Horse Camps for Christ:

HCFC is a vision that has been festering in my mind since 1982 when I invited a Christian friend and his daughter to accompany me to a Ray Hunt clinic, who is perhaps the most sought-after horseman of all time. My friend was a good calf roper, and his daughter was an accomplished barrel racer. Following that clinic my friend shared that he wasn’t that impressed with Ray and believed I would be better off to stay away from him. My friend didn’t like how Ray spoke so much about how humans are always at fault. He wasn’t thrilled how some of the explanations came with a bit of colorful language. My friend was offended as Ray insinuated that the horse was more intelligent than humans. My friend didn’t agree with Ray and said the bible says we are to have dominion over the horse. We know what we want, and the horse needs to change was his belief. I knew that my friend wanted the best for me. He had always followed my career -- including my high school sports, my rodeo efforts, my horseshoeing, my various ranch jobs, and my horse training program. 

    Yet what I saw from Ray’s teachings, demonstrations, philosophies and most importantly, his results, was something I had never seen from anyone else. As I continued to study the things Ray taught, I met many horses with fear and other phobias that they were not willing to give up. I found in those situations only when I addressed my own character flaws, or the limits of the knowledge that I had about the nature of the horse, could the horse accept my affection or direction.          

     My friend was right, we are to have dominion over all the earth. As it says in Genesis 1:26 

From one horse to another, one situation to another, one moment to another, or for that matter, one year to another, I realized it was my responsibility to evaluate myself, by understanding my position both physically and mentally. This is when I realized that most often, I was the one that needed to change. That any change I had thought the horse needed to change became a by-product of the change I was needing to make. 

Had I not taken my friend's opinion seriously, the horse would have continued to resist. Perhaps I would have believed I needed to apply more pressure and it got the task at hand accomplished, but I would not have learned where, what, when, why, or how to change, if I should change, or if I should stand firm. Scripture also tells me that God is directing and guiding me to change. In the same areas that makes the horse grow his trust, and willingness to serve.

   Another mystery that would not have been exposed had my friend stayed quiet. What does God expect from us by giving us dominion over all the earth? With the authority to rule comes the responsibility to rule well, learning how to gain dominion. God expects us to become a steward, to be one that takes responsibility for those you are to have dominion over. Giving us dominion allows God the opportunity to see how we govern, allowing Him to critique our work, and guide us on how to establish dominion more effectively.       

    Likewise, when we desire to have a relationship with the horse, the equine has no desire to be known by me, a predator. With an instinct for self-preservation the horse believes he must get away and that he can do it himself. This is much the same as our reaction to God’s desire to have a relationship with us. Like the horse, the most difficult thing for us to give up is our desire for control and to trust and accept His love and the desires He has for us. It is impossible for us humans to find a true purpose and a satisfied mind without accepting the love of Christ and His desire for us.