so do mama & I and we may never meet you! We are praying for you!

33 comments:

CrossView said...

Funny, I just did a horse post. =D

Whether it's a legalistic approach with a religious club or manhandling a horse; neither work well. =P

CrossView said...

Not sure if you saw this link I left for you:
http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/4661.article

Indian Lake Papa said...

Excellent point crossview! "abuse" comes in many forms. Even saying nothing can be abuse.

Heather said...

Papa,

This post comes at a great time as it was just brought to my attention recently that I could use some counseling. I have yet to contact the counselor, although I am not sure what I am waiting for, but I know I will go soon. I have only been a Christian 7 years, so there is 30 years of 'junk' that needs to be weeded out!

It's good you posted about counseling. I think sometimes people feel like counseling is a sign of weakness. I know that I used to feel that way. I realize now that it is a sign of strength.

Thank you for sharing your heart! I am sooo glad Magic is doing OK. I hope Magic learns to trust again.

Indian Lake Papa said...

Heather - I hate it when people have to struggle through trust issues. It is hard work. Don't wait too long to work to overcome those "junk" issues.Needing Counseling is not a sign of weakness, it is a great opportunity. I have used counseling myself to get through some tough times.

Magic has developed some trust. He is coming around very slowly. I can touch him on the nose now, he will take a carrot from me, but that is it. Theresa can actually put her arms around his neck! He really is a beautiful horse - not a hint of meanness or aggression.

Robin said...

Great post! I so agree with you on your advice to get help. Past abuse doesn't mean the future has to be bleak. God can use whatever we have experienced to help people that we come in contact with - we can comfort those we meet with the comfort we have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4...

To God be the Glory!

Indian Lake Papa said...

Robin - I have watched some of my closest family members go through tragic abuse and yet come out well on the other side of it. The memories are still there but Christ can get us past the fear of reaching out again.

Julie said...

I would suggest to Heather to not wait to go to counseling. Satan will do whatever he can to keep you away from help. He doesn't want you free from the ?. Do not be fearful of going. "There is no fear in love..." I John 4:18-19

Robin said...

Julie,

Neat to see you hear. Indian Lake Papa always shares neat stories that teach us.

And I too agree that counseling is beneficial.

Indian Lake Papa said...

Julie - a couple years ago meds I was on triggered depression. I quickly went to my pastor and had counseling regularly - scheduled! Plus I was counseling with a social worker. They were the ones that put together, with me, what the issue was! Your right, get help asap! Thanks for stopping by.

Robin - I always appreciate your stopping by! Your one of my encouragers!

Anonymous said...

Sorry about the long post but I want to try and make my thoughts as clear as I can.

1)Are you having any trust issues?

I don't believe the degree to which I lack "trust" is a problem for me because I am now a very happy, confident person with an optimistic view of life and the future.

I am a skeptic when it comes to believing what other people say. I will also admit that part of me is on guard when I am approached by someone I don't know.

I needed to develop a questioning nature in order to change my life. Applying critical thinking to ideas and questions is how I overcame the emotional problems of my youth.

I think that as an adult, once I overcame my troubled youth, there were times when my life might have been easier if I trusted people more.

My stubbornness and vanity are character flaws I am trying to correct.

2)What is in your background of memories?

I was not abused, I was neglected. This was no ones fault, it was just an unfortunate set of circumstance. My mother was sick and spent a great deal of her life in hospitals, or in her room. I did not see my father until I was around 2. He was in the Navy on World War II, when I was born, so we never "bonded". He worked six, sometimes seven days a week to pay the bills.

My and my sister pretty much raised our selves. When my mother was in the Hospital my sister stayed with her family. I stayed with my father's family.

After my grandmother died I would move between the homes of my aunt's and uncles. I can't say I was always welcomed.

Short answer is I had no one place I could call "home" and no real family life.

How do you relate to all of those around you?

I work every hard at trying to being a good neighbor and friend. I don't think I have any enemies or anyone I really dislike.

If there is someone or a group of people I don't understand I will try to spend more time with them. That's is why I started reading the blogs of my Christian friends.

Indian Lake Papa said...

Ed - No wonder we spend so much time on each others blog - we are trying to understand each other.:o) I think that is a great thing! I think we have some similar family circumstances. My mother was out of my life a lot from the age of 2 1/2 until I was about 8 - because of illness. It was very tramatic for me!

Anonymous said...

Papa, dealing with illness, and death, at an early age is rough.

I must also admit I do have something in common with Magic.
I have been called a horse's behind on more than one occasion. :)

Magic is a beatiful looking horse.
He is now surround by love so I think he will come around.

Indian Lake Papa said...

ED - its amazing how much he has improved in the year that he has been at the farm. Yet, he has a lot of bad memories to overcome! Theresa will never give up on him.

Anonymous said...

Papa,
When the Lord called us to homeschool our children I was really scared, because at THAT time I had abuse issues with our oldest. I would 'hurt' her and I knew if she was home ALL day with me - well I THOUGHT I would kill her. You see - I didn't trust the Lord. I didn't trust that He knew what He was doing. All I could see is what was going on - what I was physically doing, and I knew it was wrong. Mommy's aren't suppose to do that to their babies! BUT the Lord did know best. The first year was rough, but He put another woman in my life, as a matter of fact, it is a precious lady that reads your blog. Anyhow, one day I 'gave up the ghost' and told her what was going on. For months (streaming into at LEAST one year) I would call her - disrupting her day - to get through "my moments". My first step was to trust the Lord. I have found through all my experiences, if you can't put your trust in the Lord, you won't be able to trust anyone else, even yourself! The Lord is good. I am proud to say, that we are in our fifth year of homeschooling and those "moments" that I use to have don't happen any longer. The Lord has healed that portion of my life. I am relying (trusting) that He will do the same for her mind/memory and she will NOT carry that curse to her own children. He has broken the chain of abuse and we are FREE!

"Trust in Lord with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength..."

Thanks Papa - I needed to be reminded of a positive ending!

Anonymous said...

Magic is so much a part of my testimony...it took me a long time to trust people, and still, to this day there are very few that I really don't hesitate to be myself around.

It's taken alot of love, and alot of "real" people to bring me to the place I should and need to be. it's also taken the love a my Heavenly Father, whose arm is never to short to reach me, whose patience never runs short and whose unconditional love knows no boundries. Thank you for this reminder...Love you so much Papa and Mama....Debs

Indian Lake Papa said...

Lori - God so much wants our love and Trust. So do our children. We need to do that and be willing to say I am sorry when we screw up.

Deb - He loves you! He always will! Trust Him!

Tanya said...

Papa, I had issues with other women. I would not join womens groups because I did not want to compete and I was afraid of what they thought of me. I had friends, but I did not belong to women groups. So imagine my surprise when I was asked to lead a women's group. It was a challenge, but I was blessed and I was able to really become a part of women and see their hearts. I love being with the women now, I learn and grow and share so much. Thank you for your story, it is true, we need to trust. Love Tanya

Indian Lake Papa said...

Tanya - I think there is another source of mistrust that we forget about - Satan. He will destroy our self-confidence to the point that he will make us ineffective. The fact that they wanted you to lead tells you that they had confidence in you.

Anonymous said...

We're here!!! Just wanted to say HI and LOVE YOU!! GOtta run!!!

Carol said...

I love how you can take the every day stuff of life and turn it into an arrow that pierces the heart and asks us to be introspective and grow through this experience. I appreciate all the openness from your readers. God has surely given you a counseling ministry of your own through your blog. And you are good, very good. See you soon!

Indian Lake Papa said...

Brandy - I am so excited for you! Keep warm!!! Still praying for you!

CDC - Your so kind - does that mean I have to be kind ?? See you in less than 2 weeks. Getting excited!

Darla said...

I never want to be legalistic, but I do want to be real about Christ and all that it means to be an overcomer. Love you, what is the count down until we start praying for your traveling! Bran has made it, now we need to pray you home.

Indian Lake Papa said...

Darla - we leave a week from Monday the 21st at 7am. We should get as far as Nashville the first night. The second day we stop at New Albany, IN to see my sister. We arrive home Wednesday the 23rd about noon.

We are stopping the first day, Monday, at lunch time to meet one of the bloggers that posts on my blog regularly! We have never met! We are all excited about that!

Tam said...

Being abused as a child I had some trust issues as an adult. About 15 years ago...after noticing I was responding to and treating innocent people like they were my abusers...I realized I cannot convict people for someone else's crimes. That was such a release to me. Instant freedom!

Indian Lake Papa said...

Tam - when I hear your story I just wish I could wave a magic wand and erase the bad memories. But then again, you have used them to build strong Christian character.

Anonymous said...

ahhh Papa, as I read this I am struggling with a trust issue!! At this very moment in fact. :( My eyes got very big when I read this.... the timing is perfect. ;-)

Love you Papa! I wish I could give you a huge hug!! Mama too! :D

BTW, I am getting a webcam so my mom and I can chat and she can still see the boys... I wonder if that will work with you?? I'll email you... ;-)

Indian Lake Papa said...

Hi Brandy - email me anytime you want. Trust can be a real tough one if its been violated. Be sure to give it all to Jesus. Hopefully we can video chat when you get all setup. Hugs!

Kimberly McKay said...

Oh pooor Magic. I am so sorry for that horse. I've not been beaten, but have had things in my life that do create trust issues. Through Christ, I've been able to work on that though. LOVELY post Papa. You're such a great writer.

Indian Lake Papa said...

Kim - we all have trust issues at times in our lives. A child lost in a store, bitten by a dog, then there are the adult issues. To be as effective for Christ as we can we need to do our best to resolve them.

Tam said...

I love you Papa and Mama

Indian Lake Papa said...

Tam - those three little words mean so much. Our lives and countenance change when someone says; " I LOVE YOU!"

and; "I LOVE YOU TOO!"

Unknown said...

Although there are many horse rescue agencies, the fact is that they do not initiate to meet the needs of the huge number of unwanted horses. Every year, hundreds and thousands of horses are killed and their meat is sold, mostly in Europe and Asia. Obviously this is a major issue that most people would prefer not even think about it. Abusing of horses must be stopped!!!