Horse Blog – Horse Training Blog

Book Review– What the Bible Says About Animals

by Cowgirl on July 17, 2020

I was offered the chance to read and review a book called “What the Bible Says About Animals”, by Jacquelyn Wilkins, and was thrilled. The book is written in a very reader-friendly, conversational style, in which the author shares her own story and viewpoint, based on numerous verses of Scripture. The book resonated with me immediately because of my own Christian beliefs and literal interpretation of the Bible, and also because of my love for animals and caring for animals my entire life.

From a young age, I questioned whether animals would go to Heaven when they die? When our dog Hank ran into a sickle bar mower and had to be put down, I was only 5 or 6 years old. In answer to my sibling’s tear-filled questions, my parents reminded us that God promises us no tears or sorrow in Heaven. They comforted us by saying if it took Hank being there in Heaven someday to make us eternally and completely happy, then they were sure God would have him there. And so, as a child, I believed.

But it was not until I read this book, “What the Bible Says About Animals” that I could understand more to support that theory. The author shows by quoting Scripture that animals do have a soul, they have a spirit, and they are eternal beings that were created by God to direct our thoughts and hearts back to Him. The purpose of existence of animals on this earth mirrors our own: to bring God glory through His perfect creation.

I have had a beloved horse die….three times now in my lifetime, and faced some tough internal questions about why God would allow that to happen. The first one was a beautiful black yearling colt that got an irrepairable leg injury when I was just sixteen. He had his whole life ahead of him, and I had such high hopes for his future, and planned to train him myself….but he died. Heartbroken, I prayed and asked God why. All I could think of was that the colt had done nothing wrong, and I blamed myself for the negligence that led to his death. But God led my thoughts to His Son, a perfect sinless man who took the sins of the world on His shoulders and died on a cross for no fault of His own. And the death of my colt brought me closer to understanding God.

The author of this book has laid out verse by verse proof that God loves animals even more than we do. And if He created them, cares for them, loves them so infinitely, it is with certainty that we can believe they will be in Heaven.

Our only concern then, should be to make certain that we are able to join them in Heaven someday. The Bible says that Heaven is a real place where believers will spend eternity in the presence of God our Creator. To do so, we must confess our sins, believe in our heart that Jesus died for us and was resurrected to offer us eternal life in Heaven. And our salvation is a free gift we accept by believing.

Though physical death may claim our loved pets, eternal life through Jesus Christ offers us hope for eternity, surrounding the One who loves us best, alongside the ones we loved so much on this earth.

If you would like to order your own copy of What the Bible Says About Animals, please do so. It will be a blessing to you! Do Horses Go To Heaven?

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Equi-Spa Grooming Products

January 24, 2019

I was recently asked to review some horse grooming products for a local company here in Iowa called Equi-Spa. I gladly agreed, but it was just coming into the dead of winter, and since my horses are kept mostly-outdoors (they have a shed they can freely go in and out of for shelter, but usually […]

“Cowgirl Lessons”, A New Horse Book For Christmas

December 1, 2017

I just got a new book in the mail, called “Cowgirl Lessons”, by Rae Rankin. It’s a sweetly rhyming storybook about a little girl’s adventures on her horse riding lesson day, and it’s illustrated by J-san with whimsical ponies and all the cowgirl details you could hope for in a children’s book. You get a […]

From Sunrise to Suppertime–Makeup That Stays

August 24, 2017

A cowgirl friend of mine (Allie, who blogs over at Rocking E Cowgirl) asked me if I would be interested in trying out some ShadowSense eye shadow. I’m not one to go buy the latest greatest thing, but I like wearing makeup so I said, “Sure!”
From what I had heard about LipSense, I knew the basic edge this line of makeup has over other competing products is that it stays on all day.

Farm Life

April 4, 2017

It has been busy around here, and I can’t believe it’s April and three months have passed since my last blog post. One of my excuses is that it’s calving season, and this year has been especially difficult. When cattle are involved, there’s always trouble of some sort. This spring, we have had cows with stillborn babies, cows that needed stitches before and after calving, cows that needed their calf pulled, cows that wouldn’t feed and take care of their babies, and cows that just died, for whatever reason. We’ve had cows getting out, bulls breaking their round bale feeders, a new bull that is really wild and high headed so we have him penned up with an old cow trying to gentle him and feed him by hand so he learns we are friendly. Such is life….on a farm.

AQHA Mares For Sale in Idaho

January 31, 2017

These two AQHA mares are being offered for sale, located at my dad’s place in Challis, Idaho. They have been raised, trained, and ridden on his ranch, sometimes used to work cattle and sometimes for recreational riding. Dad retired a year ago, sold the cattle and the ranch, and dispersed of most of the horses. He planned to keep these two mares, since they were young and rideable, and he thought they would be used when grandkids came to visit as well as his yearly horseback elk hunts.

The Beauty of Fall Horseback Riding

November 15, 2016

I started giving horseback riding lessons to two little girls this past summer. With fall approaching, daylight savings time changing things up, and the temperatures dropping, we started feeling like our horse riding time might be nearing an end. So we decided with these warm fall days still lingering here in the Midwest, we would make the best of them! We went on a fun trail ride on a beautiful Saturday morning, and had a wonderful ride.

Book Giveaway: The Tale of the Dancing Slaughter Horse

October 24, 2016

Alert all your horse-loving and book-reading friends! CowgirlDiary.com is giving away a new book, just released this month! It is The Tale of the Dancing Slaughter Horse by Victoria Shade, and is a memoir written about her life growing up with horses and learning dressage, finally getting a horse of her own, and finding out that her biggest dreams were never out of reach. If you love reading horse stories, you will really enjoy this book.

Stitches For Daisy

October 5, 2016

Well, just when everything is finally going good…the pony recovering from her tendon injury down at summer pasture with the two buckskins, and the older mares at home being used for weekly riding lessons…disaster strikes. Sunday we were at the farm after lunch, planning to work on rebuilding a fence, and so while we were there I went to let the mares out to graze. They ran out through the gate and into the grassy yard, and I noticed that Cricket went right to eating, but Daisy laid down and rolled. This seemed strange, and we usually watch them for abnormal rolling, which indicates stomach pain associated with colic. But I knew it couldn’t be colic, since they were just now being turned out on grass.

Riding Lessons For Beginners

September 20, 2016

I was recently asked by a friend of mine if I would give horseback riding lessons to her two daughters. I have never taken riding lessons, and never given a formal riding lesson. But it sounded like fun to me, so I said “yes”. The girls are beginner riders, and I am a beginner teacher, but fortunately we have two older mares to learn with, and that makes it all possible. We will have our fourth lesson this week, and I have discovered that it is as fun for me as it is for the girls!

A Western Wedding

September 4, 2016

This is when you know you’re a true cowgirl, right? You go wedding dress shopping, and your only requirement is that the skirt be full enough for you to swing up into the saddle! My sister asked me to photograph their beautiful wedding in the mountains of Idaho. I had so much fun, and the western backdrop made the pictures effortlessly beautiful.

Meet Trixie

July 18, 2016

As I recently browsed the Nebraska/Iowa Horses For Sale pages on Facebook, I kept seeing a lot of ponies. So I mentioned to my husband that we should get a pony while the kids are still little. He said, “No horses. But I might consider a pony for the kids.” Well, you know….that was a […]

Catching Up

June 30, 2016

This is me, at age one, riding my trusty horse. Wow…it’s been a long time since I’ve written here at CowgirlDiary! I love blogging, but sometimes it’s hard to keep with the theme here because I have not been doing much riding lately, and when there is little to no horse activity, it’s hard to find the inspiration to write. I do have several updates though, so here goes: We sent Cletus, our five year old buckskin gelding, out to South Dakota the first of May.

Allergies In Horses

April 21, 2016

It’s always something. This time, it’s our twenty-three-year-old horse Red, who has developed severe allergies and has what is called “heaves” in horses, or COPD in humans. The symptoms are a deep cough, difficulty breathing so you see his sides “heave” in and out with each breath (hence, the name “heaves”), lack of appetite or interest in eating, which contributes to weight loss, and lethargy. It’s been less than six months since Red came to live with us, and he was such a lively, spooky, fat, healthy horse that it is really sad to see him in his current condition.

Progress With Penny’s Pastern Cut

March 31, 2016

Read up on Penny’s pastern injury! I kept Penny in a stall for a month, doctoring her wound daily and trying to keep it as clean as possible. Every day I would clean the wound with Vetericyn spray, then cut a section of cotton padding, slather it with Nitrofurazone ointment, place it over the cut area, and wrap it with vet wrap. I cannot believe how well the wound has healed, and how she is almost back to full movement in a little over a month.

Pictures of Rudy

March 8, 2016

I wanted to post a collection of photos of my horse Rudy through the years, just to remember him by. He was the best horse in the world. I remember in high school I entered a writing contest and the title of my essay was “The Best Horse in the World”…I don’t remember everything I […]

A Memento For Rudy

February 20, 2016

When Rudy had to be put down, I saved a strand of his tail hair to have something made to remember him by. The week after his death, I did an internet search for hand-braided horse hair bracelets, and sifted through a few different companies and artists who make them. I found the website for TailSpinBracelets.com and from the photos of all the beautiful horse hair items they make, I knew this was where I wanted to order my bracelet from.

Treating a Pastern Cut

February 16, 2016

I haven’t had the best luck with my horses this winter. I went out Monday morning (a week ago) to feed, and saw Penny standing out by the hay feeder alone. All the other horses were inside their run-in shed, as it was a cold morning with high winds and blowing snow. I didn’t think too much about it, until I got out of the pickup and heard her whinny. I thought to myself, “I have never heard Penny whinny before.”

Even The Very Best Ones

January 27, 2016

I lost my horse Rudy on the 3rd of January. He was almost twenty-eight years old, and ever since he came to live with us in October, I have worried about him. I knew he wasn’t going to live forever, but I had hoped for a few more years, especially now that we were reunited. I had mentally prepared myself for being with him during his last days, but it’s still such a sad reality that even the very best ones die.

What Giving Brings

December 20, 2015

This time of year, it’s an expected thing to receive gifts. Around Christmas time you get a new calendar from the feed store, a pair of gloves from the company you buy your calf vaccine from, a candy cane from some random Santa you meet while shopping, a bonus from the work place…and so it […]

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