A Farrier’s Prayer

In the 1960’s I was a practicing veterinarian and attended regularly the National Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration, always just before Labor Day. I knew stable owners, horse owners, trainers, and farriers, (a person who shoes horses) throughout middle Tennessee. 

In 1967 I had an appointment in late August to attend to a horse that had forefoot (front feet) problems. The appointment was at a stable west of Murfreesboro with the horse owner and his farrier. I had considerable success in treating this lameness working along with a professional farrier. 

This owner’s farrier had extensive experience, a highly qualified man. He worked on the Standardbred circuit and to a lesser extent the Thoroughbred, the American Saddlebred, and Tennessee Walking Horse Circuit from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. He had a lifetime of dealing with this particular lameness while working in conjunction with other veterinarians, but even then in most cases this type of lameness was not treatable. 

He was about thirty years older than me, in his early 60’s, and a member of the Church of Christ. He was very nice, even a gentleman, unlike most farriers that I had met. I was a thirty-six year old veterinarian with just six years experience. 

I arrived at the stable, met the owner and the farrier and outlined my procedures to correct the problems with the horse’s feet. The farrier showed me respect like I was not used to. He was very considerate and understanding as he listened to this young equine veterinarian with such limited experience. I explained to him my schedule of times that he should carry out certain procedures. I will never forget, he would just laugh and say, "Young man I have never heard of this, but I am going to trust you." I told him he could expect that within sixty days he should have normal feet on this horse. I finished my work, he went over his schedule with the sixty days of instructions that he should follow, and we departed. 

After sixty days I received a handwritten letter from this man. In the letter he wrote, "Young man, this horse’s feet are normal." Then he wrote something I didn’t want to hear, and I certainly don’t agree with part of it, "A fine young man like you ought to be serving Jesus Christ. I am going to pray for you." 

After this many years I have to believe that God healed that horse’s feet, for you see, I had been running away from God’s calling on my life since 1958.

 If I recall correctly that man’s name was Archie Manning. I never heard from that man again, but two years later in 1969, God visited me and told me to sell my veterinary practice and obey Him. This man’s prayers were answered.

God Bless,
Doyle Davidson
Servant and apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ

Posting Index