Have you ever seen the quick, darting, back-and-forth grace of a cutting horse as he keeps a cow out of the herd? 

Or the easy, muscular nonchalance of a trained jumper as he crests a high hedge at a gallop and dashes on without a bobble in its ground-eating stride? Do you ever wish you could be a little like that?

Before we can accomplish huge things in any area, we have to learn—like those incredible performance horses did—several things.

To respect and trust his authority

One of the first lessons a horse must learn in order to be useful is to respect his rider. Without respect, he will try to throw his weight around and will end up hurting the trainer and even himself. But once the horse learns respect, he will realize that it’s easier to do what a trainer wants than to go his own way and will trust the trainer’s/rider’s decisions over his own. The horse learns that the trainer really seeks his good, and when the trust relationship is firmly in place, will even go ahead blindfolded over obstacles he cannot see, because he knows that his rider knows best and will guide him through the situation safely. These two lessons are vital for us to learn before we can go on to anything great!

To master himself and his emotions

This lesson builds on the quality of trust that was just mentioned. A horse naturally is prone to fear, to startle at unexpected things, to become distracted or belligerent. A good trainer teaches the horse to learn to have self-control (control itself) and keep his fear confined. Otherwise, a horse can startle at a stationary rock, start bucking and throw his rider off—breaking bones or worse. A horse that has learned to control his emotions might be startled at the same rock, but he will trust his rider and not “fly off the handle.” In the same way, we need to control our emotions. Instead of running wild under the influence of our emotions or unexpected situations (whether sad, happy, or mad), we need to control them enough to take them to God and our parents and trust the wisdom and counsel that they give. 

To not rely on his peers

When a horse focuses on his peers and is “buddy sour,” he loses his focus on his rider, is concerned with what the other horses are doing, and is always fighting to be with his horse friends. The horse pays more attention to them than to his rider. This condition can be dangerous for both him and his rider! In the same way, it’s easy for us to focus more on our friends and our peers than God and our parents, and this can be even more dangerous for us than a mere stumble or hitting a barbed wire fence. A well-trained horse even enjoys the ride more than a peer-dependent one, because he is not constantly fighting to get back to his buddies. It becomes not a fight, but a friendship, between him and his rider.

To discipline himself

In order to go on to greatness, whether as a cutting horse or a jumper, a dressage horse or a roping horse, both the horse and the rider must have discipline. “Bad habits are easy to form, but hard to live with. Good habits are hard to form but easy to live with” (Brian Tracy). Day after day, little by little, progress is made towards the goal they [both trainer and horse] seek.

Perfection cannot happen overnight or after a few sloppy practice sessions. It must be an ongoing practice of small battles. It takes commitment and discipline. Only then can the horse and rider attain victory. It is the same for us in our lives. We have to discipline our time, our thoughts, and our words. We have to conquer bad habits and, by constant repetition, strengthen good habits. We have to fight the small daily battles in order to achieve lasting and worthwhile victories. Otherwise, we will not succeed in even what we are wanting to achieve. 

The next time you see a beautiful picture or a video of a horse accomplishing his task (whether cow work or dressage, English or Western) with grace and confidence, think back on these four points, and see how many of them you can apply to your life! Then you too can become the creature of grace and confidence in what God has called you to do!

Written by Elisha E.

This article was reprinted with permission from “The King’s Blooming Rose Magazine,” Volume 14, Issue 1. For more information on this publication for young women, visit kingsbloomingrose.com.