Dan Sumerel, Equine Author

The Horse and The Child

By Dan Sumerel

          1 - The Horse

 

The horse was quite large and strong, as most horses tend to be,

Yet something about him was different and also quite easy to see.

He walked as any horse would, but something was really not right,

His pride did all that it could, to hide the cause of his plight.

No trot nor canter could happen, with his body so racked with the pain,

From years of human abuse, from a pace he couldn’t sustain.

He had always given his best, that’s all that a horse know’s to do,

But his owners cared not for his feelings, only winning the ribbon of blue.

He remembers the day of the tumble, the day that his body just quit,

And he hoped he’d be given a rest, but his people just threw such a fit.

The pain in his body was awful, but not what brought tears to his eye,

His people had said, he was useful no more, and just sent him away to die.

 

          2 - The Child

 

The eyes of the child were not happy, as any young child’s should be,

They were sad and tired and weary, for this child would never be free.

He was trapped in a body with trouble, it would not work the way that it should,

Other kids were running and playing as he knew that he never could.

His life was a life full of pity, from the people who were always above,

They saw only his troubled young body, not the child who just wanted love.

As they coddled and pitied and pampered, he struggled to get them to see,

His body was not all that mattered, for inside he’s like you and me.

So it seemed that all people noticed, was all that he never could be,

When all that he really wanted, was to feel what it’s like to be free.

But he knew that it never would happen, in that chair that kept him so low,

He could dream but never would feel, the freedom he so wanted to know.

 

           3 - The Horse And The Child

 

This new place seemed so very different, the air was so fresh and clean,

The people were gentle and kind, never harsh nor cruel nor mean.

They were patient with him and soft in their tone, kindness in each loving touch,

He knew that he must be in heaven, for he’d never been pampered so much.

Then one day they brought out a saddle, and that pain he wanted no more,

But the rider today was quite different, than any he’d carried before.

The child’s little body seemed troubled, it was weak and bent and small,

When they lifted him on, he could see in his eyes, the feeling of now being tall.

They lead the horse off, and steadied the child, walking so careful and slow,

First a grin, then a smile covered his face, and his eyes were now all a glow.

The feeling he had of the horse as he walked, was a feeling he’d not known before,

And now it was he, who was way up above, looking down at those on the floor.

So this day the horse nobody wanted, got a job and was given a test,

He would carry this child, with pride in his heart, knowing he’d given his best.

And the child with a sprit so special, but a body with limits so vast,

Would move with the freedom he dreamed of, so many times in the past.

 

The child and the horse, that we would dismiss, with pity for all they are not,

Shared with each other, all that they had, and taught you and me quite a lot.

 

 

From Virginia USA Dan Sumerel is an Author, Therapist, and Trainer for Horses!

His first book FINDING THE MAGIC is the story of Dan's emersion into the horse world

and how it changed his life.

Connect with Dan http://www.sumereltraining.com