Riding For Christ
A Funny Thing Happened While Sleeping in the Saddle
T
Kevin Weatherby
he snow was
a blowin’ as I
rode towards
home. The
long day was more
noticeable on my horse
than it was on me. He
had trudged and carried
me all day, while I
did nothin’ more than
mostly shiver and try to
stay warm. I was feelin’
pretty sorry for myself
when the worn out pony’s head jerked up and he
looked intently off into the brush.
fascination and concern flashed through my mind as
the old timer fell past the event horizon.
Something was a comin’…and it was makin’ plenty
of racket.
“Are you OK old-timer?” I asked.
Limbs cracked and poundin’ hooves heralded the
approach of somethin’ that wasn’t just spookin’ my
horse, but me too. My legs squeezed and I stuck my
toes a little deeper in
the stirrups as I felt the
horse prepare for flight.
For unto you
With a thud he hit the ground, but to his credit, he
might have lost his seat, but he didn’t lose his grip
on that one rein. His bronc drug him easily through
the fresh fallen snow and I grimaced at the amount
of white that was probably bein’ force fed down the
neck of his shirt and jacket.
I jumped off my horse to help the old man, but
he was quick back to his feet. I thought he might
be mad or upset, but the sweet words he said to
the horse caught me off guard. He seemed more
concerned about it than himself.
“Sure…sure!” He laughed. “The first ride is usually
like this.” He spit a wad of tobacco juice out that
would have drowned a catfish.
is born this day
in the city of David a Savior,
which is Christ the Lord.
“Aren’t you a little old
to be breakin’ in the
young ‘uns?”
A ghostly wail lifted
“I’m a little too old for
up above the brush and
a lot of things son. But
a shiver rose from my
I’m glad I found you
~Luke 2:11~
belt line and crawled a
when I did. I been ridin’
snaky path up my back
hard a lookin’ for ya.”
and underneath my hat.
I was about to wheel my mount and shuck out of
“Why are you lookin’ for me?” I asked in
there when, what I thought was a wail, turned into a
bewilderment.
“Whoooooaaaaa!!!!”
“Why, because it’s Christmas Eve and I brought you
Out of the brush came an old cowpoke and he was a
a present,” he exclaimed with an infectious grin.
sawin’ on the rein of a horse that couldn’t make up
its mind whether it wanted to buck or run off. The
“Who are you,” I laughed, “Santa Claus or
cowboy had its head pulled around into his lap and
something?”
the horse’s back legs ran while the front end tried to
climb the moon.
“Yes.”
He had blown both stirrups, and how the horse was
movin’ sideways durin’ all this, I’ll never figure out.
One rein was busted and the old guy was slidin’
out of the center of that saddle fast. Equal parts
4
“Where’s your reindeer? Where’s your red suit?
Where’s your sleigh?” I brushed snow off of his back
as I ribbed him about his statement. “I sure enough
hope you didn’t bring me that horse for Christmas. If
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