It’s not often that a birthday surprise arrives on four legs, but that was the case Feb. 6 in Mineola when Mike Fletcher, pastor of Spur On Ministries, delivered a horse to a lifelong friend and mentor, Chester McCallum.

McCallum, 89 and in hospice care, was caught by surprise at the arrival of “Shorty,” a 22-year-old gelding that Fletcher towed over in a trailer to McCallum’s home on North Johnson Street.

“I’ve known Chester McCallum from (when I was) at least 3-years-old,” said Fletcher. The two lived only about a half mile apart in Louisiana. “I’ve known him and his family all his life.” Fletcher even referred to McCallum as “Uncle Chester.”

It was pure happenstance that the two both wound up living in Mineola.

Back in Louisiana, McCallum used to raise and train horses, primarily quarter horses. “I was raised on a farm of mules and horses,” he said.

Fletcher recalled one of McCallum’s prize students. “Cocoa the Wonder Horse,” he said with a laugh. “Chester’s horse would know all the tricks like Trigger. … He was smarter than most people’s kids.”

McCallum has fond memories of Cocoa.

“I could be riding him around the arena to show him, and I could cue him and he’d haul off and lay down on me,” he recalled. “I could touch him on his back flank and he’d start moaning and groaning like he was hurt.”

After surgery on his back at age 39, McCallum had to quit training horses because he lost full use of his legs, which he had used to make a horse “spin, stop, and walk sideways.”

As Fletcher and a few other folks stood around chatting, McCallum took in the scene and offered his assessment: “This is a good day.”