I want to start this by saying I have never owned a stallion before, nor have I restarted an eight year old stallion who was hardly ridden before, but life is an adventure. I’ve used the expression God only gives you what you can handle, but I’ve had occasion to rethink that saying recently – maybe sometimes God gives you more than you can handle – because that is where growth happens.

My stallion, Buzz and I have been, to quote a friend, “riding the struggle bus” recently. Unlike every single other gypsy I own, his natural inclination is to go fast, really, really fast. Canter – more like gallop. He is teaching me to use my seat and half-halts in a way that I never knew I could. But today, thanks to my incredible trainer, Sarah Durham, we had a ‘bring me to tears’ breakthrough; Buzz is a whisper pony.

What is a whisper pony you might ask. A whisper pony is one who is so sensitive, so tuned into their body and to you that they respond to the merest suggestion of pressure. When I ask most of my ponies for a leg-yield, I put on my leg and they move over. I couldn’t figure out why Buzz kept running away – today I figured it out. He needed me to whisper. The very slightest suggestion of my leg moved him over, smoothly, quietly, calmly.

How often in our lives do we get used to speaking in one tone. We get frustrated with those around us because they aren’t listening, because we aren’t being heard. But maybe sometimes the answer isn’t to get louder, maybe sometimes the answer lies in a whisper. Maybe the answer is less about what you do and more about what someone else needs.

Why did this moment bring me to tears? I am 50 years old. God gave me the gift of my heart’s dream over the last few years. I will never, ever get tired of learning how to listen to my horses, to do better and be better for them. But, I am incredibly thankful that He also surrounded me with people to bless me with their knowledge and expertise. He has blessed me with an opportunity to grow. I’m so grateful for my whisper pony; for the lesson he taught me today, for the lessons he will keep on teaching me. And, there are not words for how incredibly grateful I am for my amazing trainer, Sarah.

There are times when you truly feel God’s hand upon your life. Today was definitely one of those days. I can not live my life without God. He provides for me at all times and in all ways, even more than I can ask or imagine. The love of God overwhelmed me today. His care for me, for my life, and for the actualization of the dream he gave me oh so many, many years ago…I didn’t know I needed my whisper pony, but He certainly did.

Praise be to God.

Meredith.