We've continued to enjoy many weeks of groundwork, riding, care of other horses and study with Hannah, our horse & spinning friend Sharon, and lots and lots of research. We've studied different horse breeds and rode several on our own, while Hannah spent many hours helping us see and understand body typing & soundness. She encouraged us in the pursuit of our own horse and although we never thought our property could properly support horses, after learning more about equine natural living environments and their needs, we began to realize with some work and redesign, our homestead can be a very hospitable environment for our own riding companion.
Finding your family's perfect horse is a challenging exercise, to say the least. Sadly, there are so many great horses available but so very few people that are honest about the condition, care and experience of the horses they want to find 'perfect homes' for. Our experience proved that many will say they want a great home but become irritated (even claiming you're 'not really interested') if you want to spend more than an hour- or (dare we suggest) more than one visit with the horse. This is not an exaggeration and it really shocked and discouraged us simultaneously. It is so important that an owner let you come and see the horse many times, understand their personality, learn more of their history, have several family members ride them and see them interact with their current herd.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9
{Speaking of a horse herd, one can easily stand in awe at even a few horses with each other. The dynamics of herd behavior with simple subtleties like eye, ear and head movement speak volumes to these large creatures that the Lord created with such amazing forethought. "My ways are higher than your ways," is beyond our finite minds even when we take the time to behold and try to appreciate the few intricacies we can see. }
We realized our experience and frustration prepared us to better appreciate, value and understand the Lord's timing and direction. Ultimately, what we appreciated all the more, was how the Lord opened the door to our very own riding companion! Yes, we literally saw our new Quarter Horse, Dixie, once a week for several months without even understanding how the Lord was working it all out. Every time we went for our horsemanship studies, there she was, a beautiful buckskin mare playing with her friend 'Raisin' and her foal; under the watchful eye of her stud son, 'Cooper'. She was the neighbor's horse we often admired for her beauty and regularly called to; often learning little tidbits of her history and watching the herd dynamic with admiration. She had lived at Hannah's place before they bought it, raised by a diligent student of horse genetics that passed away a few years back. Dixie was the lone remaining horse, from a herd that had been dispersed shortly after her move to keep 'Raisin' company, because a health issue had caused problems with long term care of her former owners' many animals. We certainly knew more about her than any other horse we considered for purchase.
We realized our experience and frustration prepared us to better appreciate, value and understand the Lord's timing and direction. Ultimately, what we appreciated all the more, was how the Lord opened the door to our very own riding companion! Yes, we literally saw our new Quarter Horse, Dixie, once a week for several months without even understanding how the Lord was working it all out. Every time we went for our horsemanship studies, there she was, a beautiful buckskin mare playing with her friend 'Raisin' and her foal; under the watchful eye of her stud son, 'Cooper'. She was the neighbor's horse we often admired for her beauty and regularly called to; often learning little tidbits of her history and watching the herd dynamic with admiration. She had lived at Hannah's place before they bought it, raised by a diligent student of horse genetics that passed away a few years back. Dixie was the lone remaining horse, from a herd that had been dispersed shortly after her move to keep 'Raisin' company, because a health issue had caused problems with long term care of her former owners' many animals. We certainly knew more about her than any other horse we considered for purchase.
We'll have some work to get her back into shape as she's been a lawn ornament for about 7 years, but God knows what we need to build us where we are lacking and use His gifts to challenge and grow us. Our experience confirmed what already know, but often need to be reminded: although we try to plan our ways to 'success' (in any particular project or idea we've been led to), if we let the Lord take control and wait on His timing, he will bring about a greater reward that proves His magnificence and omniscience in ways beyond our comprehension.
A man's heart deviseth his way; but the Lord directeth his steps. Proverbs 16:9