Take Care of Your Horses by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 16, 1875

Take Care of Your Horses.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

A RELIGION which does not lead a man to take good care of his dumb animals, to feed them properly, to shelter them from the storm, not overdrive them, nor use them harshly—a religion which does not teach a man this much is very suspicious. Our dumb beasts have feelings, and are susceptible of pain and suffering as well as ourselves. That the Lord has a regard for them is plainly taught in many cases in the Bible. God gave special commandment even in so small a matter as the robbing of bird's nests. See Deut. 22: 6. Jesus said that his Father noticed even the death of a little sparrow. See Matt. 10: 29. Again, the Bible says, “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast; but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” Prov. 12: 10. To be a righteous man, then, one must regard the life of his beast. This plainly implies that a man who does not do this is not a righteous man; and to this all must consent.

I am sorry to say that I sometimes see our own brethren disregard this righteous principle. They will keep their horses and cattle through the long, cold winter in very uncomfortable quarters, where they have not sufficient protection from the storm and piercing cold, while they themselves are comfortably housed and warmed by a good fire. They keep them on very scant feed, while they themselves always set down to a good table. Their horses invariably look poor and ill-kept. Their bones stick out, plainly saying to every one that they have a cruel master; and such masters are generally hard drivers, too, and use the whip freely.

If a beast is worth keeping at all, it is worth keeping well. Especially should the faithful work-horse be well fed and cared for. Doubtless men are sometimes so situated that they cannot obtain enough food to keep their horses comfortable; but there is absolutely no excuse for this being the case year after year, as I have sometimes known it to be. I believe it is a sin against God. Nor do these men really make anything by such a course. Their teams thus kept are always weak and lagging. They are more liable to disease. They are not salable if it becomes necessary to sell them.

My brother, as you read this article, ask yourself the question whether it applies to you or not. If you are in doubt about it, listen to what your neighbors say about you, and you will probably get the truth. Then how unlike the spirit of Christ it is for a man to fall into a passion and whip, club, yank and unmercifully treat a horse, an ox, or a cow. Such conduct must bring the frown of God upon any one. It is a mean, wicked thing in any man. Such a spirit will hardly find admittance into Heaven.

D. M. CANRIGHT.

St. Charles, Mich., Dec. 5, 1875.