The AMAZING POWER of INTENT

"His intent was that now, through the church, the wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms."

(Ephesians 3: 10) 

When I ride my horse, I do so with specific intent in mind; intent that not only keeps me focused on my goals, but helps to produce a confident and winning attitude

in myself and my horse.    

The Definition Of Intent:

The state of mind with which an act is done; aim, purpose, objective, goal, target.

(Webster's Dictionary)   

Several years ago, I retired from the world of western pleasure showing to fully devote myself and my horses to the ministry of Natural Horse Faith-Man-Ship. During those years of showing, trainers, judges, and yes, even competitive stress, I learned many things that have continued to serve me well in my horsemanship journey today, and even in my ministry. Oftentimes when I'm riding, I can still hear the voice of my trainer in my ear, sometimes reminding me of why I'm here, and sometimes shaking me awake. But always reminding me of the prize ahead, and the importance of riding with intent. 

DO YOU KNOW WHY

YOU'RE HERE?

Riding is serious business to me. That doesn't mean it's not fun, because it is. It simply means that I know why I'm here in the saddle, and I'm intent on doing it right.  

One of the most important things I learned from my horse trainer was the crucial importance of intent. And what was my intent? That was a question that I had to answer before I could succeed with my goals. The first question my trainer ever asked me was, "Do you know why you're here?" I knew how much was riding on my answer, no pun intended. This trainer was well known throughout the region as being one of the best, and he was used to coaching students who really wanted to win."Yes, sir, I know why I'm here. I'm here to win." I answered, not really sure if I fully understood all that my confession would eventually require of me. 

I soon learned that while other trainers were pep-talking their students with words like, "It's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game.", and "We're just here to have fun.", - my trainer had another purpose in mind for me. Day after day, and hour after hour, he coached and even sometimes yelled commands at me, "Keep your head up..look where you're going...loosen up on those reins... get your heels down...quit slouching...straighten up and sit in the center of your horse", and on and on it went. 

One day in the middle of a training session, I was so exasperated that I just checked out mentally. Soon I was daydreaming about all the other stuff I could be doing that would be much more fun. As a result, I fuddled my cues over and over again. Finally, my horse became completely confused by my mental distraction and just quit trying. "What in the world are you doing?" the trainer exclaimed. His words jolted me to my senses and my daydreams crumbled into the atmosphere like useless star-dust. I quickly searched for the right words to appease him, an excuse, if you will. But alas, there were no excuses I could think of that were good enough. Taking a deep breath, I knew the forth-coming lecture would be well-deserved.

To be a good rider, you have to have specific intent, and you have to be able to convey that intent to your horse. For example, if I want my horse to side-pass to the left, I intentionally cue him with pressure from my right leg, and I release the pressure from my left leg as if I'm opening a door that I want him to go through. My cues/commands are the means I use to explain and clarify my specific intent to my horse.

My trainer's voice was sterner than usual as he chided me, "Have you forgotten why you're here?" My last ounce of pride was only in knowing that I was smart enough to choose my battles, and this was a battle I knew I couldn't win. Like a kid with her fingers caught red-handed in the cookie jar, I repented quickly and honestly. Then I determined to get my hiney back in gear as I correctly cued my horse for a slowly cadenced and sweeping pleasure lope. "That's more like it." he shouted from across the arena. And then with a slight grin that defied his tough exterior, he added, "Welcome back to the real world. Now let's get back to business!"

WHAT IS GOD'S REAL

INTENT FOR YOU?

"He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him (Christ Jesus)."

(Ephesians 1: 9)  

 Sometimes our intentions aren't always obvious to everybody, but they should always be clear to our partner! For example, if I want my horse to move towards the right, I may look slightly to my right, while at the same time softly making contact with his left side with my lower leg muscles. For the on-looker, those imperceptible cues might go unrecognized. But they are there, none the less, signaling my silent intent to my horse, - an intent that he fully understands and obeys.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what God's real intent is for you? In other words, have you thought about God's aim, His purpose, His objective, His goal, or even His targeted plan for you? If you're like many people, then you've probably given at least some thought to the intents of your own heart, but perhaps not as much thought concerning the intents of God for you. Why? It's simple, really. To know God's exact intent for our life would require something from us. First, it would require an acknowledgement that God actually does have a specific intent for us, and secondly, we would have to acknowledge that His intentions for us are, indeed, greater than our own! 

I would be lying if I told you that the decision to live your life with intent is an easy one. Intentional living is never easy. Again, why? Because life always affords us the opportunity to quit, or give up. From the beginning, God has always understood our humanity and our weaknesses. And yet, He did not give up on you and me. Instead, the Bible tells us that it was His "kind intention" (Ephesians 1: 9, see verse above picture) to give us a role model in how to live our life with perfect intent, and that role model was Jesus Christ. Everything about the earthly life of Christ was filled with aim, purpose, objectives, and goals. Certainly, Christ lived His life on earth with a masterful and targeted intent. And what was His targeted intent? His intent was to show you and me how to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, and all our soul.  His intent was to show us how to love one another, and treat our neighbors the way we would want to be treated. But perhaps the greatest intent of Jesus' life was to simply share the love of God with all people, - a love so amazing, so far-reaching, and so completely liberating, that it could free us forever from the laws of sin and death. What else can I say? Never, never, never underestimate the amazing power of intent! 

 OOPS!

In our last newsletter, we gave an incorrect website for Buck Brannaman. We're here to give it another try. The following link should be the correct website. If we goof this time, just try GOOGLE!

 OLD COWGIRLS

AND

HORSES

A blog/diary of my life with horses, and a few other adventures along the way.

"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

(Mark 10: 5, NIV) 

One of the rules around my barn is that no one but me rides my horse. That's especially true when it comes to adults. I have several important reasons for this rule. For one, I've spent years developing soft hands, decent leg cues, and a reasonable amount of correct riding skills which I feel my horse deserves. I've also worked hard to develop trust with my horse that assures him I will protect him, even from the innocent. But the main reason I seldom let adults ride my horse is that most of them tend to think they know more than they do about riding horses. Of course, you put them in the saddle, and the horse quickly tells them all that they forgot they didn't know! So, why go there? Besides, it's painful for me to watch, and embarrassing for the adults, and well, us grown-ups just don't need that kind of stress in the first place. Having said all that, when it comes to letting someone else ride my horse, I have been known to bend my own rules, at least a time or two. It hasn't happened with an adult, yet, but I've bent the rules several times when it comes to children. 

Why is it so easy for me to bend my rules for children? Maybe it's because they have this magnificent curiosity and trust about them. Or maybe it's the fact that they don't proclaim to know all there is to know. They want to learn! They only know that they have "always wanted a horse", and they long for the thrill of their first ride. Whenever my world collides with one of these awesome "wide-eyed, wonder-filled kids" well, I'm instantly reduced to a "mush-mellon", totally and completely helpless, having lost all control. In essence, my rules are out the door, and I cannot say no. 

Such was the case this past summer when my farrier's little boy came out to the farm to watch his daddy trim my horse's feet. From the moment this little guy arrived, he was full of questions about the horses, and he was willing to listen to my answers. Finally, pointing at Samson, he asked, "Do you think I could ever ride that big horse?" His question took me by surprise. I knew Samson had more "buttons" (specific cues that tell my horse what to do) than a long winter coat, and instantly I tried to figure out a way to tell this little buckaroo a nice but firm, "No!". Then I saw the gleam in his eye. "Oh no," I thought to myself. "Here comes the mush-mellon again." Looking this kid in the face, I asked, "Are you willing to follow all my directions and be kind to my horse? Without missing a beat, he replied, "Yes, Ma'am, I am!" There was no doubt, he meant what he said.

A few minutes later, I hoisted him up in the saddle, and for the next hour, I led him around on my horse. By the time he finished his ride, I knew I had a full-fledged little cowboy on my hands,- a cowboy who would never forget this experience - a cowboy that would one day grow up and tell his own kids about this special day. Which got me to thinking about a time thousands of years ago. It was a time when the disciples of Jesus were all about the rules. They didn't want Jesus eating with tax collectors. They didn't want Jesus to submit to the Roman soldiers. And on one particular day, they didn't want Jesus to give his attention to the little children when there were so many adults who had come seeking His attention. In every instance, Jesus was willing to bend the rules, - their rules, not His. As my little cowboy dusted off his boots and headed straight for his daddy to tell him about his wonderful ride, I thought about Jesus and His Words. "Suffer (allow) the little children to come unto me..." He couldn't have given me a better lesson about rules. Some rules were made to be broken.

     Q & A

Each month I receive emails filled with interesting and great questions. In this segment of our newsletter, I will share some of the special emails I've received. All names have been changed

to protect the individual's privacy. 

Dear Susan - I want to thank you for your last newsletter. I think people really do forget to have fun sometimes so thanks for reminding me that it is okay. I grew up in a very religious family and the church we attended was very formal. I can't remember ever seeing anyone smile in all the years I went there and I was always conscientious about saying something accidently or even on purpose that might be funny. God forbid if anyone ever laughed. When I was finally able to leave home I had made up my mind I was never going back to a church like that for the rest of my life. Some people said I was wrong to think like that but I thought that way anyhow. Then one day I was in a Christian bookstore and saw a painting of Jesus and he was laughing. The only pictures I had ever seen of him before looked like he was sad or mad. I admit I was surprised and didn't really know how to  respond to this picture of him laughing, then the strangest thing happened to me. I started to smile looking at the picture and then I started laughing and couldn't stop. I think the laughter was contagious because then a few other people came over and started laughing with me. I came home that afternoon feeling like a ton of weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The moral of my story I guess is that laughter really is good medicine. Thanks for reminding me of that once again. Your newsletters are always refreshing to me and they always make me smile.     

(Nancy, Florida)   

My Response To Nancy

 Hi Nancy - Wow - I absolutely love your email! What else is there to say? You have said it so perfectly, and you've put a smile on my face today, for sure! Never forget - our joy is from the Lord, and we should never miss an opportunity to rejoice in Him. Keep smiling, Nancy, and next time the Holy Spirit stirs you - go right ahead and laugh out-loud again!

Natural Horse

Faith-Man-Ship

(Teaching biblical faith using horses)

ARE YOU READY FOR THE FAITH RIDE OF

 YOUR LIFE?  

To Learn More... 

WRITE or EMAIL

Susan Klaudt Horse Ministry

P. O. Box 4994

Cleveland, TN 37320

or  

ksworldmin@aol.com