Winston Churchill once said, “There’s something about the outside of a horse that’s good for the inside of a man.” I can’t argue with the man. As a matter of fact, I think his observation extends beyond riding a saddle horse. For me, there is something therapeutic in nearly anything to do with a horse, even if it’s putting shoes on his feet. Beyond that, I even believe there’s something therapeutic in good bucking horses, as well as well-broke saddle horses. My buddy Shawn Eng has let me come help him a little bit as he tortures the BMCC rodeo team with some great colts from the Flying 5 rodeo string. Shawn and Larry Patterson coach the Timberwolves’ rodeo team, and Shawn focuses on the roughstock end. He and I rode broncs together and spent a lot of time climbing on ponies there at Harry Noble’s place, just like those boys were doing, yesterday. Harry’s son-in-law, Dave Belyea, was the one loading them, and we bucked a bunch. For me, a good bucking horse is like God’s piece de resistance. I still can’t find it in the Bible, but I’m sure that when God created the bucking horse, he sat back and called it very good. Even if he didn’t, I do. There truly is something majestic about a horse that fires with that kind of passion. Truly, the great ones have to love it. If they don’t, they don’t buck. When you are sitting in the middle of them, it truly becomes apparent. But watching them isn’t nearly enough for me. I like to touch them. I like to get my hands on them. When I coached years ago, it was a lot of fun for me just to climb on in the chute, just to show kids how to get their pedals, check their rein, and everything else it takes to get out on one. I don’t know how I never actually nodded my head. It felt so natural. Yesterday, I was showing one of the college boys how to halter a bucking horse. He’s no stranger to riding the rough string. A tall buckaroo from Adel, Oregon, he’s twisted many a snorty ranch bronc. But he was just getting started as a saddle bronc rider. I leaned over that chute and haltered that bucking horse. I showed him how to tie the halter on, how to measure his rein to the end of the main and the top of the eye. I showed him how to mark those, and then I hooked his cinches for him. Even that was good for the inside of this man. It’s been fun to help those guys. I can’t say I was ever a great bronc rider, but I still enjoy helping out. The practice pen is funny, though. It’s a place where guys work on all the little pieces on their way to getting it all put together in the form of beautiful bronc rides. However, when they’re focusing on one little piece, the large picture sometimes turns into a wreck. He may be marking his horses out really well, but then he forgets to lift on his rein. He may be lifting really well, but he forgets to charge the front end. Who knows? The fact of the matter is that there are lots of little pieces to riding buckers that come into play, but they’re all good for the man climbing on. Once they all come together, it becomes poetry in motion. Life is the same way. When we work on the little pieces, it sometimes feels like a wreck. However, once all of the little pieces come together, we get tapped off, and it seems (at least for a while) that life is perfect. Proverbs 2 talks about those little pieces. As a matter of fact, many of us just don’t understand God. We don’t get him. And that even causes us to resent him, sometimes. It’s not easy to understand God, to know his will. It takes a lot of commitment, and it takes a lot of little pieces. Verses 1-5 help us understand: “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding-- indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” When we get a handle on all of those little pieces, it all comes together with an exciting fear and knowledge of God. That’s what I want. That’s what’s really good for the inside of a man!
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 04:48:07 +0000
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