Horse Whisperer

Its not easy to break a horse: put a saddle on it, carry a rider and not buck, but a horse whisperer from Alton, Illinois, chooses to take a different approach. Horse Whisperer David Case doesnt like the word "break." "I like to use the words "bring into submission." I want to try to change her thinking, but not in a forceful way, as far as Ill never hit the horse," Case says. "Shes been taught to be led and thats it. Shes never had any other handling other than that," says David Moore, a horse owner. "Shes in her season which makes a little more moody. So, it makes them a little bit more difficult to work." So David Case begins by kissing up to a five-year-old Filly named Kali, in hopes of getting her ready to ride. "She may not understand what I really want right now, but shes looking at me now, saying what do you want next," Case says. "The old cowboys that would get on a horse and, with some type of force and restraint, try to break this horse, the difference with what were doing is were trying to go in and build a relationship with this horse." Case doesnt use a whip, just a whisper, and a plastic grocery bag attached to a piece of wire. What would take most horse owners weeks to accomplish, Case does in just about an hour. Case is a retired rural mail carrier, and nowadays, he delivers a different message: about fear. You see, Case isnt just a horse whisperer, hes a preacher. "Sometimes, people can look at the horse and see themselves. They say thats exactly what Ive been doing. Ive been running from God," Case says. Worship centers like Richland Baptist Church in Kingdom City are trying this new direction. "Our church is really wanting to get out of the box and what it means by getting out of the box is doing things differently," says Pastor Larry Paris. So instead of the regular church revivals, one man and one horse attracted more than 800 people to a stable in one weekend. David case is spreading a unique kind of horse sense. He says a pulpit isnt the only place to preach. He turned a stable into a sanctuary, and a bleacher into a pew. For information on David Case, contact the Richland Baptist Church at (573) 642- 2556.