MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) — Horseback riders took a break from a Friday night arena activities last month and gathered their horses around Vicki Beene.

It was time for Bible study.

Astride her horse, Beene took prayer requests from the other riders, jotting the requests into a leather-bound notebook and Bible. She then led a devotional about the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Men removed their hats to pray.

Three Rivers Cowboy Church offers this fellowship, Rise Up Horseback Riding Ministry, at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Fridays of each month. It's held not in the church sanctuary, but at its dusty...