I have a young horse at my farm and like most of the people in the world he's been beat up. Not enough to have physcial scars but if you could see his emotional scars they'd be worse. For the first 8 months he was here he wouldn't let me get within 10 feet. It's no secret to the horses who feeds them - all of my guys coming running when they hear my voice. Not out of love for me but love for grain, oats, corn, apples and carrots. Except for this little bugger - he let his hatred of me outshine his deep hunger for food. Mind you I'd never laid a hand on him or said a harsh word nothing but encouragment but his mind had already been filled with mistrust at the hands of another human.

It's a well known fact that antisocial animals are more likey to end up as dog food or on the plate of a Frenchman because of there lack of emotional connectedness to people who have the authority to let them live or sell them at an auction for meat.

So I started a little expirement. I've been pushing him - pushing him for a relationship. In the morning I feed the other 5 horses in his pasture. I lead them all out of the gate and hitch them to fence posts and leave the antisocial horse alone unhitched in his pasture. Before I just dumed his feed on the pasture side of the fence and let him be and eat by himself. For the past 3-4 weeks I've stood right next to his feed which means he has to get so close to me I can touch him in order for him to get his yummy breakfast.

Here's how it goes.
1. pour 8lbs. of super delicious grain, beat pulp, alfalfa, and malassass in bucket
2. Stand next to bucket
3. Watch horse for 5 minutes
4. Horse meanwhile, is pawing ground, pinning his ears, barring his teeth,kicking out, dancing and prancing as he tries to find a way to avoid me or even possibly injure me so I quit challenging him
5. Horse inches towards me - every muscle in his body is tense
6. Horse finally is overcome by the desire for food as he sees all his pasture mates chowing down and comes over to me ready for a fight
7. I don't allow horse to eat until he acknowledges me
8. Horse backs up rethinks stratagy and comes back for round 2
9. He allows me to pet him with my index finger for 2 nano-seconds and backs up out of my reach
10. Comes closer and before I know it he is allowing me to rub is neck, ears, and face.
11 - He relaxes, forgets about food, and for the first time in months allows himself to be loved.
12. He falls asleep.

I'm shocked, surprized and so happy that a little progress has been made. I know tomorrow morning we'll have to do the 'dance' all over again but it will get easier with every passing month.

As I am pondering this God speaks to me. Replace the food with my blessings, and the horse is you. Many times God pours out the blessing but first makes me rest in Him before I'm allowed to go enjoy. When I really relax and soak up God - the blessing seems secondary.

The horse isn't mine he's a boarders and his name is Navajo which when translated into English means "The People"