ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – An annual Memorial Day celebration is back for its ninth year at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds, and this weekend’s entertainment includes life lessons from a man and his horse.

Two performances have been scheduled for the show titled “Sermon on the Mount” – a horse-whispering act with a Christian theme.

Dr. Lew Sterrett, an ordained minister who reportedly speaks the “language of the horse,” said on WSVA’s Early Mornings Wednesday that equine training has biblical roots.

“When you see the horse in an arena, you don’t see a church, you see simply a relationship being developed,” Sterrett said. “You see the beauty of brokenness and yielding. Ness and the and the qualities of humility shine forth, and then you see the honor that goes to the horse that’s been modified and developed through what we call wet saddle pads character.”

Two shows have been scheduled at the Fairgrounds: the first is set for Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m., and the final show happens at 4 p.m. Memorial Day afternoon.

Both performances are free.