Undercover angels

Even though we were still new to each other, Eclipse and I felt like a match made in heaven, as if we had been in each other’s lives from the very start. He was such a special horse-- one with wisdom, kindness, and beauty, not just on the outside, but encased in his heart as well. He was everything I had prayed God would bless me with, and I knew we were going to be companions for life.

 I started wondering how I could become as independent as possible with Eclipse, even though there were certain tasks I knew I would always need assistance with. I had a goal and that was to care for my beautiful boy on my own as best I could, because I was “his girl." It was his job to protect me, and my job to protect him; I just needed someone to help me make some accommodations.

From the moment I first sat on his back, he moved with extreme caution, adjusting his gait to ensure my balance and safety at any move I made in the saddle. When Dayna, Mom and I went on a trail rides, I mounted from a special  block that was specifically built for me, with hand rails on each side so that I could walk up and mount independently. However, while on the trail, we knew if I were to ever fall off of Eclipse, it would be difficult to get back into the saddle. Dayna and Mom had practiced lifting me back into the saddle, but Eclipse was tall, standing at 15.2 hands, and they both had bad backs.Our trial attempts had not been successful.

 Dayna first had the idea that perhaps we could teach Eclipse to lie down so I could mount him from the ground. There would be no hesitations about going on trail rides if we had a way to safely get me back into the saddle. I thought it sounded like a perfect solution, but I had my doubts that it could actually be done. We started talking about it to some of the other boarders at the barn, and they were all in agreement with our idea. To our surprise, one of the men knew the perfect trainer, a true horse whisperer who happened to be a good friend of his and was located just 10 minutes down the road.  He offered to go and talk to the trainer, explain my situation, and see if he could help us.

 A few weeks went by and I heard no more about Eclipse going to the trainer. I put the idea to the back of my mind, trying not to think about it, figuring the trainer was hesitant to take on my special situation. Several days later, my mom picked me up from work, and as we were heading to the barn, she smiled and said, “I just can’t keep a secret any more… I was going to surprise you, but I am just too excited!” 

“What???” I said with eagerness, wondering what could possibly be so exciting that my mom couldn’t hold it in.

 “I talked to Chuck Green, the trainer, today about Eclipse learning to lie down, and he wants to meet with us, see Eclipse and decide if this is something he thinks will work for you. He has a waiting list right now, so I am going to call back in thirty days to see when Eclipse can get in with him.”

 I was beaming with excitement and could hardly wait to start this journey. This was our ticket to independence and freedom, a chance for our bond to grow even stronger. I became an annoyance to my mother as I nagged at her constantly with my daily questions of “Is it time to call Chuck yet? Is it time to call Chuck yet?” 

“Not yet.  Just be patient!” she would say, “It will be time soon!”

 One night after leaving the barn, we decided to order dinner from one of my favorite local restaurants, a home style diner called The Front Porch, a place that had the best fried chicken and BBQ in town. While we were waiting on our order to be prepared, we popped into a nearby grocery store to grab a few things. We were dirty and tired, still in our riding attire, but figured no one would see us this late on a Sunday evening. I was walking up each aisle, tossing my favorite junk food into the basket, when a gentleman approached and asked if we had been riding. He also had horses and wanted to talk about what disciplines we rode and the types of horses we had, and I was filling him in on my plans with Eclipse. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a lady slowly following us up and down the aisle, intently listening to our conversation and looking as if she wanted to talk to me. As I parted ways with the gentlemen, the lady stopped me and said, “Excuse me. I could not help but overhear that you ride horses… have you ever heard of a trainer named Chuck Green at Equuleus Acres Equestrian Center?”

“Oh my gosh, yes!” I smiled. “I am trying to get my horse in with him and have been waiting for the next available slot.”

As we talked more in depth, she told me that she helped Chuck with feedings at his barn and also as an equine photographer.  I was explaining my circumstances in detail, what we were trying to accomplish, when she politely interrupted me and said, “Wait a minute-- you are the girl we have been hearing about! We’ve been waiting to meet you and your horse.” She said that Chuck had never worked with a disabled rider before but felt like he could help me obtain my goals. They had been talking about what needed to be done and the best way to approach the training, and even though we would all be learning how to tackle this together, Chuck was up for the challenge. He knew horses and knew the proper way to get a horse to respond to their rider’s needs and wishes, and  there was not a horse to be found that Chuck could not train. She left saying she couldn’t wait to tell him that we’d met and to call that week, because she was eager for me to get in with him as soon as possible.

 I left the grocery store that night with chills, stunned that we had "happened" to run into this close connection to the trainer. I turned to my mom and said, “That was a God moment right there. That was not just a coincidence.” I had never been in that grocery store in the five years I had been in South Carolina, yet the one time I decided to shop there, my world was changed in ways I could have never seen coming. I knew God was speaking to us, encouraging me to pursue the training as part of His plan for me and Eclipse.

 Reassured that this was the right step, I couldn’t wait to call Chuck the next morning.  Another small miracle was revealed when he said there was an opening and that I could bring Eclipse that week to begin his training.

God’s timing never fails and His guiding light always shines through--we just have to be willing to open our eyes and see it.