May 26th, 2021: Marriage Lessons from Horsemanship

 


I mentioned a few days ago that I used to work with a senior high co-ed summer camp. These camps have horses, and riding is a significant part of the camp. That is why it is a ranch camp. I came from Montreal and was clueless about horses, so I needed some training in dealing with them. I had to learn about horsemanship from some of our wranglers. The more we can communicate to our horses, the more we can handle them.

I won't go into technical details of horsemanship (altering, leading, saddling, and more). It is about the relationship between a person and his (her) horse.

We need the ability to understand and establish trust with the horse. It is not about coercive power. It is about discipline in training and consistency in following through. It is about how to create rapport between the handler and the horse. The horse has to trust our protection.

We have to have the ability to discern the needs of our horses. Good cowboys have an incredible way to read their horses. Sometimes they need food and water. Sometimes they need some TLC. Sometimes they need to be ridden. A cowboy would know how the horse is doing by simply watching them walk and how they trod.

We acquire the ability to communicate and listen to our horses. Being a horse whisper is not a myth. Horse Whisperers can communicate with their horses in different forms of language. When we are able to do that, we don't have to chase them. The horse will walk to us, and it is the sign of how he enjoys being with us and belongs to us.

Horsemanship is very much like a marriage relationship. If we can do 75% of what I share with you above, we will improve our married relationships immensely. Think about it.

Ephesians 5: 28
“Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.”

Colossians 3: 13-14
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

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