The even to which I am about to refer occurred last Thursday. I have been having problems with my internet connection so I couldn't post it earlier.
In the world of horesback riding and training there is much ado about desensitizing or bombproofing (no such thing really) your horse. Well, recently I have been using my official Dennis Reis approved XXX soft 45' lariat around the horses, twirling it, throwing out in front, even trying to rope various objects from horseback. In order to keep it handy, I had it attached to my saddle horn with a leather thong, and the coils kept with a velcro strip. I thought it was sufficiently attached. Here I had been riding Raven a taking her through her paces, moving her hips over, moving her shoulders over, doing turns on the forehand and hindquarters, 1/2 passing and side passing. We doing great. So I thought it time to work on loping 60' circles trying to keep her soft and collected. I was also working on lead changes so I was doing some figure 8's at a lope. Everything was going smoothly. I was having a blast, when suddenly I felt a soft thud against my right foot. I thought it was a stick that had been thrown up by her right front foot so I kept loping. However, when I glanced down at my foot I noticed that my lariat was gone so I shot a backward glance and there it was, my lariat like a snake all strung out chasing my horse like a blue racer might when it gets aggressive. I slid to a stop and looked over Raven to see how the rope was played out. It was loosely wrapped around her right hind foot and up over her right hip. I thought it might be under her tail, which she wouldn't have liked (though I have worked that out of her in the past), but it wasn't. I still felt the rope around my foot too. I briefly thought to myself, this could get a little ugly, so I slowly reached down and tugged on the rope and it pulled free from my foot. I let it drop to the ground, as I couldn't coil it up yet with it still being wrapped around her hind foot. I backed her out of the coils and coiled up the rope and then thanked her for being so calm. I also thanked God, because this could have been a bad wreck.
Now, I bring all this up because I want to share something about prior training. You see it was prior training that kept Raven calm and me safe. Not to say that it will always be that way, for sure. However, Ove the last two years of steady almost consistent training it paid off in her trusting me in a normally sticky situation. She has had lots of practice at trusting me in situations that were scary for her.
I think of the time the disciples were in the boat rowing across the sea of Galilee. Jesus was asleep in the cabin of the boat, the disciples topside doing all they can with their expertise to get across that bowl of a sea. When suddenly a storm came up. Now these seasoned sailors knew the dangers of being caught in the middle of the open sea in that kind of a storm. They most certainly had their own 'perfect storm' stories they talked about in hushed tones. Now they were in the midst of one themselves. Only now they had their trainer with them. Jesus had already taken them through several training sessions, events that proved who He was, various healings, and feedings. Now here they were caught in the storm of a lifetime with Jesus sound asleep. Their prior training should have taught them by now to take their cues about what and how they should think and act from Him. And since He was asleep and was obviously calm, they should have been calm too. They should have been telling themselves in their Gallilean brogue, "no worries, Mate" but instead they panicked. Unlike Raven with the trailing rope, they chose not to trust Jesus. Instead, they reverted to their naval instincts, concluded they would all drown, and decided to wake up Jesus.
Jesus words to them were "Why are you afraid, O ye of little faith." Matthew 8:26
You see, they had plenty of prior training to go on to actually trust in the midst of their fear, but chose to act irrationally instead. Yes, I said irrationally. People are fear flying, but it is actually the safest mode of transportation when compared to automobiles.
But to demonstrate to them once again, that He controlled the events of their lives He calmed the storm they arrived safely on the other side.
Maybe you and I are just like the disciples. We have prior training with Jesus. We live in hard economic times, for example, but I, for one, can look back and know that Jesus has always met my needs. He will always meet my needs. So I am not panicked about the economy. God's in control.
Maybe there is something that has you shaking a bit. You feel like you are out on a limb and someone is cutting it off at the trunk. But take heart, if you know Jesus, choose to trust Him. He just might be the one doing the cutting to see if you will trust Him or panic. Don't think for a minute that Jesus didn't know about the storm that would come up. He just knew it was nothing. His calmness ought to be ours. We should take our cues from Him and if He is panicked with whatever is going on in your life then you shouldn't be either.
When the Jesus was in the garden before His arrest, He told the disciples to pray, but instead they slept. When in the boat in the storm they panicked and prayed when they should have been sleeping along with Jesus. They had it backwards.
Let's learn from this and get it right.
Trust Jesus amid your fear.
God bless
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
pain in the side
Angie, thats funny about madi. We hope to.
Well on with the blog. I am sitting here relatively comfortably. The pain has subsided abit, probly with the help of the vicodin I swigged down earlier. Is it any wonder we have pain? We shouldn't. I am thinking through Job and know that because I live in a similar world (where people are judged by how much they have, not so much by who they are) if he had pain why shouldn't I. Pain is where who we are is often revealed in truth. That adage, 'no pain, no gain' is in a very real sense a truism. Although, usually not a good way to deal with pain. Pain tells us there is something wrong in our bodies so you better get it checked out. Nevertheless, pain, while not sought after, should be accepted as part of God's game plan to rescue us from ourselves. Pain forces me to look outside myself. I thanked God for my pain during my prayer time this morning. And I was in alot of it. The take my breath away kind. I don't say that to swell me up a notch, as super godly. But rather, to highlight the fact that God is in control of my pain. Oh, give me the meds when it is too much, sure. But God has a purpose in it even if it is to show me how frail I am in body, and yet to strengthen me in spirit. I don't want the pain in my ribs to control me. Nor do I want to just 'tough it out.' I want to be able to rise above it, ie. to be able to praise God despite it. I want the pain to do God's intended work in me or you whichever it is for. When a youth wants to build muscle he or she may start exercising muscles that inevitably become sore from the ripping of the muscle cells from each other. But they grow back larger and stronger. Muscle building is nothing more than repeatedly tearing your muscles down and letting them build back up stronger. That creates pain. Thus, the adage, 'no pain no gain.' Now I am not looking for pain. I do want it to go away. But we need to realize that sometimes pain comes so that we will dig deeper in our bodies physically and discover the root cause of it in order to treat the root cause and find healing which then rids us of the pain. So again, 'no pain, no gain.' Ask a leper about that sometime.
In my case the pain is keeping me praying, rejoicing, thinking about God and what He is doing. Knowing that God loves me and that my pain has His fingerprints all over it. So it has reason and purpose, if nothing more than for me to be more compassionate to others who probably are in pain themselves.
Jake has some pain. I am not sure where. I think it is in his right hind hock/ankle. So I have been going easy on him, treating him with horse liniment (as a matter of fact, I have been thinking of applying some to my backribs) and ibuprofen. My own pain makes me feel like not doing alot. Jake might not either. So when I work with a horse, I need to take this into consideration too. It may that the swishing tail, the shaking of the withers might indicate he hurts and would prefer to be left alone. But since he is not Mr. Ed he can't tell me verbally about his pain or where he hurts. I just have to be able to read the signs. Sometimes people are like that too. They might not tell you they are hurting, but pay attention to the signs they show you. Some people, cry (that is a sure sign), get quiet when talking about certain subjects, they may be crotchety or crabby, short tempered, etc.
I also know that where I hurt is usually tender so that if I or someone else pushes on it I move away from it. When I put a leg on the side of a horse they move away from the pressure. At least that is what I want. If I put my leg forward of the girth on the right side I want his shoulder to move left. Or if I put my heel on his right flank behind the girth I want him to move his hip to the left. I create a point of pain, ever so slight, to get him to move in the direction of the pressure.
Now think about this, much of the time people who have pain in their lives through abuse, or violence, or something like that, turn away from God. But what if God is on our left side and reaching around with His hand to our right side and pushing with His all powerful index finger into our ribs to push us to the left, right under His arm, wanting us to move closer to Him? I read about a bird, don't ask me where or what kind, cause I don't remember, who was almost petrified in a forest fire. She was dead, but when the fire fighters found her they moved her wings and low and behold there were her chicks underneath her alive and well. What if one of the chicks would have rejected her warnings and refused the restrictions of living under her wings for that time. That chick would have died. But the one's that lived stayed under her restricting wings. Now need I say more about how God may be using pain in your life? Seek shelter under His wings and there you will safely abide.
No pain no gain? yeah, that's good enough for me.
See Job or Romans 8:28, 29; James 1 and certainly search the Psalms for more on this.
God bless
Well on with the blog. I am sitting here relatively comfortably. The pain has subsided abit, probly with the help of the vicodin I swigged down earlier. Is it any wonder we have pain? We shouldn't. I am thinking through Job and know that because I live in a similar world (where people are judged by how much they have, not so much by who they are) if he had pain why shouldn't I. Pain is where who we are is often revealed in truth. That adage, 'no pain, no gain' is in a very real sense a truism. Although, usually not a good way to deal with pain. Pain tells us there is something wrong in our bodies so you better get it checked out. Nevertheless, pain, while not sought after, should be accepted as part of God's game plan to rescue us from ourselves. Pain forces me to look outside myself. I thanked God for my pain during my prayer time this morning. And I was in alot of it. The take my breath away kind. I don't say that to swell me up a notch, as super godly. But rather, to highlight the fact that God is in control of my pain. Oh, give me the meds when it is too much, sure. But God has a purpose in it even if it is to show me how frail I am in body, and yet to strengthen me in spirit. I don't want the pain in my ribs to control me. Nor do I want to just 'tough it out.' I want to be able to rise above it, ie. to be able to praise God despite it. I want the pain to do God's intended work in me or you whichever it is for. When a youth wants to build muscle he or she may start exercising muscles that inevitably become sore from the ripping of the muscle cells from each other. But they grow back larger and stronger. Muscle building is nothing more than repeatedly tearing your muscles down and letting them build back up stronger. That creates pain. Thus, the adage, 'no pain no gain.' Now I am not looking for pain. I do want it to go away. But we need to realize that sometimes pain comes so that we will dig deeper in our bodies physically and discover the root cause of it in order to treat the root cause and find healing which then rids us of the pain. So again, 'no pain, no gain.' Ask a leper about that sometime.
In my case the pain is keeping me praying, rejoicing, thinking about God and what He is doing. Knowing that God loves me and that my pain has His fingerprints all over it. So it has reason and purpose, if nothing more than for me to be more compassionate to others who probably are in pain themselves.
Jake has some pain. I am not sure where. I think it is in his right hind hock/ankle. So I have been going easy on him, treating him with horse liniment (as a matter of fact, I have been thinking of applying some to my backribs) and ibuprofen. My own pain makes me feel like not doing alot. Jake might not either. So when I work with a horse, I need to take this into consideration too. It may that the swishing tail, the shaking of the withers might indicate he hurts and would prefer to be left alone. But since he is not Mr. Ed he can't tell me verbally about his pain or where he hurts. I just have to be able to read the signs. Sometimes people are like that too. They might not tell you they are hurting, but pay attention to the signs they show you. Some people, cry (that is a sure sign), get quiet when talking about certain subjects, they may be crotchety or crabby, short tempered, etc.
I also know that where I hurt is usually tender so that if I or someone else pushes on it I move away from it. When I put a leg on the side of a horse they move away from the pressure. At least that is what I want. If I put my leg forward of the girth on the right side I want his shoulder to move left. Or if I put my heel on his right flank behind the girth I want him to move his hip to the left. I create a point of pain, ever so slight, to get him to move in the direction of the pressure.
Now think about this, much of the time people who have pain in their lives through abuse, or violence, or something like that, turn away from God. But what if God is on our left side and reaching around with His hand to our right side and pushing with His all powerful index finger into our ribs to push us to the left, right under His arm, wanting us to move closer to Him? I read about a bird, don't ask me where or what kind, cause I don't remember, who was almost petrified in a forest fire. She was dead, but when the fire fighters found her they moved her wings and low and behold there were her chicks underneath her alive and well. What if one of the chicks would have rejected her warnings and refused the restrictions of living under her wings for that time. That chick would have died. But the one's that lived stayed under her restricting wings. Now need I say more about how God may be using pain in your life? Seek shelter under His wings and there you will safely abide.
No pain no gain? yeah, that's good enough for me.
See Job or Romans 8:28, 29; James 1 and certainly search the Psalms for more on this.
God bless
Friday, June 26, 2009
click
Don't you love when things click in your mind and you finally understand something you had been trying so long to understand? I'm not talking about understanding my wife, mind you. I don't know if that will ever click for me. But I or we get along great, Probably because I let her do what she wants and she lets me do what she wants to. :} How did I get on that? O Yeah, I was talking about things clicking in my mind. Its a wonder to me that I can watch how to supple my horse or get a lead change on a video demonstration or in my horsemanship class and not get it. Not quite understand what is required. But voila I got it yesterday. I had been working on other things and watched someone else demonstrate lead changes. so when I was riding Raven for just a wee bit yesterday, it was hot, I did some suppling exercises and then thought I will try a lead change from a walk. ( a lead refers to the front leg the horse is leading with in a canter. If I am going clockwise I want the horse in a right lead, vice versa for the left lead) I did as demonstrated and worked through some clumsiness on my part and got it. Then moved her up to a trot and did it, she began to move in to the lead I was asking for. Then I thought I am going to try a flying lead change (for those who don't know it is changing the lead of a horse without dropping down to a trot from a canter.) I did this by simply moving my seat and legs to the proper position for the intended lead (which is simply putting my right leg forward and left leg back for a right lead, this also changes my seat) and she went into the correct lead. I was so happy I did this a few more times on a figure eight pattern and then quit while I was ahead. Besides, time was running out and I needed to go do what Sharon wanted since she was home from work.
Bye the way we are starting to learn spanish so if you hear us talking a little wierd you know what we are doing. We have wanted to for a long time, but I just a bought 'Virtual Spanish' and we start today.
Anyway, that's all today.
Hope the light clicks for you.
Bye the way we are starting to learn spanish so if you hear us talking a little wierd you know what we are doing. We have wanted to for a long time, but I just a bought 'Virtual Spanish' and we start today.
Anyway, that's all today.
Hope the light clicks for you.
Friday, June 19, 2009
too salty
I like salt on my food. However, too much salt and it ruins it. I was watching my granddaughter put salt on her potatoes the other day. She really didn't have good control of the shaker or didn't know how much salt was good enough. When she was done her taters looked like a snow capped mountain. She commenced to spreading it around and as I recall she ate the tater. The amount of salt she put would have made me spit out the tater faster than you can aagh!
Now, I realize she is just a kid and will learn that a little salt will do. But sometimes as an adult I too use too much salt.
Take for instance trying to help someone learn something new. I was teaching a person about horsemanship the other day. Now I know that with horses you have to take little steps and get them solid on the little steps before you can move on. For example, giving to pressure from the lead rope. This is so they learn to follow the 'feel' of the pressure in the direction you want them to go whether it is forward, back or sideways. But it has to be done in small doses. Too much will frustrate and confuse them. I had to learn this in my own horsemanship. I found that I wanted too much too soon, like wanting 3 or 4 steps when I was asking for the shoulder to move over rather than being satisfied with one. Eventually, I will want 3 or 4 steps or even a complete 360. But in the beginning it has to be small steps. I guess I have to learn this with people too. as with this person I was teaching the other day. It's like I want to pour as much as I can into the time I have with them, but I forget that most of the time less is more, otherwise it can overwhelm them and confusion and frustration sets in and you end up going backwards rather than forwards. With a horse you can tell this when by their body language, tail swishing, tenseness or stiffness in the neck and shoulders, head flailing. In a person, if they start crying or get angry its a pretty good bet they are on overload. I push too much sometimes thinking that I need to give more information when I really need to pay attention to the small things others tell me. In working with a horse, the lighter the feel that gets the requested response is the best. So if I can get the response I want with an ounce of pressure that is better than having to use a pound of pressure and it is easier for the horse and conducive to a more harmonious outcome. In the beginning though it might take more pressure to get the response you want. But start light, then keep upping the pressure til you get the desired response. Then start backing off the pressure from that point as they latch on to what you want. The same is true of people, as I am learning. It seems to me I am a little on the dense side because I should have known this a long time ago. It's odd that it has taken me working with horses to learn to be gentler with people.
It was actually my cousin Ken who helped me to see what I was doing. In my zeal to help people I pour on too much salt. That is my habit with anything. So I am learning that less is more in thise case. Maybe you are doing the same thing and that is why you are getting frustrated and wondering why things aren't working the way you would like. Try sprinkling less salt next time.
so until next time,
Please pass the salt.
God Bless and happy trails to you.
Now, I realize she is just a kid and will learn that a little salt will do. But sometimes as an adult I too use too much salt.
Take for instance trying to help someone learn something new. I was teaching a person about horsemanship the other day. Now I know that with horses you have to take little steps and get them solid on the little steps before you can move on. For example, giving to pressure from the lead rope. This is so they learn to follow the 'feel' of the pressure in the direction you want them to go whether it is forward, back or sideways. But it has to be done in small doses. Too much will frustrate and confuse them. I had to learn this in my own horsemanship. I found that I wanted too much too soon, like wanting 3 or 4 steps when I was asking for the shoulder to move over rather than being satisfied with one. Eventually, I will want 3 or 4 steps or even a complete 360. But in the beginning it has to be small steps. I guess I have to learn this with people too. as with this person I was teaching the other day. It's like I want to pour as much as I can into the time I have with them, but I forget that most of the time less is more, otherwise it can overwhelm them and confusion and frustration sets in and you end up going backwards rather than forwards. With a horse you can tell this when by their body language, tail swishing, tenseness or stiffness in the neck and shoulders, head flailing. In a person, if they start crying or get angry its a pretty good bet they are on overload. I push too much sometimes thinking that I need to give more information when I really need to pay attention to the small things others tell me. In working with a horse, the lighter the feel that gets the requested response is the best. So if I can get the response I want with an ounce of pressure that is better than having to use a pound of pressure and it is easier for the horse and conducive to a more harmonious outcome. In the beginning though it might take more pressure to get the response you want. But start light, then keep upping the pressure til you get the desired response. Then start backing off the pressure from that point as they latch on to what you want. The same is true of people, as I am learning. It seems to me I am a little on the dense side because I should have known this a long time ago. It's odd that it has taken me working with horses to learn to be gentler with people.
It was actually my cousin Ken who helped me to see what I was doing. In my zeal to help people I pour on too much salt. That is my habit with anything. So I am learning that less is more in thise case. Maybe you are doing the same thing and that is why you are getting frustrated and wondering why things aren't working the way you would like. Try sprinkling less salt next time.
so until next time,
Please pass the salt.
God Bless and happy trails to you.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Repetition
Hi there,
I know its been a long time. But absence makes the heart grow fonder! Right?
I just got in from teaching at the jail. It is so refreshing to me to teach the word to men who have just about lost it all. They often are at the bottom and want to make changes in their lives. There is nothing like teaching people the truth who actually want to hear it and learn from it. There is something about giving someone who is thirsty a glass of water and watching them enjoy it. My day has been a busy one with study this morning then the jail. I have my truck in the shop so still have to go get that tonite if it is ready.
I have been listening and watching a new DVD on installing an operating system on your horse. Well, the thing that really gets me, is that it takes so long. The teacher reminds me that it takes 3-4 hundred reps to teach a cue than another 3-4 thousand to actually to get the horse to be solid at it. In fact, he stated that you can teach a horse a cue this system in 60 - 90 days of 5 days a week training. And then another year for them to actually be solid at it. Of course, that is considering the rider is already solid at what he is teaching. Keeping that in mind with regards to teaching people or horses it is better to give little chunks, as my cousing reminded me, to sprinkle the salt on them rather than pour it on. So it was a good reminder to me to take it slow and easy and not move on til they have the teaching at hand down.
I have been working with Raven as often as I can teaching this system, which she already knows alot about. I started to teach her to kneel on command. My homework is to have her kneel 3x a day both sides everday for several weeks. Yesterday I did this with her in about 1/2 hour. We shall see how long it takes today. Hopefully as I progress, she will be kneeling on command in a few weeks. Now if only I could get Sharon to do the same. Ha! Ha! NOT! It sure didn't take her long to get me to do it when we first met though. She had me at HI!. But that's another matter. Maybe men are easier to train than women. How did I get off on that! Oh well. Back to the repetition thing. It gives us hope to realize that things in our lives don't change in us over night. It takes hundreds if not thousands of repetitions to change our habits of thinking and acting. So don't give up if you don't get it exactly right the first 3 or 4 hundred times you try it. Keep it up. It will come. It just takes time. Another thing is that it takes bite size trys to make it work. So don't try to bite off more than you can chew in changing a wrong pattern of thinking or acting. Just take it one bite at a time. The hard part is keeping it up and being consistent. It's easy to get started with good intentions. But eventually it is going to wear on you and you will want to take it easy. DON'T! Instead, fight through it and then rest. Come back later to it and keep at it. Then in a couple weeks look back and see how far you have come in putting off that temper of yours, or that depression, whatever it may be in your life. I am a different rider because of this process as well as person. And so can you.
God Bless,
Jeff
I know its been a long time. But absence makes the heart grow fonder! Right?
I just got in from teaching at the jail. It is so refreshing to me to teach the word to men who have just about lost it all. They often are at the bottom and want to make changes in their lives. There is nothing like teaching people the truth who actually want to hear it and learn from it. There is something about giving someone who is thirsty a glass of water and watching them enjoy it. My day has been a busy one with study this morning then the jail. I have my truck in the shop so still have to go get that tonite if it is ready.
I have been listening and watching a new DVD on installing an operating system on your horse. Well, the thing that really gets me, is that it takes so long. The teacher reminds me that it takes 3-4 hundred reps to teach a cue than another 3-4 thousand to actually to get the horse to be solid at it. In fact, he stated that you can teach a horse a cue this system in 60 - 90 days of 5 days a week training. And then another year for them to actually be solid at it. Of course, that is considering the rider is already solid at what he is teaching. Keeping that in mind with regards to teaching people or horses it is better to give little chunks, as my cousing reminded me, to sprinkle the salt on them rather than pour it on. So it was a good reminder to me to take it slow and easy and not move on til they have the teaching at hand down.
I have been working with Raven as often as I can teaching this system, which she already knows alot about. I started to teach her to kneel on command. My homework is to have her kneel 3x a day both sides everday for several weeks. Yesterday I did this with her in about 1/2 hour. We shall see how long it takes today. Hopefully as I progress, she will be kneeling on command in a few weeks. Now if only I could get Sharon to do the same. Ha! Ha! NOT! It sure didn't take her long to get me to do it when we first met though. She had me at HI!. But that's another matter. Maybe men are easier to train than women. How did I get off on that! Oh well. Back to the repetition thing. It gives us hope to realize that things in our lives don't change in us over night. It takes hundreds if not thousands of repetitions to change our habits of thinking and acting. So don't give up if you don't get it exactly right the first 3 or 4 hundred times you try it. Keep it up. It will come. It just takes time. Another thing is that it takes bite size trys to make it work. So don't try to bite off more than you can chew in changing a wrong pattern of thinking or acting. Just take it one bite at a time. The hard part is keeping it up and being consistent. It's easy to get started with good intentions. But eventually it is going to wear on you and you will want to take it easy. DON'T! Instead, fight through it and then rest. Come back later to it and keep at it. Then in a couple weeks look back and see how far you have come in putting off that temper of yours, or that depression, whatever it may be in your life. I am a different rider because of this process as well as person. And so can you.
God Bless,
Jeff
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Catching up
Thought I'd catch up with all who care. I have been busy as a bee the last few weeks since returning from vacation. I finally got the water in my basement resolved. We put about 350 feet of drain tiles in so now our basement is back to normal. We just have to wait for everything to dry up and the concrete to cure then we will begin painting and sealing the floor and walls and getting things back on the shelves in the basement.
I also began working with my horses again. And in just a few days of working with them have learned a bunch about my position in the saddle to work through transitions of walk trot canter and whoa! just by using my seat position. There is a fine line that puts you forward or behind the drive line of a horse in terms of their center. Get behind it and the horse moves forward, get in front and the horse slows or stops but there is just a hairs breadth of difference between them. Thus it is like balancing on a wire. This also is done from the ground so that body position is important. Its kind a like when you pull up to a corner in your car and someone is already there. They may have the right of way but signal to you to go. But you are not sure if you should go or not so you just inch along until you are sure then you go. That's like what I am talking about. In order to do what I am talking about it takes alot of focus, paying attention to the horses movements; to your own seat in the saddle as well as posture (leaning forward or back), leg position, whether or not you are over the horses center or leaning left or right. It sounds really complicated but once you get the hang of it, it becomes easy. THen the horse starts to recognize exactly what you are wanting and may even anticipate it. I guess the key words are focus and centered. Focus on what you are asking and how you are asking it so be crystal clear. Centered because you have to be in the right position on the horse or from the ground in relation to the horse to eliminate any static in the communication line. The same is true, I know you know this is coming, spiritually as well. If you want to communicate with God there must be focus on the Lord (He is the one communicating to you). If you want to hear Him you have to focus your attention on Him (like the Israelites in the wilderness watched for the cloud or fire to move off the tabernacle to signal breaking camp and moving, or if they were moving watching for Him to light on the tabernacle to signal stopping and making camp). But you also have to be centered, ie. in right standing with God by faith in Christ. As well as being right with Him on a daily basis by regularly confessing your sin and keeping the communication line clear between you and Him. If you do this you will experience a quality of ride in life that is incredibly rewarding, peaceful, and harmonious. So God bless, stay focused and centered.
I also began working with my horses again. And in just a few days of working with them have learned a bunch about my position in the saddle to work through transitions of walk trot canter and whoa! just by using my seat position. There is a fine line that puts you forward or behind the drive line of a horse in terms of their center. Get behind it and the horse moves forward, get in front and the horse slows or stops but there is just a hairs breadth of difference between them. Thus it is like balancing on a wire. This also is done from the ground so that body position is important. Its kind a like when you pull up to a corner in your car and someone is already there. They may have the right of way but signal to you to go. But you are not sure if you should go or not so you just inch along until you are sure then you go. That's like what I am talking about. In order to do what I am talking about it takes alot of focus, paying attention to the horses movements; to your own seat in the saddle as well as posture (leaning forward or back), leg position, whether or not you are over the horses center or leaning left or right. It sounds really complicated but once you get the hang of it, it becomes easy. THen the horse starts to recognize exactly what you are wanting and may even anticipate it. I guess the key words are focus and centered. Focus on what you are asking and how you are asking it so be crystal clear. Centered because you have to be in the right position on the horse or from the ground in relation to the horse to eliminate any static in the communication line. The same is true, I know you know this is coming, spiritually as well. If you want to communicate with God there must be focus on the Lord (He is the one communicating to you). If you want to hear Him you have to focus your attention on Him (like the Israelites in the wilderness watched for the cloud or fire to move off the tabernacle to signal breaking camp and moving, or if they were moving watching for Him to light on the tabernacle to signal stopping and making camp). But you also have to be centered, ie. in right standing with God by faith in Christ. As well as being right with Him on a daily basis by regularly confessing your sin and keeping the communication line clear between you and Him. If you do this you will experience a quality of ride in life that is incredibly rewarding, peaceful, and harmonious. So God bless, stay focused and centered.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
trip
Well, I'm back home already. Didn't expect so soon, but it is fact.
One morning I went in to get Olivia out of bed and used my horse sense. AS I think I said earlier she really had a hard time hookin' on to me. She would just sit in Grammies lap and eyeball me, watchin' my every move, you know like a horse might. Well, in the morning when I went in to her room to get her. She gave me that same questioning stare and when I moved closer she moved back a step or two and grunted 'uh uh'. So I backed off when I started seeing her move away. Then when I turned to leave, I asked her, (I didn't cluck to her or kiss for her, like I would a horse) if she wanted to get up. That's when it happened, she hooked on to me. We got her diaper changed and out of bed, breakfast and drink and she was in my hand. It took a few more episodes, but she was receptive to me from then on. Though she was in grammies lap alot more.
Josh, later asked me not to start clucking or kissing to her. :}
Reading body language of a horse is crucial to safe riding and training. So it is with people. I played a game with Olivia alot that was all about body language and eyes. We had alot of fun.
Hope you all had a good week and a good day.
So long for now.
One morning I went in to get Olivia out of bed and used my horse sense. AS I think I said earlier she really had a hard time hookin' on to me. She would just sit in Grammies lap and eyeball me, watchin' my every move, you know like a horse might. Well, in the morning when I went in to her room to get her. She gave me that same questioning stare and when I moved closer she moved back a step or two and grunted 'uh uh'. So I backed off when I started seeing her move away. Then when I turned to leave, I asked her, (I didn't cluck to her or kiss for her, like I would a horse) if she wanted to get up. That's when it happened, she hooked on to me. We got her diaper changed and out of bed, breakfast and drink and she was in my hand. It took a few more episodes, but she was receptive to me from then on. Though she was in grammies lap alot more.
Josh, later asked me not to start clucking or kissing to her. :}
Reading body language of a horse is crucial to safe riding and training. So it is with people. I played a game with Olivia alot that was all about body language and eyes. We had alot of fun.
Hope you all had a good week and a good day.
So long for now.
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