Hope Givers Grace Message

  Horses and People….

It has become more and more clear to me why people like to use horses to work cattle. There are obvious reasons like the fact that on foot cows can easily out maneuver us but with a good horse we have the advantage back on our side. However; I think the reason we like it so much goes much deeper. I don't believe most people are aware of the reason either.  For the past few months I have been holding classes on working a flag to prepare for working live cattle. It has been through observation of people and horses often both out of their comfort zone that I am learning why we do what we do. I believe these horses often provide a mirror for us to explain our reactions in our own lives.
   When a horse is working a flag for the first time they can become very emotional. They lose their confidence and become insecure. The manifestation of these insecurities is where we see ourselves and I think one of the reasons we relate to these animals so well.
      One observation I have noticed is that when a horse is standing still and the flag moves it almost always startles the horse and they will jump or squat and some of them want to run away from it. This is an outward expression of the battle that is taking place between the horses ears. In reality that flag is no threat at all to the horse. How the horse perceives it is causing him to react to it.  However; if the horse is in motion when the flag moves they seem to handle it much better. Another observation has been that if the flag is going away from the horse he gains confidence but when the flag is moving toward the horse they often become very fearful.  So what does this have to do with us? The monsters in our own lives that's what.  We all have insecurities of some sort in relationships, finances, etc... The list is different yet the same for all of us, we all have some sort of mountain to over come in our lives and that is why we can relate to the trials that a horse goes through while being trained to do anything.
    We can learn a lot from these horses. On those days when crawling back into bed seems safer than getting up remember the horse that has his feet moving handles things better than the one not in motion. The one that moved toward his problem was far better in his emotional comfort zone than the one who waited for his problems to come to him.

 So I  Encourage you to get out of bed every morning and get your feet  moving toward your mountain and know that when you believe in the resurrection of Jesus that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. So just as the rider is there to comfort and to add courage to his horse so God is there for us when we believe. His promise to us is the peace that surpasses all understanding in all things.

Hope Is Alive!

Hope Givers Working Ranch

Dennis Cappel