By Vicki Watson
My daughter and I sat watching the Extreme Cowboy Race at Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio. The participants competed, one by one, in a timed obstacle course. Each began by mounting her horse and running one lap at high speed around the coliseum.
A young woman and her Appaloosa, Stormy, were up next. Twenty-year-old Beka Setzer started her first lap, but rather than running, the gelding cantered leisurely around the ring.
Inwardly, I was thinking Stormy had no business being in the competition. I was eager to see more action. “Why are they going so slow?”
A woman behind me heard my complaint and said, “That horse is blind.”
I was shocked. How could Stormy compete in the Extreme Cowboy Race if he was blind? The competition challenged even the best, sighted horses.
Beka and Stormy continued through the course, doing well at each obstacle. Then, they approached a set of barrels. Stormy needed to jump three times over the series of barrels lying on their sides. Now, I too, was rooting for the pair.
But, how in the world could the gelding jump over barrels he couldn’t see? Beka brought her Appaloosa up to the first set of barrels and slowed almost to a stop in front of them. I couldn’t hear from our seats up in the stands, but later I learned she was giving him a verbal command. “Up!”
Without hesitation, Stormy jumped into the unknown. A back hoof grazed the metal barrel on his way down, making a loud, clattering sound. He hadn’t cleared the jump, but it was a valiant effort. Stormy made the same courageous attempt at the next two jumps in unquestioning obedience to Beka’s commands.
After completing all the obstacles, the contestants took a final lap around the coliseum. This time, Stormy really moved out, galloping sightlessly, guided solely by the rider he loved and trusted.
When they crossed the finish line, the entire audience stood and cheered for their incredible performance. Tears filled my eyes, and I don’t think I was the only one crying. What an inspiration Beka and Stormy were!
May our faith in our Master be as bold and unwavering.
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7
When Beka was fourteen and Stormy was ten, she exhibited him at a county fair. Just a day after successfully showing in a jumper class, Stormy crashed into a practice jump. Stormy had lost his sight overnight due to equine recurrent uveitis (ERU). A veterinarian concluded Stormy would no longer have a useful life and recommended he be put down. Beka disagreed, and her commitment to Stormy paid off. She retrained him to do everything they had done together before he lost his sight.
Excerpt from Following the Narrow Path, Chapter 17 Blind Faith
https://www.sonrisestable.com/following-the-narrow-path-horse-devotional
