By Frank J. Buchman
Safety Still Most Important
“The show sometimes just can’t go on.”
That’s contradictory to our general philosophy of conducting scheduled functions. Most of the time, rodeos, horse shows, auctions and field days should proceed as planned regardless of uncontrollable nature.
But, there are exceptions, and last week was one. The arena was so muddy nobody could walk in it, and some horses would have been crippled had they tried to perform.
“Move the horseshow out on the lawn” was the suggestion. Yet, downpours continued until cancellation was the only solution.
Made us reflect times when the show did go on. That arena was muddy, and competition had started when another cloudburst erupted. We could hardly see, several entries canceled, our judge’s cards were sopping, the speaker system was screeching, but there was no time to reschedule, so the show continued. Rain stopped, and sky turned blue as we finished, with some certain unhappy folks.
When the pen has been so muddy we could barely trudge, show managers have more-than-once made fun of our four-buckles as we walked out to judge.
One time without overboots, we lost our own boot in the mud, and that was a major predicament, let alone living it down.
Another show, sole came off one boot, and we had to duct tape it back on, more than once.
Worst case recollection was the county fair when the night horseshow moved to the lawn, and a horse in the barrel race slipped on the grass and broke a leg.
There have been numerous times when it was smart to continue agriculture events as planned. One of our purebred breeder heroes claims the best sale he ever had was during a blizzard. Cattlemen were there, no way to cancel really, buyers knew what they wanted, bid fast and high, so they could get home to chore.
Reminds us of Ezra 10:13: “It is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand outside, nor get the work done.” Yet, sometimes, Deuteronomy 17:18: “This is what must be done.” So, Second Samuel 2:6: “Strengthen your resolve and do what is necessary.” Then, essential Genesis 43:9: “I’ll take full responsibility for the safety.” Yet, Ecclesiastes 10:9: “Safety first. Nature can be dangerous, so be alert to hazards.” Fortunately, Second Samuel 23:5: “He will constantly look after my safety and success.”
+++ALLELUIA+++
