The First Canter…

Isn’t it fun to watch a new born foal? In a normal birth the foal comes into this world, wet with the means of his former world which was inside of his mother.  He comes out shaking the birth water off of his eyes and out of his ears and usually within a few minutes his mother is licked him dry and he is attempting to stand on his wobbling legs.  He might stager or even fall a time or two but most of the time within an hour they are up sucking and on the move.

It is not unusual for a new born foal to be loping circles around his mother within the first few hours of his life.  They seem to move effortlessly with their little feet softly floating on top of the ground.  They are almost always on the correct lead and most of them can change leads effortlessly.  It is fun to watch.

So what happened from birth to when we ask for the first canter under saddle when they are 2 or so? Did they forget how to canter? Why does there seem to be so much resistance? 

Just like us humans it seems that when we have to do something someone else wants us to do we have internal resistance to the suggestions of others.  I believe this is partially the cause for the seeming amnesia the colts see to acquire when we ask them to canter for the first time when we are on their back.  That coupled with the physical challenges of the additional weight of a saddle and rider plus the lack of understanding from our legs and hands at first often creates confusion, and if not handled properly can cause numerous emotional responses to our suggestion from frustration to anger.  Fear is another common emotional response.

For the good hand who understands what the colt is experiencing the emotional reaction is not the issue at all. In fact the good hand is always preparing for the next ride.  Horsemen with furutre rides are always on watch for the slightest try from their colts so they can reward it with the peace that comes from the colts discovering of the right thing.

This peace becomes the colts way of escaping the pressures of the world and it builds his confidence in his rider and when the feel is experienced by the colt consistently, a return of his memory on how to canter shows up!

For the rider with limited understanding of this feel they usually get evolved in the negative emotional response and punish the animal for having them.  Thus making an issue of the emotion. When the emotion becomes the focus point it will usually get worse and can trigger often unwanted issues to surface and can even give a lot of really good horses a bad reputation and all because of a lack of understanding from their riders. 

I am so thankful that when it comes to God and his dealing with us that he understands us far better than we understand ourselves.  He assures us that once he starts a good work in us he will take it to completion.  He tells us that we can do all things through Christ that gives us the strength and that he will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory and he promise if we come to Him we will find rest and that no matter what we are going through we will can have His peace that surpasses our understanding.  Now, that will give you the confidence to try his suggestions, they will always come with peace not confusion.   

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. 7; And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Dennis Cappel

Hope Givers Working Ranch