How a Wild Mustang Opened My Eyes To God’s Sovereignty

I will never forget looking into a wild horse’s eyes for the first time, the fear mixed with curiosity, anger mixed with longing, independence mixed with desperation.

At the age of 19 I had been hired to train Outlaw, a 3-year-old American Wild Mustang, in just four short months.  

I have trained many horses in my life, some who had never been under saddle, but from the moment I met Outlaw I knew he was going to be special, and my biggest challenge yet.

Working as a horse trainer, I am often hired by different individuals and organizations to work with their horses. Outlaw belonged to a children’s camp that also doubled as a rescue center for horses. After exhausting many options, I was approached by the camp in their attempt to give Outlaw one last chance.

Outlaw had never encountered human touch before, and in his mind every human was going to do him harm. He was afraid of everything.

Horses are simple creatures. They are selfish, self-dependent prey animals, and because of this, many of their instinctive reactions are based in a desire to protect themselves from danger.

Horses have two responses to fear: fight or flight. Their initial reaction is to flee from whatever they are afraid of, but if they know they are trapped they will ready themselves to fight.

For the first few days of training, I did nothing but sit on the edge of Outlaw’s pen and talk to him calmly, allowing him to familiarize himself with my voice and presence. The following three days consisted of sitting inside the pen on a stool for hours at a time, not saying a word.

I would not approach him or try to force his trust. I would simply wait and give him the choice to pursue a relationship with me. I wanted it to be his idea to come to me, and when he decided he was ready, I would be there.

As I sat on the stool watching Outlaw and studying his body language, it occurred to me, am I not the Outlaw in my relationship with God?

God is constantly sitting there waiting for me to pursue a relationship with Him. He never pushes, He does not force me to come to Him, but He gives me free will so when I do come to Him, I come on my own accord.

God does not push, He does not pressure and He never loses patience. He sits with open arms ready to accept me as soon as I am willing to accept Him.

God does not saddle us with His plan, jump on our back and hope He can hang on until He breaks our will. He waits with endless patience for us to accept His love and guidance.

When I first stepped foot in the pen with Outlaw, he knew he would not be able to escape, so he tried to fight me. Nostrils flaring in fear, tail high in anticipation, he would charge at me, unable to understand my intentions, my plan, and too afraid to find out. 

So often in life this is what I find myself doing, either running as far away from God as possible, or fighting Him at every turn, yet Christ continues to sit with arms open wide waiting for me to come to Him.

After five days of nothing but talking and doing a therapy called T-touch, Outlaw finally began to let his guard down and let me closer.

Next came a technique that many trainers use called “joining up.” This method illuminates God’s nature and demonstrates just what it means to obtain rest in an intimate relationship with God.

This method is done in a round pen where the trainer drives the horse away from them using body position and eye contact. Once the horse begins submitting to the trainer’s command, the body language changes and the handler invites the horse to approach. If the horse does not approach respectfully, he is sent back out to the outside of the ring to continue working.

The technique aims to give the horse a choice between accepting the trainer as a herd leader or continuing to deny his/her authority.

The horse is allowed to find rest once they acknowledge the trainer’s authority and attach intimately.