The Choice to Follow.

Have you ever had a horse follow you because it WANTS to? You know, that dream of having no ropes attached while you and the horse walk together through a field at sunset; knowing the horse has the option of heading off but it is choosing to be with you! It is one the best feelings! 

Offering freedom to the horse is risky though. It takes courage and selflessness and a strong conviction that the relationship is worth it, after all, he might say "No"! In the horse industry this can equal up to a lot of embarrassment for humans that are willing to take the risk. However, if you are confident in what you are looking for out of this relationship, then you are willing to offer the freedom of choice.

"Free Will" is a subject of great controversy and something I have often tried hard to grasp. Why would God allow us to choose to follow Him?! But oh goodness gracious when I was able to see, through building a relationship with a horse, the difference that trust and freedom of choice creates and the depth it brings to your partnership - what amazing things can be accomplished!

I have found that  people don't often give the horse a choice. As humans, we try to manage and control things; adding bigger bits and a ridiculous assortment of straps and chains to keep the horse from acting out. I'll always remember a trailride I lead with a very sensitive mare. The man riding was declaring his love of the "spirit of this horse"; he felt awesome about the ride he'd had! He exalted himself because he felt he was able to control this horse and harness all the power that he felt beneath him. If you looked at the horse you could see plain fear, she was drenched in sweat and not thinking clearly. Sadly, I do not think she had quite the same experience as her rider. The rider in this scenario was thinking of himself and his own ego. Wouldn't we rather have a calm and happy horse? One with the capacity to be crazy and exercise it's power, but chooses to submit to us because we are worthy leaders. A relationship  instead of a ride?

Offering the freedom of choice to the horse is acting out of the best interest of the horse, not ourselves. Here-in lies the secret! God offers us the choice to follow him out of the best interest of humanity. He knows the depth of relationship it brings and the greatness that can be accomplished through a freely surrendered life. Life is full of choices! Are we choosing to follow him in everything? Once you have this picture in your head of a leader that has allowed us freedom because He cares so greatly for us, the greatest fields and fence-less pastures will fade in comparison to the relationship he offers!

Thank you to Parelli Natural Horsemanship for providing the tools that allowed me to offer horses "the choice to follow".