Stand in Awe

Have you ever just stood in bewilderment looking at a horse wondering what is going through your mind?

Have you ever watched in admiration as a group of horses galloped together through a field with total abandoned freedom?

Have you ever marveled at the miraculous birth of a new foal; how he stands up on his feet in only a few minutes able to run swiftly by his mother’s side from enemies?

Have you ever been surprised by the fact that a horse who is a natural-born claustrophobic, with a tendency to panic at the slightest thing can also display incredible curiosity and bravery?

Have you ever been astonished at how fast a horse can learn something or how fast he can train you to do things his way?

Have you ever been blown away by watching a truly great horsemen moving as one with his horse?

Have you ever simply been in total awe of the fact that the horse (a prey animal) would so trust any human (a predator)  that he would not only allow the predator on his back obeying the  human’s commands, but would at the same time be willing to develop a bond with him?

I have been working with my paint horse Sunshine over the last couple of weeks. I have been video taping my work with her for the on-line study group. Sunshine came to me with a very extreme ear and head shy issue, plus a lot of other problems. I have been helping her to deal with her fear and high need for self-preservation for several years. It is long and exhausting work which takes a ton of patience and perseverance. She keeps reminding me that to draw near to her and create a deeper bond with her I always need to find joy in who she is, not who I want her to be.

When I went to my first natural horsemanship clinic over 12 years ago I was blown away by the difference between what I saw the clinician and her students doing and what I knew I was doing with my horse. They had something I was missing and I recognized this fact right away.  Oh, I was very successful in the worlds eyes with horses if you looked in my trophy room. But the things these people who called themselves natural horsemen were doing especially on the ground with their horses amazed me. They simply blew my socks off with their imagination and the relationship I saw they had with their horse which I did not yet have.  I grew up the old cowboy way, just get on and ride em’. To tell you the truth it was pretty ugly and we are dang lucky we weren’t killed or injured more often; not to mention the stress we put the horses through with our ignorant handling skills. You just don’t know what you don’t know!

Now that I have been studying and practicing natural type horsemanship for over 12 years the things which once awed me can easily become common place things because they are now so easy for me. We can begin to take things for granted or never be satisfied with where we are or what our horse is offering us. One thing I never want to lose is my awe, wonder and excitement that the horse is doing anything at all with me, let alone something good and pleasing with me.

There are four strategies which I use to keep the awe and wonder of the relationship and performance I have with my horses fresh.

1. REMEMBER WHERE I HAVE COME FROM!

If I compare Sunshine’s ability to accept ropes and other equipment around her head and ears without any reaction to my other horses she may look like a complete and utter failure to those observing. I could easily feel discouraged with her or with my own skills to help her if I only focus on how I wish she was undisturbed like all my other horses. But when I look back over the past 10 years and see where we have come from I could not be  more astonished.

I am excited about the things I have learned about her and myself over the years even if I am still not exactly where I hoped to be at this time. I am in sheer wonder she has allowed me to make so many mistakes with her and yet she keeps improving with me as I improve. I think the best way to lose the awe of the relationship we can have with a horse is to do too much drilling, and never being satisfied with where you and the horse are on the journey. I hope I never lose the wonder of what the horse is offering me and what I have learned in order to allow the horse to cooperate with me. One way to keep this amazement is to always remember where I came from.

 2. EXPECT TO BE AWED

I know it sounds overly simplistic, but our expectations are key to re-discovering our awe of anything. If we want to have a better relationship with our horse, if we want to be blown away by what he does for us, if we want to amaze ourselves with our own skills but don’t go out to the arena expecting these things we often miss them even when they happen.

When progress feels far away it may be closer than we think, in fact it may be happening and you just don’t recognize it. When we are frustrated with our horse’s performance or our own horsemanship skills it could be time to change our thinking. The next time you go out to the corral expect to be awed, even if it is by your stumbling. Develop a lightness of heart and expect good things, I am sure you will get better results.

3. TAKE A DIFFERENT WAY HOME

Our personalities and preferences in many ways dictate how we interact with horses. What is your default way of interacting with a horse? Are you a head person, drawn to engaging the horse mainly through head knowledge from information you have studied. Do you try to stick with a set of rules for each exercise? Are you fairly mechanical in your presentation? Do you tend a little too much towards drilling the horse?  Are you a heart person, connecting with the horse most easily through an emotional connection? Do you ignore most of the rules and head knowledge, hoping things will just work out because the horse likes you?  Are you fairly unstructured in your presentation?  Do you tend to avoid practicing very much because you want to keep the horse happy? Are you a hands person? Do you connect with the horse by doing specific activities? Like trail riding, jumping, working cattle, etc.?

Figure out which one of these you default to. Then try engaging with the horse through a different means. Why? We get in ruts with what we do with our horses. Sometimes shaking it up really helps. Here is an example: I was swinging a rope over Sunshine’s head. She wasn’t exploding or anything, but you could see she was disturbed. After watching the video, one of the on-line study course students asked, “What if you did the same thing with an invisible rope? Just act like you are swinging it.” The next video I did with Sunshine I pretended to have a rope in my hand swinging it. It was obvious it wasn’t just about the rope the issue was much deeper. We took a different rode home by making such a simple change to the exercise and it helped Sunshine make tremendous progress that day. Think outside the box, try something different.

4. FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

Of course I don’t mean pick a fight with your horse. I mean just don’t give up. Keep plugging away. Don’t take your eye off the ball. Keep going, keep trying, persevere. That may seem counter-intuitive to something as spontaneous as re-discovering your awe.   The problem of needing to re-discover the wonder we have for the little things with our horses, the joy we have in seeing them do the simplest thing with us, is a common one. And it seems so the higher level of horsemanship we attain. Don’t give up wanting a more excellent performance but at the same time don’t forget the wonder and awe of it all in your pursuit of perfection.

I encourage you the next time you go out to the corral to do anything with your horse, take a moment to bask in the wonder that this horse allows you into his world in such a special way. Take joy in who he is; exactly as God created him to be!

Have you stood in awe of the creator of the universe lately?

Psalm 33:6-9
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
He gathered the waters of the sea together as a heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

There are few things which inspire me more than:

• watching a horses and rider moving in perfect harmony;
• watching a herd of horses running through the field with strength and freedom;
• the miraculous determination a new-born foal exerts in standing for the first time;
• how curious and brave he can be especially when he is in the safety of the herd;
• watching a horse try really hard to figure out and do what I am asking him to do.

These are just a few things about the majesty of horses which inspire me. But in Psalm 33 I read of something much greater than any of these things. The psalmist writes of the majestic one who created the horses that inspire me. He shares, “The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.”

His conclusion was, “Let the whole world fear the LORD.” What about you? When is the last time you stopped and stood in awe of God? When have you let your mind go and just bask in His greatness, His power and His infiniteness? No one can do it for you.

Remember how excited you were when the Lord first saved you? Remember how you once wondered at the power of His saving grace? If you are feeling far from God and want to feel closer to Him again, one thing that will help is to rediscover your awe of Him. He is still there! He is still the same! All we need to do is draw near to Him and find joy in who He is.

The good news is, it’s easier than you think. Just stop. Close your eyes and whisper, “How mighty You are, dear God.” Let it sink in and add, “I stand in awe of You, almighty Lord.” Then wait. Muse on Him. Pause and let the majesty of God flood your soul.

Meditate on how awesome and mighty He is and that He loves you just the way you are. He has let you in on his kingdom through his son Jesus Christ. When you are saved He comes to live in you by the Holy Spirit. Today, stand in awe of Him. There is nothing like it! Look from where you have come, expect great things now and in your future, take a new ride with him let him take you on his path home, and never give up because He will never give up on you! How awesome is that!

Facing Challenges

Sunshine and Sherry

On a beautiful sunny day in February I set the camcorder on the tripod up in the pasture where there was a dry spot. I marked the trees in my mind where the lens of the camera ended so that I could stay in the frame of the picture. I returned to the corral to get Sunshine, my pretty paint  horse, because she is the only horse I have who might show signs of a challenge for the demonstration I was about to film.

This winter I have been teaching an on-line horsemanship study course. Each week I give the students written assignments for them to do with their horse. I also video tape myself doing the same exercises so they also have a visual picture to go along with the written instructions.  We also have a live chat each week where we discuss the progress we are seeing and also any challenges we may be facing. It seems last week several people were facing the challenge of a horse who was either head or ear shy or both.

As in all of my programs just because a certain exercise or problem is not listed on the syllabus for that particular event doesn’t mean we can’t address the issue. I always have a plan about what I am going to teach,  but I am also always willing to change the plan. So I come well prepared with a lesson plan but I am prepared to remain flexible in order to meet the specific needs of the horses and the people participating in the learning. Even though dealing with a head or ear shy horse was not in the lesson plans for this week, I knew that if we did not address this issue first, going forward with some of these horses would not spell success for their future.

Sunshine has given me many challenges helping her believe that she could trust me to handle her head and ears. Her story is really quite lengthy and I do not have time or space to tell it all here. However, if you are interested in reading her story it is found in the final chapter of my book “Win Your Horse’s Heart” (Be a Better Horseman). The chapter is titled ”Prayers for Patience”, and  that is exactly what it has taken to convince this horse I am not attacking her and she does not have to be defensive when I handle her head or ears. Without going into a long history of her past, we will just say, coupled with her sensitive horsenality and mishandling she experienced before she came to me she had resorted to quite aggressive behavior about quite a few things. Her sense of self-preservation was very high, much higher than most domesticated horses.

As I began working with her several years ago, I didn’t really know what I was getting into with her. It was a much bigger challenge than I ever dreamed it would be.  I would just about get one thing dealt with and another would pop up. But the head and ear shy issue seemed to be the worst problem and the most difficult to overcome. I cannot even begin to tell you the number of hours I have spent on this one thing and although it is a ton better, it is still not 100% resolved. Sometimes I think it is, and then once in a while she shows me the raw truth of the matter. All I can do is start over again, and never give up on her. I do have faith that someday she will appreciate how much I have done to try to help her overcome this challenge.

It was so bad she would not even eat grain from a pan on the ground or graze fresh grass in the spring if she had a halter on. As soon as she would lower her head and feel the pressure on her pole behind her ears she would freak out and nearly flip over backwards. I had never met a horse so extreme before. I determined not to see Sunshine or her problem as the enemy but as an opportunity to develop my skills as a horseman. It also developed my patience and compassion for her. I loved her despite her problems, and I never blamed her for her issues.

My purpose has always been to help her conqueror her problem for her own safety as much as my own. I was willing to do whatever it took. And it has taken much more than I ever thought it would. I wish I could tell you I found the perfect easy fix, but we had to work hard and long together to make any progress. We had to learn to trust and respect each other. I can report we both have come a long way. She can eat grain and grass with her head lowered while wearing a halter now. I can touch her all over her head and ears with my hands now and usually she stays very relaxed and calm. But she still has reactions on occasion to any kind of equipment, like, sticks, ropes, reins, etc.

As the camera rolled on I am proud to say, Sunshine only had a couple of what I would call fairly small reactions to having her head and ear touched with equipment in comparison to what it used to be. She was very patient while I handled her head and ears with my hands, showing no real outward visible signs of negative reactions. However, I think on the inside she is still wondering if something bad is going to happen to her.

I am pretty sure the students watching this video will learn a thing or two about the challenge they are facing with their horse. Although their horses may not be as severe as Sunshine’s case, they will still have to be patient in order to help their horse conquer this problem. They will find out what they are really made of and what the horse is made of too. I am certain by facing this challenge and working through it with their horse it will not only make them a better horseman it will reveal their character and build even more character in them if they don’t give up.

I can promise one thing for sure, we are all going to face challenges in both our horsemanship journey and the journey of life. Some will be new problems we have never faced before. I have faced some tooth problems the last couple of months that I have never had to face before. I know talking about problems is not fun, we would rather talk about our goals and achievements.

I am a very positive thinker and goal setter, which I encourage you all to do also. However, there is one thing I have come to realize in my life and relationship with God. If I didn’t have problems, I wouldn’t need faith. Faith is what takes me through times when I don’t understand what or why something is happening. Believe me I wish my tooth problems were not happening, and I wish Sunshine had not had the head and ear shy problem. However I have learned to not see my problems as the enemy, but as opportunities to exercise my faith. When I face a difficult or impossible circumstance this is when I find out who I really am, and more importantly I find out who God really is.

Faith empowers us with supernatural strength, provision and love to come out victorious on the other side. Without any challenges to face in my life I may never have fully come to appreciate how much God loves me. But when I experienced Him move with power in my life helping me through those problems not avoiding or going around them, I realized how much he cared for me and loved me. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that all He has prepared for us is “good”.

I understand in the middle of a discouraging situation one is temped to think God has abandoned us or doesn’t love or care for us. But we need to understand God is on our side, and our true enemy is the devil who will whisper such lies in our ears. He constantly lies to us because he wants to keep us from living the life Jesus died to give us. A life of becoming more than a conqueror.  A conqueror knows that whatever problem comes his way he can overcome it through Christ who loves him. Romans 8:37

God is never surprised by the challenges that come into our lives. Unlike I was surprised by the many challenges Sunshine and I have had to face together. He knows about the struggles we will face which is why I believe He has filled his Word with so many promises describing His love as unconditional, never-failing, long-suffering and constant.

I write this blog for myself as much as I do for those who are reading it to encourage us that no matter what challenges we may be facing right now, we can face our obstacles with confidence that God is on our side, ready to give us the victory, freedom and abundant life we so desire.

Stand on this promise that nothing absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. If I won’t give up on a troubled horse like Sunshine just because I love her how much more will Christ never give up on you no matter how deep or how hard the problem is.

Practicing

The wind whipped the snow across the dark highway as I crept along at 35 mph. Once in a while I could see the yellow center line or the outside white line. They became a source of comfort letting me know I was at least still on the road. When I left Blair at 5:00 Sun. Jan 22nd it was still warm enough that I stayed comfortable giving a two-hour private lesson outdoors.  After hitting the snow storm on the west side of Dodge, I decided to try to make it to Humphrey where I could get a motel room. I didn’t think I would ever get there.  It wouldn’t be the first time I have had to stay there in my winter travels to Omaha and Lincoln to give lessons with my regular students.

I arrived at the motel about 7:30 pm which gave me the evening to reflect about the lessons I had given over the weekend. One thing kept standing out in my mind:  The kind of practice a student has been doing since I last saw them at the end of October makes a big difference in where they are now. I am reminded that only pertinent and deliberate practice which is consistent produces positive progress.

I observed two extremes of practice as I worked with students and their horses. We will call student one IIP (Inappropriate, Inconsistent, Practice). We will call student two PDP (Pertinent, Deliberate, Practice).  Then there are some people in-between these two extremes, and there is also those who don’t practice at all. Maybe worst of all are those who make practice become a drill. However, we won’t focus on those. I would like to explain a little more about IIP and PDP.

An IIP student comes to me with a problem. I give them some good solutions which are pertinent. I know if these solutions are deliberately practiced consistently over time without making it a drill, they will move toward the desired results of eliminating the problem. Instead of doing this an IIP doesn’t follow the instructions given. I often see them go back to what they have been doing. Maybe because it is comfortable to them. But obviously it hasn’t been working for them, and most likely it caused the problem to start with. The IIP may even try to put layers of bandages over the problem, which over time just creates a bigger problem.

Without mentioning any names, I did have some IIP students this weekend whose problem had actually gotten worse since I last saw them. When I asked if they had been doing the exercises I gave them last time, which I knew would help solve the problem. The IIP student not only admitted to not doing the exercises,  they could not even remember how. So we went back to the beginning and sure enough in two hours the horse had made some phenomenal positive progress.  However, I can promise any IIP student the problem will get worse again if they do not deliberately and consistently practice the things which are pertinent to the issues. Yes, it won’t be as fun, and it will take discipline and patience. But do you want to heal the problem for good or have to keep dealing with it in different forms?

Then I had an amazing lesson with a PDP student who had not only done her homework, she kept it up for two months before she even rode her horse again. The horse’s issue was not standing still for saddling or mounting. I mean he was very worried. Her assignment was to play the friendly game with all of the equipment (pads, saddle, ropes, mounting block) until he could stand still and relax while doing it. She did not even ride him until she accomplished this and more.

Then once he had truly accepted the equipment, she played the friendly game with her body (mounting the horse bareback). When he could not only accept this but enjoy it, then she moved on to mounting with the saddle from the mounting block. She was committed to her PDP for two months and it paid off with huge dividends. She was so excited to show me the results of her PDP.  The horse stood still and relaxed for saddling and mounting, in fact his leg was cocked and his head low. If I hadn’t seen the before I would not have believed the horse had any issue being saddled or mounted.  She had a wonderful riding lesson with me which was what she wanted to do the last time. I am so proud we were not willing to just push through to get what we wanted at the last lesson instead of doing what was best for the horse. I am so happy for both of them now and I know the partnership they will have from here on will continue to blossom because the human is willing to only practice deliberately that which is pertinent.

Practice defined in the dictionary  is the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it, as in the phrase “practice makes perfect”. But I will add that only perfect practice makes perfect.

How well one improves with practice depends on several factors, such as the frequency it is engaged in, the type of feedback that is available for improvement and how pertinent the practice is. Practice should be scheduled, to ensure enough of it is performed to reach one’s training objectives. How much practice is required depends upon the nature of the activity, and upon both the level of the horse and the rider. Some people or horses improve on a particular activity faster than others.

How expert one becomes at a skill has more to do with how one practices than with merely performing a skill a large number of times. An expert breaks down the skills that are required to be expert and focuses on improving those skill chunks during practice. Skills fade with non-use. The phenomenon is often referred to as being “out of practice”. Practice is therefore performed (on a regular basis) to keep skills and abilities honed.

Deliberate practice lies in continually practicing a skill at more challenging levels with the intention of mastering it. Deliberate practice is successful when supported by rewards for excellent performance.

How can we apply all this talk about practice to our spiritual lives?

James 1:22 says “Do not merely listen to the word and deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

I think it is clear this scripture is telling us to get out there and do our homework like the PDP student above did. Become a person who practices what the word preaches.

I was reading about a guy who came to church late. He walked in right near the end of the service. He said to an usher, “Is the sermon done yet?” The usher answered wisely. He said, “The sermon has been preached, but it has yet to be done.”

That slick reply pretty much sums up the message of the book of James. The word of God is not just meant to be preached. It’s meant to be practiced. We must not only hear the word. We must heed the word.

Today, what kind of person are you? Are you a hearer only; or are you also a doer of the word?

In no way are we trying to say we can earn our way to heaven. Salvation is a free gift from God. It is not something  we earn, but rather it is something we receive. However,  after we receive the free gift of salvation we are called to be practicing Christians which includes applying the word of God to our lives with actions.

It took discipline and patience for the above student to deliberately practice the pertinent exercises which helped solve the issues her horse was having. Spiritual disciplines are patterns of behavior that, when practiced faithfully and regularly, draw you closer to the will of God and facilitate spiritual growth.

Are you drawing closer to the will of God and growing spiritually as a result of your faithful and regular practice of being a doer of the word?

Love Relationship

Another exceptionally warm day in the middle of Jan. for NE. It is 45 degrees today with a 20 mph wind. So I put on my bomber hat with the fuzzy flaps down before I went outside. I need to protect my ears since I am getting over an ear infection. I am feeling much better, but I am conserving my energy. I don’t want to over-do it before the weekend, as I will be traveling to Omaha and Lincoln to give lessons. So instead of riding a horse, I decided to just spend time with them because I love them.  They always bring me joy and peace.

As I walked out to the corral I was greeted by the usual soft nickers. Three of the horses were lying down napping in the sun. Their heads popped up when they heard me open the gate. Stretching as they got up, I swear they could read my intentions. They followed me to the pasture gate and waited patiently while I opened it.

Sunshine is usually the last one to come out, since she is such a scaredy-cat. But today Sorry was the last to leave her corral because she was still stretching and waking up from her nap. I waited for her, and we walked beside each other as if we were lovers walking hand in hand. It was a precious moment that she stayed with me and did not try to catch up with the herd, who were already half way through the small pasture on their way to the larger one. Even Buddy, my dog was ahead with the other horses. As we reached the herd she lowered her head towards me, I gave her a pet then turned to go toward the next gate. She immediately went to herd up with her best partner, Fanny. Remember last week when I talked about herds within the herds?

As I reached the second gate to the larger pasture Cisco realized it was open and he led the rest of them out. As they formed their little herds within the herds, I walked the perimeter of the pasture, gazing at the beautiful sandhills. Even in the browness of winter they have a special serenity to them which my soul has not found anywhere else on earth. I’ve ridden my horses in the majesty of the rocky mountains in MT, WY, CO, and the Sierra’s in northern CA. I have traveled many miles on horseback through the high deserts of NV and the sage brush plains of WY.  I certainly appreciate the grandeur and beauty of these places, but there really is no place like home.

As I walked around with my horses simply enjoying their presence I felt so much love for them it is hard to explain. There is just something about how a horse lover  feels about their horses which cannot be explained to a non-horse lover. Either you love them or you don’t. And if you love them you love them with your whole heart, soul, mind, and emotions. Even when they buck you off,  have habits that drive you crazy,  break your heart when they get injured, give you a heart attack every year when you get the hay, vet, and farrier bills,  you know you will always want them in your life.

As I walked by each horse I just kept going unless they lifted their head up to greet me with what I call the horse hand shake. It is a gentle reaching forward with their nose to touch you. If they offered me the hand shake I touched them back with what I hoped felt like the touch of a horse. After the hand shake I just hung out with that  horse for a bit, blending in with him step for step. I did not make any demands of the horse, I just hung out in his/her presence because I love them. Many people think if they aren’t doing something with their horse they are not accomplishing anything. But I don’t think that is true. I believe we are building a relationship of trust and confidence in each other as I spend non-demanding time with them just because I like their company.

I did this for about 45 minutes. As I walked back to the house I was reminded of a scripture in Matthew.

“Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Mat. 22:37-38

It occurred to me that a love relationship with God is more important than any other single factor in our lives. My Christian life (not my salvation) and how I live it depends on the quality of my love relationship with God. Didn’t God create us for a love relationship with Him? I believe that to be loved by God and love Him back, is the highest relationship, the highest achievement and the highest position in life.

I also realized that we are a doing people. We feel worthless or useless if we are not busy doing something. The above scripture leads me to understand that God is saying, “I want you to love me above everything else.” If we love God in this way, I  think it will lead us to want to spend un-demanding time in his presence just because we want to and we can. His door is always open.

As I think about my time alone with God, I wonder if I am always doing something, or asking Him for something. Why do I keep a time alone with God? Is it to satisfy my needs? Is it to get to know him better? Is it to petition for others in prayer? Is it to seek guidance in decision and make requests of my needs?  Well there is nothing wrong with any of these reasons, and they are good things to do with God during your time alone with Him. However I would like to submit to you today that sometimes the reason you spend time alone with God is simply because He loves you and you love Him. Perhaps the reasons we will keep a time alone with God is not in order to have a relationship, but because we desire to enrich and deepen the relationship we already have with Him.

Have you spent un-demanding time with your horses lately, just because you love them?

Have you spent time alone walking with God lately, simply because you love Him and enjoy His fellowship?

You may ask, “you told us how to spend un-demanding time with our horses, but what does that look like with God?”

Here are some suggestions:

Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day.

1. Set aside 30 minutes of time this week to “walk with God alone”.
2. Find a suitable location. (I chose my horse pasture.) Some place without interruptions, and no cell phones, computers, or TVs.
3. Talk out loud to God.
4. Focus your thoughts on the love of your heavenly Father.
5. Praise Him for His love and mercy.
6. Thank Him for expression of his love to you. (Be specific)
7. Express your love to Him.
8. Worship and adore Him.
9. Then quiet yourself and listen.
10. When you get home write about your experience.

God bless you all as you enrich your love relationship with Jesus and with your horses too.

Sherry

Herds

I apologize to those who are following this blog. I have not written for several days because I have been very ill plus I have been preparing the horsemanship on-line study course that started Mon. Jan 9th. And it is that time of year to get rolling on taxes, so I have been doing book work as well, which is not my favorite thing in the world to do. Now that I am finally feeling a little better the taxes are started, and the on-line study group is off to a good start, I am making time for my blog.

I picked up the five gallon bucket from the barn grabbing a halter as I stepped out the door. Every horse head lifted, their ears perked up and forward as they saw me approaching the corral gate. I know they are thinking, “Yahoo, what’s in the bucket? Could it be grain?” As I entered the gate they all crowded around me trying to sniff the bucket contents. When Cisco discovered it was empty he pushed it with his nose. Like he was punishing it for not containing some luscious eatable treat. I ignored him and the rest of the herd as I walked to the center of the pen placed the bucket upside down and sat on it. I placed the halter on the ground between my feet. It was there just for good measure incase I needed the extra support to encourage any kind of movement to protect my space.

I looked back at the faces watching me which expressed curiosity yet disappointment. DJ must not have been convinced the bucket was truly empty. He walked toward me quickly with his head low, staring at the bucket intently as he approached. He didn’t seem to notice there was a human sitting on top of it. His main concern was finding out its content. As he arrived he smelled the bucket, I knew his next move would be to push it over, as he so often does his feed pan. I gently put my hand on his nose and pushed him back a little, asking him to respect my space, before he had a chance to push on me.  He looked at me with surprise then took a new approach. Maybe there is something in her pockets. So I got the smell down even though I haven’t had a treat in my pocket in years. I do not hand feed treats to my horses.  Not finding anything he gave up and stood quietly beside me nuzzling my hat softly with his lips. He always has to be playing with something.

Ginger couldn’t take it any longer she had to come see what DJ and I were up to. She blew her breath in my nostril as I sat still taking in every feeling with all of my senses. I love when a horse blows on me. She was so close I could feel her whiskers tickling my chin. As she touched me I suddenly realized how a horse touches and feels. I concentrated on really feeling her touch. I thought, if it feels that good to me, I want my touch to be just like that, so when I touch her back it will feel just as good to her.  As I went about the activities with my horses for the next three hours every time I touched them, I tried to be cognizant of the way Ginger touched me. Could I touch a horse like I was a horse? I realized how much harder, hurried, and unintentional my touch must feel to them.

As Cisco arrived he made it clear that it was time for DJ and Ginger to leave. He only had to give them a look and they slowly stepped aside without hesitation.  They weren’t in a big hurry to leave, but knew better than to wait too long and find out whether he meant business or not. Cisco stood behind me with his head over my head. So I am basically under his neck, like a chick under the hen’s wing. I think he must have been saying, “This is my girl and I ain’t sharin’ with the rest of you.”  Dozer is the head hauncho so he had to test the waters. Cisco let him come in close enough to touch my pant leg. That seemed to be good enough for Dozer. DJ came back and they sort of let him be on the outskirts of our little conversation. I knew that neither Dolly or Que would try to come over to me while these guys were hanging around. So I picked up my bucket and headed for the pasture gate. Everyone eagerly followed. They knew what was coming next.

After opening the gate, I followed them as they marched single file out the gate in their normal pecking order. They walked at a leisurely pace with my dog Buddy and I behind them until they reached the second gate to the larger pasture then they took off at a gallop.

I love watching them move as one like a flock of birds flying in harmony. They moved in unison like a wave as they turned here and there stomping down the brittle brown grass. It was  a record-breaking warm day for the middle of January. Once they settle down to grazing in the northeast corner of the pasture I found a place to put my bucket down. Another round of observing the herd dynamics. It was the perfect day for this activity since I am still fighting this infection and don’t have enough energy for riding.

As I watched the herd I noticed that there are herds within the herd. They were paired up with their best buddies. It was very distinct who was hanging out with who, even though to a person driving by it might just look like a bunch of horses sort of spread out grazing with contentment. But I could see that each horse had a partner within the herd they chose to be with. And it did not change the whole time I watched.

It is the horse’s natural instinct to form strong bonds with other members in their group.  The herd and its dynamics teach, order, and control the behavior of all of its members from youngest to oldest. Even though the herd order is never static, it creates a safety, peace, and contentment within the members of the herd. There is no doubt about it one of the main purposes of the herd order is protection from predator enemies. There is safety in numbers.  A horse left by himself becomes easy prey.

I have often wondered what makes a horse dominant or submissive? I have noticed that weaker horses are sometimes more submissive, but it is more a state of mind.  Some of my horses are aggressive while others don’t care much about their position.  I think it is also partly what the horse learns as a baby.  The foal of a mare high on the pecking order will see how his mother behaves toward other horses and will probably learn to do the same.

So you are probably wondering how in the heck I am going to relate this to what God is teaching me. I was wondering that myself for a while, because there are many different  ways that I could go with it. Like submission to: authorities, wives to husbands, children to parents, etc. I could talk about quarrels and squabbles in the church which usually boils down to wanting to be at the top of the herd, getting your own way. I could talk about clicks within larger groups which may cause division of the whole. Or on the positive side I could talk about effective small groups within a mega church. There are many parallels between how the dynamics of a horse herd influences each member and how we as humans relate in group situations. And what about the lone Christian who thinks he doesn’t need the body of Christ?

However, I am taking it to a more personal level. God had a herd, named Israel. He (God) was their leader.

PS: 81:10-14 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.”

God chose to bring Moses into a relationship with Himself so that He (God) could deliver Israel out of bondage with miraculous signs and wonders. Wouldn’t you think they could trust God to do just about anything after all of that? But when they got to the promised land they could not trust Him to deliver the promised land to them. For that reason they spent the next 40 years wandering in the wilderness.

In Psalm 81 God reminded Israel that He would have conquered the enemies quickly, if they had only listened, trusted, and followed His plans rather than their own devices.

As a member of God’s herd of redeemed Christians, I ask myself:

•  ”Am I listening to the lead horse? “
• “Am I trusting that the herd leader’s will and guidance is best for me?”
• “Am I wandering away from the protection of the herd into dangerous territory?”
• “Am I following the herd leader with confidence?”
• “Am I following my own stubborn heart and devices?”
• “Am I adjusting my life to the order of the herd?”
• “Have I submitted my life to the herd leader?”
• “Am I at peace with my place in the herd?”
• “Do I believe that the herd leader will subdue my enemies?”
• ” Do I know the herd leader will never leave me or forsake me?”

I hope you will prayerfully consider this questions, as I have.

Blessings,

Sherry

Join Together

It has been a few days since I have blogged, mainly because I have not been feeling very well. Between an abscess tooth and coming down with a cold I haven’t felt like doing much. Looking at a computer screen for a long period of time and actually having to think very much has not been on my list of things to do. Even so, I have ridden Sorry bareback three times in the last five days. Riding her was actually more for my therapy than any training goal, which is why I didn’t even saddle her. She was out in the pasture grazing with the herd where I walked up to scratch her for a while. I listened to her chew the dried blades of grass before I put the halter on. Then I rode her casually around the other eight horses.

It felt so good to have her body moving in such a relaxed manner beneath me. I would like to think her nice relaxation and rhythm was due to the previous work we have been doing together. But the truth is, you just never know for sure. I try not to take too much credit for how great a horse is acting, because about the time I do they do something to humble me. Anyway she felt good three days in a row, and I am thankful I was a part of it with her.

At first I didn’t really care where we went. I just needed to be on my horse being a part of her. There is no better way to feel that connection than riding bareback without a super strong agenda. I felt our spines meeting as if they were intertwined in a more powerful way than when riding in the saddle. It wasn’t long and I forgot about how rotten I was feeling. A horse can do that for you. There is something about them which can heal and touch your inside. Then the outside world somehow looks better.

I began to amaze at how clearly I could sense when she was going to move, which direction, and even what foot she was going to step with first. I could feel when she initiated a movement with her hindquarters. I could feel when she raised her back and the base of her neck. When I am in training mode, I focus hard to feel for these things and it sometimes seems difficult. As I thought about this I realized I must be trying too hard. Because this time I really wasn’t trying, it just came naturally as if I was joining her in what she was already about to do.

This gave me the next idea to play around with. Could she join me in what I was about to do with only a suggestive hint of a cue? In other words; how little could I do before she felt it and responded appropriately? I have always talked about how sensitive this horse is. Now she is giving me a new picture about just how sensitive she is. I knew it was there all along. Perhaps before this I wasn’t in a place where I could really sense it in the meaningful way or depth that I was able to these past few days. Then to be able to use it more effectively, that was just icing on the cake.

As I rode from one poop pile to another, or around a grazing horse, I experimented with keeping Sorry perfectly between my legs. It almost surprised me that all I had to do to keep her on the perfect straight line, or circle whichever I had in mind was very slightly adjust my seat and leg position. And I do mean slight. Maybe it was what we would call a soft whisper. A very small adjustment in the weight of my seat bones and my pant leg barely brushing the ends of the hair on her sides really was enough to direct her back on the path I had in mind for us, whenever she veered off course. Pretty soon she wasn’t veering off on her own paths. She was joining me in my plans, going where I was going and doing exactly what I was doing. It was as if we knew what the other was going to do before we did it. It seemed we both wanted to go in the same manner together as if we couldn’t do it any other way.

While pondering how Sorry and I joined together in our direction and purpose I was reminded of how Jesus watched to see where the Father was at work and joined Him. As I have searched to learn how to know and do the will of God, I can find no better model than Jesus.

John 5:17, 19-20 says, “17 My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.
19 I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.

When we ask God, “What is your will for my life?” could we be asking the wrong question? I have noticed that in horsemanship when I ask the horse the wrong question I usually get the wrong answer. So when my horse gives me the wrong answer, I always check to see if I have asked the right question before I pursue the answer from the horse again. When I apply this principle to my spiritual life I may need to change the question to, ” What is God’s will?”

Once I know God’s will then I can adjust my life to Him. In other words; what is it that God is purposing where I am? Once I know what God is doing, then I know what I need to do. The focus needs to be on God, not me. In the same way, I focused on Sorry, not me. When I did this I was able to feel of her in a way I had not experienced before. I was able to join her in her movement and then she was also able to join me in the directions I chose with a new sensitivity and willingness. Of course, this sensitivity has been there all along, it was me who needed to discover it. It was me who need to make the changes. It was me who needed to quit yelling and start whispering.

The lessons Sorry taught me this week while riding her bareback are:
1. Watch to see where God is moving and join Him.
2. God is always at work around me.
3. Once I know where He is working I can adjust my life to join Him in what He is doing.
4. When I join God in where He is working and what He is already doing the things I do will be more effective and lasting.
5. Stay on God’s path, don’t veer off his course. Because apart from Him I can do nothing.

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Above pic by Julie Williams

Perseverance

The perfect blue sky with only a wisp of a jet trail slowly disappearing over the tops of the leafless trees surrounding my round pen inspired me to persevere. It seemed to be holding on to the stillness. There was no wind to disperse the white tail quickly, so the jet stream continued making its signature across the otherwise clear sky. It was such a beautiful Christmas afternoon. I could hardly believe it was a winter day in the Sandhills of central Nebraska. I remember a couple of years ago when the snow-covered my entire back door and I fell through drifts of snow up to my chest as I struggled to the corn crib to bring in the corn to heat our house. I carried what seemed like hundreds of five gallon buckets of water to the horses in the barn. I kept busy scooping and re-scooping paths from the house to the barn, the barn to the poop pile, and the barn to the water spicket because the wind would fill each path back up as quickly as I cleared them. I endured simply out of necessity in order to complete everyday chores that were mostly up to me because Keith was gone all the time clearing the roads as the snow, wind, and cold hung on with what seemed a vengeance. But not this year. My round pen was completely dry. I only wore a sweater and a vest. The usual big winter packer boots, wool socks, Carhart coat with vest, insulated riding pants, neck scarf and fuzzy fur hat were all still in the closet today. My regular cowboy hat and boots were more than enough to keep me comfortable. I even left my gloves in the barn when I was saddling Sorry. This is my kind of weather.

I started out today with liberty “stick to me” game. For those of you who don’t know what this is, I will give a brief explanation, as I have some people now reading my blog who would not consider themselves horsemen. I take the halter off and the horse synchronizes with me. If I walk she stays right at my side, mirroring my every move, like dancers. If I trot she also does. If I stop or back up she stays right in step with me. Well you get the idea. This is fun and it goes just as planned. Sorry makes me proud to be with her. As I finish this activity and we are just hanging out together, I start to make a plan in my head for the rest of our time together. I pray, “Lord teach me what I need to learn today, and help me be the kind of partner and leader Sorry needs.” When I left the house earlier my intention was to spend about four hours with two horses. Two hours with Sorry and two with DJ. But oh, how often things don’t go as planned.

No matter what great plan I have come up with I try to remember that my plans must always remain flexible. I have learned horses don’t always fit into my perfect little agendas, fulfilling my every wish.  As I think about it, neither do most humans, or as for that matter even God may sometimes look at my aspirations with a question; saying “Really? Are you sure that is what you desire?” Thankfully I am discovering that His plans are always better than mine.

Oh no, I am so sorry. I got side-tracked a little. Hopefully this blog won’t go on too long. I will try to get to the point. Back to my plans. They were quite simple for the day: think about the lessons we have been working on our last few rides and refine them. Then take the same ideas adding a little more speed to them when ready. If you didn’t read the last three blogs, here is a little reminder about the major concepts we covered.

1.  Be Still (Find a quietness, a peace, a stillness, a relaxation in both the horse and myself. Be Still and Know God.)
2. Wait (Wait for the horse to find the right answer. Listen to her and give her a wait time where we do nothing as a reward. Wait on the Lord for answers. Trust His control. Do some listening while waiting. Patience is a virtue)
3. Alone (A solitary place alone with your horse is relationship building time and often the best things happen then. Get closer to God through an alone time with him which may include a quiet stillness, waiting, listening, trusting and praying)
4. Now for todays lesson Persevere; which we actually touched on in the previous blog “Alone” where I shared how Jesus prayed alone and long. In fact, he stayed all night long. Now that is perseverance. I am also reminded of when Jesus was in the garden praying before His crucifixion and the disciples kept falling asleep, when he had asked them to keep watch and pray. But they couldn’t do it.

By now you are probably wondering what happened during my ride on Sorry that led me to the topic of perseverance? It had to be more than a white jet stream trying to continue painting it’s picture on the blue canvas above. I will try to keep this as short as possible but it could become quite lengthy. So stick with me like Sorry did in the “stick to me game”. After synchronizing with Sorry, I did some regular round pen work at liberty with her which went very well. Her draw to me was much better than it was the other day, so I didn’t over do it.  I felt happy that we were making fine progress and moved on.

After mounting I still sensed a little defensiveness in the head when I picked up the reins so we played around with that until I was satisfied that we were making a better connection. Or so I thought at the time. Something would come out later that would show me the error of my assumption. I was very pleased with the way she was moving off my leg without using the reins in order to step her hindquarters over. I thought everything was quite good enough for the plan of the day, which if you remember included refining then speeding things up a bit.

As I asked Sorry to trot on the rail, she was fine until we came to the side of the pen where the snow had been the last few days causing it to be slippery. As you recall, I had allowed her to cut or drop in on that side of the pen, because I couldn’t blame her for protecting herself by being careful to avoid this slippery area where she could easily lose her footing and fall. But don’t you know that habits form quickly in horses. In fact they are very good at learning patterns. Show them something they understand about three times and they have got it whether you wanted them to or not. Which is why we can inadvertently teach our horses bad habits without even knowing it.

Anyway, as I said at the beginning the round pen was completely dry today. So I bet you can see where I am going with this. Every time we got to that side of the pen, no matter what direction we were going, Sorry dropped her shoulder and ducked into the middle of the pen as had become the habit the last few days. Not acceptable to me at this stage of her development or maybe any stage of a horse’s development. Why would we want to put something in there that we will have to take out later?

I was not mad at Sorry, as I am the one who had allowed this habit to develop over the last few days. So it was my job to help her realize that now that it was dry we could safely trot through that area. As soon as I asked her to stay straight on that part of the circle she raised her head and braced in self-defense. She moved off my leg fine, but I had to really hold without bracing my own hands to wait for her to soften not just her head but her whole body. At first she thought the answer to my holding was to go even faster. Again, I stayed calm, and still, waiting with all the gentle firmness that I could find in myself. A few times I resorted to a smaller circle within the circle until her body began to soften in the bend and the crookedness left. I tell you it took some polite, patient, passive, perseverance in the proper position to finally convince her my idea was a good one.

I did not drill her at a trot this whole time. I interspersed trotting with walking, and standing. I used flexing both lateral and vertical to relax her muscles and mind. I refined and refined, talking to the hind legs and moving the front shoulders over without loosing forward impulsion. We were finally moving past the dreaded area of the pen with rhythm and relaxation, when lo and behold a new area became the place to avoid. My barn cats were hunting in the trees next to the round pen. Sorry decided they were hunting her. So we worked through all the brace and self-preservation behaviors again in that area of the pen. Everything means something. Thankfully it didn’t take as long this time to convince her we didn’t have to change our movement or state of mind in that section of our world within the round pen.

Nearly four hours later I think I had gained her trust and leadership, at least for the moment. I sat quietly in the stillness on Sorry. The white jet stream had given up. It had disappeared from the clear blue sky. Dusk was falling over the trees, but a new sense of contentment arose in me and floated to the heavens, as I thanked my horse and my God for the great lesson in perseverance. Without loosing my cool or becoming unfair with Sorry I had worked through some issues that I didn’t even know I had caused.

I teach a bible study every Thur. It stretches me and keeps me accountable each week to search the scriptures for truths. For the last couple of weeks I have been wrestling with God about some theology that I am somewhat confused about. I have been persisting many more hours than my normal amount of time in study. I will not let go of God until I know His truth on this matter. I will be alone with him in a still place, waiting, listening, trusting, and praying with diligent study of the scriptures until I find the answers to my questions on this topic. I am not ready to share about it yet. When I am confident that God has guided me into all truth about it and I am able to explain it clearly more than likely it will appear one day on this blog. But in the mean time I encourage all of you to do the same. Persevere in faith, in prayer and doing good.

Perseverance is enduring in a course of action or belief. In its negative sense, it can mean being stubborn; in its positive sense, it means a continuing commitment.

Are you continually committed to be the best horseman you can be for your horse?

Are you continually committed to do the best thing for your horse, even if it means changing your plans?

Are you continually committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, to understanding his truths, to following His perfect leadership as the Master Trainer?

Here are a couple of scriptures for you to help you meditate upon perseverance.

Colossians 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

1 Thess. 5:15-18  ¹⁵Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

A very wonderful Christmas Day is ending as I finish this blog. The next time I write to you I will be wishing you a Happy New Year.

Good night all,

Sherry

PS: AHHH! Congratulations, you have Persevered to the end of this long blog entry. Well done!

Alone

I don’t believe I will ever grow tired of the solitude of a calm cool winter day spent with one of my horses. I much prefer temperatures in the 40′s rather than the 90′s even though when I settled into the seat of the saddle today the skin on my bottom said, ” Oh, my that gave me goose bumps.” The leather slowly warmed up as I sat quietly on Sorry enjoying the new stillness we have found together. As I waited, I prayed, “What would you like to teach us today, Lord?”

I was very thankful to feel well enough to be out riding again today after a couple of days off due to a very painful tooth abscess. After not eating much for 24 hours, staying in bed for nearly 36 hours, some strong pain pills and antibiotics I feel like functioning again. I won’t be able to see the dentist in Grand Island recommended by my local dentist until Dec. 30th. As long as the antibiotics keep working until then I think I will be fine.

As I was thinking how thankful I was to not be in so much pain I was reminded that earlier this fall Sorry also had some painful tooth issues. She started shaking her head and keeping one eye shut. At first I thought it was something in her eye, because we had been busting through some big brush and trees looking for new trails. I took her to the vet, he said “there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her eye.”  A couple of weeks later I knew something was going on, she was pretty good as long as I was riding in a halter. So I suspected it was a tooth problem. I took her to another vet requesting a look at her teeth. After floating her teeth she was a new horse.  Well almost so.

I noticed that as I began to ask her for lateral flexion she was a little defensive. I mean, she put her head where I wanted it and quite quickly, but there was a twinge of resistance as if to avoid pain before she responded appropriately. I realized that she was just protecting herself from the remembrance of pain in her mouth she had been experiencing earlier this fall. I had a new sense of empathy for her after my own painful experience the last couple of days. So I decided to focus on making sure she understood that when I asked her with the reins to laterally bend it would not result in pain, and that she could respond without trying to protect herself.

In between each request I allowed her to walk around the round pen on a completely loose rein as a means of reward and relaxation. When I felt that she was realizing there was no pain involved, I activated the rein after the bend waiting for her to move her outside hind foot. At first there was some defensive behavior again. So I mixed it up by sometimes asking for the outside hind to step over with just my seat and air pressure from my foot not using any rein. She liked this and actually did better than she did with the rein cue. So I worked to help her be equally responsive to the rein cue alone, or the seat and leg cue without any rein. By the time I combined the two (rein with seat and leg cue) she was feeling real good. In fact, when I went to dismount today, she was able to remain in that still place without getting excited about ending our session and heading back to the barn. It was definitely a very peaceful time well spent together.

That is all we did today, and I know it doesn’t seem like much. But I think it was very important and quite necessary, because I have mainly been riding her on trail rides this fall with clients and sort of ignoring the advancement of her training. It can be easy to ignore things your horse is trying to tell you when your main goal is to just get from point A to B and have fun while doing it. Now don’t get me wrong I am into riding for fun as much as anyone else. However, I realized today that being alone with my horse in a very non-demanding environment where I could truly listen to her without any other distractions was very valuable to our relationship. As I take the time alone with Sorry to fix these issues I know that our next trail ride will be even more enjoyable, because it will be better for her too, not just for me.

As I was thinking about the time alone I have spent with Sorry the last few days I realize how precious it has been. Don’t get me wrong, I love riding with friends and clients. I enjoy riding in clinics to teach and learn. It doesn’t matter whether I am the instructor or participant in a clinic I always learn many things about myself and my horse. In fact that is why I am riding Sorry so much right now, because I recently sent in my deposit to ride with Buck Brannamen again this year in Kiowa CO Labor Day weekend. Last March I rode Sorry in one of his clinics in Fremont, NE. I want to be sure that if he recognizes us in Sept. he will be able to say, “Wow, you two have made a lot of progress since I last saw you.”

My point is this; riding with friends for entertainment, in a show or competition for the challenge, or with an instructor in a private lesson or a clinic as a means of progressing is great, and they all have their purpose. However, without some quality time alone with your horse with stillness to listen and a willingness to wait your progress may not be as great as you desire or expect. I actually look forward to solitude with my horses where there is no one to converse with but God and my horse.

In the same manner without spending time alone with God where we can still our mind into a position of listening and a willingness to wait on the Lord our progress as a Christian who reflects Christ in our everyday lives may be hindered. Jesus gave us a perfect example of this in Matthew 12:23 ”After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone.”

Jesus was alone; he went apart into a solitary place, and was there all alone. Though he had so much work to do with others, yet he chose sometimes to be alone, to set us an example. A follower of  Christ does not mind being alone; they can enjoy themselves in solitude, when they have none else to converse with, none else to enjoy, but God and their own hearts.

When Jesus was alone he prayed. Though Christ, as God, was Lord of all, and was prayed to, yet Christ, as Man, had the form of a servant, and He prayed. Christ has set before us an example of secret prayer, and the performance of it secretly, according to the rule he gave in Matthew 6:6 “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

The time Jesus spent alone was long. Even though it was a stormy night, he continued in prayer all night long. It is good, at least sometimes, upon special occasions, and when we find our hearts enlarged, to continue long in secret prayer, and to take full scope in pouring out our hearts before the Lord. We must not cut short our time alone with God.

Even though it is important to fellowship with other believers in church, bible studies, etc. the time we spend alone with God in prayer must never be ignored because that is how we build a relationship with Him. In the same way the time we spend alone with our horse is really when the things that matter most often happen. There is nothing that can replace that time alone with our horse or with our God that can take us to that next level.

I hope you can find the time to be still, listen and wait alone with your horse and with God before the New Year begins. It will ensure that you will be off to a great start in 2012.

Sherry

Waiting

• Psalm 27:14: Wait for the LORD;  be strong and take heart  and wait for the LORD.

It was a little chillier today, but another unusually warm day for the end of Dec. As I walked to the round pen with Sorry at my side a helicopter flew right over head breaking the silence of the stillness of the day. I stopped for a moment and watched it fly over. The first of many periods of waiting Sorry and I would experience together during our two-hour session.  As I began to walk again, Sorry hesitated for a moment as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to leave the herd. But it only took a little kiss noise with my mouth to encourage her to follow me.

Once in the round pen I took the halter off again, but this time instead of invisible line driving, I stayed in the middle of the round pen suggesting the direction and speed she moved forward.  I played with some up and down transitions using only my breath and life. Could I influence her without breaking either one of our bubbles? She was very willing. So I focused a little more on her draw since it can use some work. It is easy to get her to turn and face, but she doesn’t always come toward me as well as I wish she did. Whenever her draw to me was strong I spent a lot of time just waiting at her side experimenting with that stillness we both had experienced on Sun. She was definitely more relaxed and with me today. She didn’t seem to have a case of the druthers this time. She used more of the pen with freedom except for the side that still had some snow which was slightly slick. Can’t hardly blame her for that, so I overlooked it.

When I mounted she stood at ease, and I examined our energy to be sure we had the true stillness we had discovered in our last session. It felt pretty good. So we waited. Before I asked her to move I asked for some lateral flexion on both sides. I was particular about her position, how I asked and when I released. And then we waited. If she gave me any resistance, I waited.

This time when I moved her forward I was very pleased with the straightness, attitude and the amount of energy she gave me compared to how it had been during our last ride. I played with some freestyle transitions, (no rein contact). I felt we were off to a very good session, so we waited some more.

Most days this waiting for the horse to lick and chew, catch her wind, and relax is quite easy for me. However, waiting today was more challenging because my hands and feet were chilly and by the time we were finished they were starting to get numb. It was pretty warm when I left the house,  but as the sun went behind the trees by the round pen the temperature began to drop quickly. If I had worn warmer gloves and my winter boots it would not have been an issue and my patience would not have been so short. At least that is the theory. Have you ever noticed that it is a lot harder to wait when you are uncomfortable? A couple of times I thought, “Are you ever going to relax?” though I am sure it was less than a minute.

Even though I was getting cold I wanted to play around with some soft feel in vertical flexion. Again it was a game of waiting. Present the feel and wait for the correct response. Reward the try, then wait before asking again, thus giving her an opportunity to think about what had just happened. Now this isn’t the first time we have done this. So how was this time different? I was very intentional not only about the kind of feel and response we were offering one another, but I was  more conscious than ever about allowing that stillness to stay in both of us even though we were moving. I noticed that when the sense of stillness was present that the amount of time from when the feel was presented to getting the desired response was much shorter. In other words I didn’t have to wait as long for my horse to get with me, and she even started to stay with me longer. But when either one of us lost the quietness it took longer to get the correct response.

The moment I took my right foot out of the right stirrup in order to prepare for dismounting I felt the life and energy come up in Sorry. We lost that sense of stillness. So guess what I did? Yep! I waited. I know she was just feeling an excitement about going back to the herd and the barn for her grain. But even though I was getting pretty cold by now and I was as excited about going back as she was I disciplined myself to be still and wait. I knew that getting in a hurry for any reason would only set us back. So I chose to wait even though it was uncomfortable. Keith was already home from work, so I knew it had to be passed 5:00.

What does all of this waiting mean? And how can we apply it to our spiritual lives? I can think of a lot of ways. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Here are some scriptures about waiting for you to meditate upon.

• Hebrews 6-15: And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
• Romans 8:25: But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
• Hosea 12:6: But you must return to your God;  maintain love and justice,  and wait for your God always
• Lamentations 3:26: it is good to wait quietly  for the salvation of the LORD
• Isaiah 30:18: Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;  therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for him!
• Proverbs 8:34: Blessed are those who listen to me,  watching daily at my doors,  waiting at my doorway.
• Psalm 37:7: Be still before the LORD  and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways,  when they carry out their wicked schemes

I think waiting on the Lord or your horse isn’t an easy task for most people, especailly when it is uncomfortable. We certainly do live in an instant society, where we not only want it now, but we expect everything right now! My hubby gave me a new laptop for Christmas and boy is it fast compared to my old antique desk top. In just a few days I am already getting spoiled. It didn’t used to bother me to have to wait minutes for something, not now by golly, if I have to wait a second or two I am thinking, “What is wrong with this stupid thing?”

When in the round pen try to get on horse time, which will include some waiting. When you ask God for something don’t be surprised if he asks you to wait sometimes. After all he is the Master Trainer and knows best. Trust Him. Plus don’t you think he is waiting on us sometimes? I sure am glad he is long-suffering. Oh what a patient God we serve.

As you go about your work and celebrating the birth of Christ this week, I encourage you to slow down a little. Stop rushing. Allow yourself to be still and wait on the Lord. I am positive he will bless you when you do. Isn’t that what Advent is all about? (Preparing and waiting for the Lord’s coming.) Don’t forget he is coming again. Amen.

Sherry

Be Still

Here it is the 4th week of Advent and it was over 50 degrees outside today with no wind, perfectly clear blue skies, and only a little snow and mud in my round pen. There was no way I was staying inside today after church. In fact the last few days have been extraordinary, so I have been out playing with my horses every afternoon even though I am still pampering a sprained wrist that isn’t totally healed, as a result of getting bucked off DJ the day after Thanksgiving. I’ll save that story for another blog entry.

I have been so busy since the first week of Nov. preparing for Christmas Day. I wanted to be a part of the local community festivities this year, so between that, preparing everything on the home front that pertains to a Merry Christmas season plus the normal every day life activities there has not been a dull moment around here. With all the activities it can be easy to leave out a quiet time with God.

The last couple of days I have been focusing on my horse, Sorry. She is very much like me, which may be why I relate to her so well. She is a ball full of energy, a little strong-willed yet sensitive, and she has amazing perseverance. No matter how many hard miles I have put on that horse in a day, she never quits. I have never worn her completely out. She has a good work ethic and is driven to perform. I recently took her to the vet to get her teeth floated. The vet had to give her an extra tranquilizer because she was mouthing the clamp so much. She wasn’t being naughty, just staying busy. She asked me, “Is this horse always this full of life and tightly wound?” I told her she was a hot horse, but I liked that in her. Even though her energy is very high she is quite controllable and for the most part very obedient even when she is nervous. I swear that little pony will go anywhere I point her, despite her fears, however you better be ready to ride. I love her exuberance and never want to quench it. But as I began thinking about our conversation, I realized it might not be a bad idea to start exploring a sense of quietness in both Sorry and myself.

We went to the round pen today. First a little liberty work from the ground. Mostly invisible line driving with lots of join up, and just hanging out together. Then I rode with the rope halter.  I put the reins over the saddle horn with full intention of not touching them for the whole two-hour ride, and I was able to accomplish this. My goal was to see how little it could take to ask her to go and whoa. In the beginning it did not matter to me which direction we went, what part of the pen we were in, or how fast we went. The main thing was that I matched her every move with harmony in my body so there would be no resistance between us. I paid attention to the smallest detail, even my breath. Did I feel good to her? Was she beginning to realize the best deal was for us to move and breathe together? Did she understand I was not demanding she perform to the best of her abilities, instead just move as fluidly as she would if I were not on her back?

She seemed happy with being the one who was in control. When I felt her gaits smoothing out with relaxation and rhythm I let her rest while petting her neck. Next I began to ask her to harmonize more with me. Stopping and going the direction I indicated with only my seat was easy for her and she was quite agreeable. However, she had a bit of an attitude about going forward with straightness from the stand still. She definitely had the druthers for the side of the pen closest to the barn. (druthers: I’d ruther be over there with my buddies) So consequently she expressed her opinion quite clearly with her ears and tail. Apparently I didn’t realize this was an issue when I was riding in contact with the reins. I do suppose I believed I was supporting her with the reins. But after this discovery, perhaps I was doing more than she actually needed. I imagine I have been holding her too much, trying to prevent her from making a mistake. Thus letting her know when she is wrong rather than allowing her to find when she is right.

Without touching the reins, I remained quiet and consistent, asking as softly as possible for the right answer and rewarding her when she found it. It didn’t take long and she was beginning to harmonize with me. She even began to stretch relax and blow as she found the sweet spot. After repeating this several times I knew we had arrived at the place to quit on the good note.

When I felt that spot I let my breath out and allowed myself to be still. I mean truly still. No agenda in my head. No judgement about what had just happened. Just a stillness in my heart, head, and body which let the moment be that which it was. There was not a breeze or sound to be heard as I sat on this talented horse. For the first time we were both together and perfectly still. Oh we have stood still where our feet were not moving plenty of times. But I promise you, we were both still moving in our heads even though our bodies were no longer in motion. We were planning the next move; striving to move forward; be better; find the next challenge; or just plain staying busy because the energy was burning deep within us. As I sat there on Sorry, I finally understood what it means to, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Psalm 46:10 NIV

¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

There are times to speak up and take action–but sometimes it’s important to just humbly sit back and silently reflect on God’s presence. This psalm encourages us to take time to meditate quietly in the assurance that God is in control.

As I stepped off Sorry, I felt God’s presence. I stood for a little while soaking it all in; the silence, the stillness, the awesome wonder of what my horses teach me about a powerful yet merciful God. When I got back to the barn I enjoyed listening to Sorry eat her grain. The thought crossed my mind to catch another horse, but somehow I just couldn’t take a chance in spoiling this very precious moment. So I opted to turn the whole herd out to the pasture. I followed them out; found a spot on the sunny side of a hill; stretched out on the slightly damp and cold ground where there were no sandburrs; watched the horses quietly grazing; enjoyed the stillness of a unusually warm December Sunday, as I quieted my mind in worship to God almighty and listened for that still small voice.

Have you found a place of stillness in the business of the holiday season to know God, to listen to His voice, and give Him the praise and honor due His Holy Name? If you haven’t, I encourage you to find a round pen, a quiet spot in the pasture with your horses, or any other suitable spot to have a moment with God where you can truly be still and know Him.

If you gleaned something else about your spiritual life from his article, I would love to hear your thoughts. If you have questions or comments about the horsemanship principles or ideas I presented in this article please e-mail me privately. I would like to keep this blog focusing on what we are learning about God from our horses. I have a yahoo chat group that you may join where we focus on and discuss training techniques.

Merry Christmas,

Sherry

PS: Above Pic of Sorry and Sherry by Julie Williams