Protected from a Horse Riding Accident in Iceland
See the cute horse below? I took this photo in 2014 when I was at Laxnes Horse Farm in Iceland with Amilee. It was very cold, with chilly winds blowing that day. The landscape was golden fields, blue lakes and snow capped mountains all around.
We booked a horse riding session and were excited. I mounted my ebony horse, and after some briefing from the instructors, we were allowed to ride on our own, on a huge circular route, back to the horse farm.
Seeing my horse trotting so slowly, I was feeling somewhat bored and wanted it to go slightly faster. As I struck the reins repeatedly on the beast’s back, suddenly, it burst into a wild gallop, as if to say, “You want to go faster? I’ll give you fast then.”
It ran so fast that my feet flew out of the stirrups and now the only things keeping me on the horse were my hands gripping the reins tightly and my inner thighs tightly hugging the horse’s back.
The horse was galloping as fast as those you see knights riding on in movies. I really thought I was going to be thrown off the horse and was hanging on for dear life, with my thighs chaffing and tailbone bumping painfully against the saddle every few seconds. At other moments, I felt like I was flying and defying gravity.
I felt so helpless. There was no one I could call to for help. Even if I shouted, no one would hear me as the next person was so far behind and there were no instructors around.
After what seemed like ages, the horse farm was finally in sight. The instructors waiting at the farm looked worriedly when they saw me and the horse approaching so quickly. They just laughed asking if I was okay, and I laughed too saying I was fine, but really, that was a scary experience.
After the whole experience, Amilee who was on a different horse behind said that I looked really cool riding so fast on the horse. Thankfully she saw the scene from behind and didn’t see my face!
I just recalled this incident yesterday and realized that it can be counted as a near-death experience. A complete beginner like me riding on a horse galloping at what seemed like full speed could be potentially fatal.
I thank God for protecting me and giving me the grace to hang on tightly so that I wasn’t injured at all through the experience. It could have been much worse with broken bones, fractures or worse, a snapped neck.
If you ask me if I would ride a horse again after experiencing that, yes I would! I secretly found it fun. In fact, I did go horse riding again with Amilee in Bali after that. Thank God for a brave, adventurous spirit! 😄
“Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name! Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits;”
(Psalms 103:1-2 WEB)
One thing I learned from the experience was that only God can keep us safe. I was in a situation were I felt helpless and there was no one to turn to. Our body of flesh is so fragile and this is a dangerous world. The only thing to do is to pray and cry out to Jesus for help, which I did not do at that time. Back then, I hadn’t matured in the Lord as much yet. Prayer should always be response number one when faced with any danger!
Have you ever had a memorable near-death experience? Testify in the comments below about how God protected you!
Read a revelation about God’s protection in your life: https://ko-fi.com/post/God-is-your-Wall-of-Fire-X7X32Q20F
