Joining Up
(Reflection - July 1999)
Several months ago, I attended a demonstration in horsemanship which has become a valuable tool in my knowledge of horses.
The instructor’s name is Monty Roberts who is touted as a horse whisperer. Based on his experiences, he has written an intriguing book about the language of Equus called The Man Who Listens to Horses. As a young boy he grew up with horses on a ranch. His father, a much respected horseman, had some very harsh ideas about how to break horses. In time, Monty came to realize horses speak a language that would help him peacefully to work them.
To observe Monty joining up with a horse is truly inspiring. He stands in the middle of a 50-foot pen as an untrained horse is sent in. Within minutes the horse is urged to run out and away from Monty. He gently encourages the animal to run away until the creature begins to realize it wants to be a part of Monty’s world. The horse indicates this with a series of signals Monty observed while studying a herd of wild horses.
When a horse requests reinstatement into a herd, it does three things: It turns its inside ear toward the one from whom it requests pity; it begins to smack its lips saying "I only eat herbs, I’m no danger to you" and it drops its head in submission. At this point, Monty gently turns his shoulder toward the horse which happily walks to him. Then Monty bridles, saddles and rides this horse without argument.
Our Heavenly Father stands in the middle of our world with a plan whereby we can be at one with Him. We need to incline our ear toward His word and indicate to Him that our hunger is only for those things that are right. As the horse does, we need to drop our heads as a sign of submission and ask for forgiveness. We must accept the bit as a part of a healthy relationship with our Lord. It would be pleasing to God if we would happily walk toward Him and accept His understanding of us.
Margot Cuppett