'Tis the Season...

 

'Tis the season to bless the horses! And we just did so on a beautiful weekend at the Horse Protection Association of Florida. They have more than 40 rescue horses, mini horses, and donkeys at their facility and they do wonderful work to improve the lives of horses. This is Courage who was abandoned and later brought to the farm. He's been through a lot in his 15 years, but is now living with people who love and care for him.

In addition to seeing to their proper feeding and health care, the staff and volunteers work with the animals to provide training and help them to become more adoptable. Most of the minis have transformed from shy and timid to confident and friendly thanks to the good care and attention of the staff.

The six mini horses at the farm are called "Miracle Minis". There is a one-mile long path around the farm where visitors can take a Spirit Walk with one of the minis. Benches along the path provide a place to sit and reflect or meditate on the qualities represented by each mini's name- Faith, Hope, Love, Courage, Fortitude, and Peace. For the blessing, the minis had a ribbon tied in their tails that dedicated them "Holy to the Lord". All of the other horses and donkeys also received a blessing as they stood in their pastures. This is Love getting ready to walk with her new two-legged friends.

This mare needed to pause for a drink before her blessing.

And this is Ana- she and two of her offspring were brought to the farm after their rescue. There are several mustangs on the property as well.

We didn't limit the blessing to horses- there were several dogs and even a chicken on the property. Some visitors brought their dogs on leash. This little Corgi is Abby, and she enjoyed her day out. The  blessing of the animals events stem from the age-old teachings of St. Francis- patron saint of animals and the environment. A lovely day and a lovely tradition!