Patient with the Process (Part 1)

How are you doing in the department of surrendering to God? Having trouble letting go and letting God? Yeah, me too. Every day. Sometimes, every moment, especially on the difficult days. I often wonder if Satan cackled merrily as Eve took the bite of that delicious, organic, gluten-free apple in the Garden, envisioning each and every human being who would come after stumble over and over again in maintaining faith and trust in God, a God that we readily acknowledge is the “God of surprises.” Working with horses is a great way to improve your ability to let go; working in equine-assisted learning is even more effective! Think it sounds easy? Think that all is takes is planning and coordination?
Ah, think again!

Learning with horses is about unpredictability and uncertainty, trust and faith. There is no way of predicting the outcome of any one moment, let alone all of the moments that go into a session. Although I can readily admit to the truthfulness of this, it still takes me by surprise each and every session. It’s like baking cookies, right? All you have to do is follow the recipe! Start with a large round pen, shift together a horse, participant, and mentor, and then add a TBSP of Observation and Knowledge (OK), a TSP of cowboy boots, and a dash of Colorado sun and presto! You have just mixed a session of Equine-Assisted Learning. Right? Wrong!