Thoughts on God teaching though horses

God’s Teaching through Horses

God shaping us like we shape horses.

"You can be a leader without being intimidating. The horse can be your partner without being your slave. I’m trying to keep the best part of the horse in there. I’m not trying to take anything away from him." - Buck Brannaman

You ride a horse so that they can go off your leg in an instant, yet stop at the tilt of your pelvic bone. You want them to bend in a circle and the next stride stay perfectly straight and between your legs. God is similar with us. It’s not that he wanted to rip us of our rights or take away who we are. We are not God’s slaves because we are given free will. God wants to keep the best part, the part that was made in his image, there. He simply wants us to become more and more in tune to Him. He desires for us to go where he leads us. To be on one path - straight and in line with His will, but also be ready to bend around obstacles. The horse does this as well, and the more connected yo are the more the rider is able to lead the horse. The closer we grow to God, the easier it is to walk on the path God is leading us down. 

One day, when riding Doug, he was spooking at everything. From the cat running around in the indoor, to any door moving in the wind. It quickly became clear to me that Doug was spooking when he lost his focus on me. I had to keep Doug constantly moving off my inside leg and bending around my body. It got the the point that I thought it was ridiculous how often I had to remind Doug to stay with me. It was every fourth or fifth stride. If I let him get too far away from me, he would fixate on an object. It all went down hill from there. The second he lost focus on me and gained focus on the object we lost our connection. Doug could not go around the arena comfortable and I was scared too. 

Later, while looking back at the ride I saw similarities to my relationship with God. Too often I loose sight of Him. I lack time in my day to sit down and have any long amount of time with Him. But He always bring me back. I know for me I need to go to God multiple times a day. Sometimes I get sick of it. I just want to live how I want to live. But then life hits you out of no where and slams you on the ground. As Mark Hall, from Casting Crowns writes in one of his song:

 "If your eyes are on the storm

You’ll wonder if I love you still
But if your eyes are on the cross
You’ll know I always have and I always will.”

When we are focused on the cross we will feel the love of God, but when we focus on the storm we loose sight. 

 Zena, like most mares, is always willing to put up a fight. Zena is insecure, and she does not like to let anyone in. This is especially true when she is in the pasture. Today I was putting Zena out in the field, and like usual she went to take off before I could even get the halter off. Instead of letting her go I tied the halter around her neck. (This is because Zena will take off and throw her butt at you) This instance we worked all around the field until Zena hit a point where she couldn’t go on fighting. She was tired and worn. She went off of my feel and walked patiently beside me. When I let her go she walked behind me still, following me to the gate. The exact opposite direction she wanted to go. I put her through that not so she would have to be upset and confused and feel out of control. I did it so she would know where her feet are, how to use them, and how to trust me. God mirrors this with us. 

Round pen with Frasier 

When a horse is scared all we want to do is pet them. We want to run to their rescue and tell them it's ok. But as any good horseman knows that is not the way to help a troubled horse. A horse needs to move their meet. A horseman will ask them to move their feet around them and ask them to give their hind end. Often times the horse gets in trouble, so to say. They don't want their feet to be directed by us because they feel safer in control of themselves. But we continue to direct their feet and eventually they let us guide them. We often have to pick up on the reign of lead line heavily or keep the pressure on until they learn. But if the training is done correctly a horse will not only learn to listen to the rider but feel safer. They will know how to move their feet and go to the rider instead of bolting. 

I think God does this with people too. How easy would it be for our father to run to us and give us exactly what we want? To hug us and bless us with gifts. But just like a skilled horseman, God knows that comfort is not what will grow us. He has to allow us to hurt and be scared in order to teach us how to get through it.