Something unusual was trotting through the hospital hall. It looked just like a regular horse. It had soft ears, a fluffy mane, and big eyes. But it was the size of a dog. Kids hooked up to IV poles stepped into the hallway to catch a glimpse. Kids too sick to leave their beds got a special visit from the miniature horse. Do you think the horse will help people heal? Therapists think so. So do patients. The horses lift their spirits, and that helps make them better.

It wouldn’t be the first time in history that horses gave humans a helping hoof. At one time, people used horses for food. Horses are still used to take people from place to place. When did it all start? Not everyone agrees. Some believe people tamed wild horses at a “prehistoric” time. But God has given us a history of the beginning of the world: the book of Genesis. There was no world history before that! We know that early Israelites used horses in battle. King Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots.

We know horses are good for something else, too—company. They cheer people up. They’re much better friends than beeping hospital machines!

“A joyful heart is good medicine.” —Proverbs 17:22