Dealing with Pressure                                      

Heading horses are the hardest to keep good in the box.  The majority of the money I have made working with roping horses has been fixing them in the roping box. It can be a chore to help the animal overcome the mental pressure that it feels as the anticipation builds to make a run.  Horses are claustrophobic by nature.  They freeze, jump sideways, spin around, etc. in the box. They yield to the pressure of the moment as they anticipate the unknown: Like getting outrun by the little steer or getting in trouble because they didn’t get to the right spot in time.  A lot of horses overload over time. You have to take the overloaded horse through a process that reminds them that the location they are feeling pressured is just another piece of real estate in the arena. It is no different than the rest of the arena or the corner of the pasture when you are sorting off a pair from the rest of the herd. You have to teach the horse that it is just another situation to walk through with you. Granted, the horse is also responding to the rider’s nervousness, muscle pressure, etc. How and when the rider relaxes or applies pressure has everything to do with the consistency of a horse’s performance when under pressure.  The relationship between the horse and the rider can diffuse the pressure when the horse trusts the rider more than its fears in the anticipation of the unknown.

When an individual decides to walk with God through life and calls on Jesus for help the results are very similar. Our frustrations, anxiety, and fears are diffused as we put our trust in God. Through a personal relationship, He gives us His perspective and we begin to see things differently. He gives us peace, joy, hope and love. The result is more enjoyment in life.

Life's pressures hit people from all directions, and only God knows how to create changes in an individual to provide relief. When a horse needs to be fixed in the box, it must trust the rider and yield to the rider’s direction in order to calm down and relax. Similarly, the only way we can calm down, relax, and enjoy God’s promises and blessings in this life is to yield to Him.

Please pray this prayer out loud from your heart: Lord I thank you for your goodness and all the things I love in my life.  Father help me to walk with you.  Show me how to yield to you and not myself.  I would like to walk with you more and see things the way you would like me to see them.  I don't want to live as a response to pressures in life, I want to follow you and live with the peace of mind You give. I am asking You for help in Jesus Name, Amen.

Until Next Month, Ride With God,

Travis Klingeman