Those who observe God's Sabbath also ensure their animals rest on the Sabbath in respect to God's command of Exodus 20:10: "In it you shall do no work . . . nor your cattle."

In this context, the reference to "cattle" includes all domestic livestock. Not only does it mean "no work," but for a show horse it means to not compete in events on the Sabbath—defined in the Bible as the period from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday.

For people and horses competing in equestrian events, this presents a difficulty because so many horse events are scheduled on Saturdays. Here is how one Sabbath-keeper competes despite this challenge.

Linda Henderson is a United Church of God member who has competed at horse shows from Ohio to Florida for decades. There are no bigger or more prestigious shows in the United States than the Palm Beach, Florida, shows in the winter. Linda would often win when the shows were not on Saturdays, but could only manage runner-up when events were scheduled over the whole weekend.

At the big four-day events, beginning on Thursday and ending on Sunday, Linda would participate on the first two days, skip events on God's Sabbath and then show again on Sunday. She was rather successful in this.

On one such occasion she had a competitor criticize her for not showing her horses on Saturday. The barn the horses were stabled in would always have a sign on the stalls of her horses on Saturdays, which would read "rest."

A competitor once said, "Oh, yeah, Linda's horses keep the Sabbath, whatever that means!" And it stuck. She often has people ask her why she doesn't show on both Saturday and Sunday, and she explains. It is all part of her personal example and witness of God's way of life.

Apart from not competing on the Sabbath, a Christian may follow the example of Jesus Christ by getting up early at times to maintain a relationship with God in prayer and Bible study. "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed" (Mark 1:35).

For Linda, this may mean rising long before sunrise as there are times she has to ship her horses early on Sunday for a show later that day when the other competitors have already done so on Saturday.

But, as Linda explains, this is important for her as she feels that without God's help she couldn't have accomplished what she has. The bottom line is that God's Sabbath is not a burden in competing. She has learned that she must be organized and also be satisfied with only participating in the events available to her.

Horses are therapeutic

In 1999 the bottom fell out of Linda's life when she began a long struggle with various health problems. Thinking her riding days were over, she sold her lovely mare and retired while still on top of her career.

She did begin to look for another horse for her daughter and herself to take lessons on. She must have looked at 50 horses for that "animal babysitter" to help her through her illness.

One day she stopped to look at a horse trailer and the professional who ran the barn insisted she look at a quarter horse for sale that had hit hard times—like Linda. The horse had once been a big winner in youth classes, but the owners were now out of money and were forced to sell him.

What Linda saw was depressing to say the least. He was skinny; his feet were a mess; his coat was a mousy brown color and, to top it all off, he was lame.

She started to say "No, thank you" when "Tommy" made eye contact with her. A horse's eye is the porthole into his brain and attitude, and Tommy's eye told her a lot.

So Linda tried him, and from that first time she knew he was special—with a natural balance, lovely gait and a soft mouth very responsive to the bit. She bought him, lame and all, and together with help from her vet and blacksmith and her trainer they put him back together again. And what a shock to them all! This transformed 16- hand chocolate chestnut with flaxen mane and tail was soon winning.

He wins whenever she shows him. The judges love him not only because of his presence, elegance and willing obedience, but also his lovely attitude. Linda considers him a gift from God, especially in her recuperation from illness. She has learned that these majestic animals have a positive effect on health and well-being.

A relationship that benefits both

Horses are uniquely designed to be ridden. They have a natural gap in their mouth exactly where the bit fits. Their back is designed to perfectly accommodate a human seat or saddle. They have nerve patches low down on their stomach exactly where a rider's lower leg hangs, and this uniquely assists control and communication of commands. And, of course, they are reasonably easy to train and have been domesticated for thousands of years.

Due to their gentle and accommodating nature, horses are used a lot for the disabled and handicapped. A horse will typically put out special effort for them. Some will shorten their stride to suit the rider or lean in one direction to balance a rider who is slipping to one side.

There is something about them that is relaxing and makes a per-son feel good. A famous saying among horse lovers goes, "There's something about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man."

To Linda, simply stroking them, having them nuzzle her and breathe on her neck, and their very smell raises her spirits. Linda's doctor says her horses have probably kept her out of a wheelchair.

She believes God gave us these beautiful creatures to help us. If we take care of them, including giving them rest on the Sabbath, they will take care of us as well.  GN