Trust Formed Through Relationship
“I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.”
Building a trust relationship with a horse is one of the most powerful lessons God has used to reveal his desire for a relationship with me. When a horse is afraid, its natural fight or flight instinct kicks in; there is absolutely nothing I can do to hold a horse in place with my sheer muscle power; the horse outweighs me by up to 10x my body weight! If the horse wants to leave and run, it sure can!
The key to a relationship is time; the more time I spend with the horse, the deeper our relationship will be, with the goal of having a bond built on love, trust, and grace. The most amazing feeling is when I know that the horse I am working with is anxious or afraid, yet it chooses to turn to me for guidance, comfort and peace. It chooses to surrender and resist its natural instincts and instead stands beside me in complete trust and surrender. Wow: what a picture of how God must feel when we choose to turn to him! God gives us the freedom to make our own choices and “run” or “fight” our circumstances; yet he is waiting lovingly for us to choose to turn to him and submit our anxieties and fears to him.
I love that at Warm Beach Horsemanship we have a program that encourages relationship development in our curriculum. I think it is such a rich opportunity for students to experience that joy of having a horse choose them and then recognizing that they have been resisting God but that he is waiting for that moment of surrender with such anticipation.
To learn more about the Warm Beach Horsemanship Programs, Click Here.
Lisa Tremain
Warm Beach Horsemanship Director