Horses and Methodist Clergy: Rediscovering our DNA
by Rev. Robert J. Wagener, MA, MDiv
Serving as a Methodist clergyman for nearly 40 years, as an urbanite, I somehow missed connecting emotionally with the significance of the Circuit Riders and the important role of the HORSE in the development of our denomination. Retiring to New Mexico in 2010, I now live with wild horses on a daily basis and laughed out loud when I read the following account by Dr. Robert Simpson on the topic of The Circuit-Riders in Early American Methodism, (General Commission on Archives & History). "Brother Harwood in New Mexico, when asking how to begin his work, was told: ‘Get your pony shod. Then start out northward via Fort Union, Cimarron, and Red River until you meet a Methodist coming this way… thence westward and eastward until you meet other Methodist preachers coming this way. All this will be your work…’ I saw at once that I had a big field." Although I owned a Ford Mustang the year I was ordained a Deacon, I failed, until recently, to connect with the horse DNA within our Methodist genes. This article is an account of my recent journey and conversation with a few horses and what I have learned about our Methodist DNA.
Recently, a first edition copy of T. Ferrier Hulme’s book, John Wesley and His Horse, (Epworth Press, 1933) made its way to my mailbox. In it he writes, "It is no exaggeration to say that one of God’s chief agents and of man’s most valuable colleagues in the evangelization of England in the eighteenth century was the HORSE—a noble animal never put to a nobler use. Without it Wesley could never have done what he did and gone where he willed on his Father’s business."
Horses are once again earning a respected working relationship with various helping professions in some new and interesting ways. Although we no longer depend on them to pull carriages, or haul our goods, we still measure the energy of the auto’s engine in horse power. And, a working horse on a cattle ranch is more than just a thousand pound pet. In the twenty-first century horses are helping us to reconnect with the rhythms of our natural world.
Last year I became aware through my own experience in an Equine Facilitated Workshop of several new tools which those of us in the helping professions should consider putting into our own tool box of management skills. It has taken me a year to integrate those tools from my time as a mediator, chaplain, and counselor with those I encountered with my new horse friend Shadow and his owner/trainer. I wish that someone had told me that Peter Cartwright (1785-1872) had admonished young preachers to "hunt up a hard pony and some traveling apparatus, instead of looking for a college or Bible Institute…" Although no Board of Ordained Ministry would see owning a horse as a desirable substitute for a college degree, candidates today might be well advised to know that Cartwright’s counsel is still relevant to the environment of our local church. "…with a text that never wore out nor grew stale, he (Circuit Rider) cried, ‘Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.’ In this way he went through storms of wind, hail, snow and rain, climbed hills and mountains, traversed valleys, plunged through swamps, swollen streams, lay out all night wet, weary, and hungry, held his horse by the bridle at night, or tied him to a limb, slept with his saddle blanket for a bed, and his saddle-bags for a pillow." In other word, it is not going to be easy to do ministry even if you ride into town in a Ford Mustang.
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Since my retirement I have been asked to assist our Bishop and Cabinet in privately mediating some of the conflicts between pastors and congregations. More than ever before, I realize that unresolved external conflict and internal turmoil can significantly reduce the quality of any ministry. Yet, working in the field of dispute resolution as a mediator for the past 25 years, I have been a witness to the successful and transformative process of mediation and the amount of relief that comes to parties when they are able to find an amicable solution to their own dispute, rather than have one imposed on them from an authority figure above or beyond the local setting.
In her book, Learning Their Language (2003), Marta Williams describes the critical need that exists in our current culture when she writes, "The way we do everything has to change. The way we grow food, the materials we use from the earth, and the ways in which we earn our living, get around, entertain ourselves, do business, share power, distribute wealth, resolve conflict, and coexist with each other (men and women and different races, cultures, and species) have got to change all around the world." She concluded this after her own work with horses took her in unexpected directions. To this I might add that we may want and even need to evaluate new ways of managing conflict within our local churches and denomination.
Many of those working in the equine field have observed that it is difficult to stay intentionally and emotionally focused in our current culture of electronic media and gadgets. The nightly news recently reported (June 2013) that the Manpower Group released a new snapshot survey that suggest that as many as 44% of us say we are "unsatisfied" in the workplace. While another 16% said that they were "somewhat unsatisfied." Living in a nanosecond culture, I suspect that the root of much of this dissatisfaction in our lives is due to poor communication and connection between co-workers and management, pastors and congregation and parents and children.
One of the factors involved in the lack of "clear and concise communication" is emotional incongruence and it appears to many in this new world to be at the root of much of our anxiety and distraction. Linda Kohanov in her book, Riding Between the Worlds (2007), has noted that in her work with horses and their owners, "Compared to human beings, these animals (horses) are geniuses at sensing the feelings of others…" In working with her clients she has observed that often the so-called "problem horse" was simply mirroring the feelings and intentions of the owner and the more the owner "masked" those feelings the more the horse picked up on the incongruence and the "bad behaviors" escalated. Often it had been suggested to the owner that such a "problem horse" was too dangerous and should be euthanized for everyone’s safety. In her on-going work she has identified this phenomenon as "emotional resonance," and a good metaphor is to think of it like the ripples from a stone tossed into calm waters. Imagine the insight we would have if we noticed that some of the dissatisfaction, conflict, and unhappiness in our church environment was due to our own emotional incongruence. In June of 2012 and in the East County of San Diego, I spent my first day with the horses and a trained facilitator, Vickie Cottle, at Discovering Equus. Several visits since then and additional observations of the wild horses adjacent to my home in New Mexico, have caused me to come to some valuable conclusions.
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First, being "grounded" sounded easy, but continues to be a challenge for me on a daily basis. When Vickie started our workshop, she covered some of the necessary safety issues we would be expected to observe once we went into the pasture with the horses, as well as "horse etiquette." Simple things such as: approach the horse from the side; let the horse smell your breath and get acquainted with you; and touch the horse on the side instead of the face with your open hand. Following our sharing about why we came for the workshop and our goals for the day, she took us out onto the grassy area behind the retreat center and we closed our eyes and did a "body scan" focusing on being in tune with what our body was actually experiencing in the moment. In other words, we were invited to acknowledge the feelings, pains, joys, etc. instead of denying them or shoving them aside so we could get on with the "important stuff" in our daily life. This awareness of our emotional and physical state was in preparation for our work that would begin once we walked through the gate and into the pasture. What if, as ministers, we found it useful to take a few minutes to get "centered" and "focused" in order to be aware of the sensations from our body—sensations that carry valuable feedback in the form of information during worship, at an administrative board or trustees meetings and in that way be better able to serve and care for our congregation?
Second, "hanging-out-with-the-horses" sounded easy, but for some folks walking through the pasture gate is a considerable and frightening risk. Looking at several horses grazing by the road side can be bucolic from the safety of your car, but actually walking into their territory can be intimidating for some people. Although Vickie says this as if it were all one word, "hanging-out-with-the-horses" it has a greater purpose than just relaxing and wasting time. The value here is to begin to observe how horses interact with each other and with you the human intruder. One of the first things you do notice is how much time horses spend grazing, and the various relationships of the horses as they are "hanging out." It becomes obvious to the observer that the lead mare doesn’t necessarily like to share her food with just any other horse. If she kicks or pins back her ears it’s a clear non-judgmental signal for the other horse to move away and quickly. Chris Irwin in his book, "Horses Don’t Lie" (1998), writes, "When one horse gets going, they all get going and you end up in there in the middle of a cloud of dust and hooves playing games with the herd. I got so I could see actions and events coming before they happened. I started to notice the way the horses were interacting. I began to understand herd dynamics and the natural pecking order of herd animals." What if as ministers we took more time to observe our congregants in order to better understand the "pecking order" and practice modeling non-judgmental boundary setting for them?
Third, "getting off your high horse" just makes sense at times. Although our fondness for generals like Washington seated on his horse has its place in American history, "most of us would benefit from connecting with the wisdom and rhythms of the natural world," writes Linda Kohanov in Riding Between the Worlds (2003). In her most recent book, The Power of the Herd (2013), she observes, "These days, workaholism is our primary obsession. As a culture, we are addicted to stress and to all the chemical and behavioral crutches we engage to manage that stress, leading to significant physical, mental, emotional, and social health consequences." Twenty minutes in the round pen on the afternoon of your workshop with the horse of your choice will teach any arrogant human that it just ain’t easy to make a thousand pound beast do your bidding. The exercise is simple; Vickie demonstrates it with ease, speed and much grace. "Take the horse whip, a
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stick with a long string, and direct the horse from your gut. Oh, don’t strike the horse with it, that’s not how we demonstrate leadership." she said emphatically. Taking a few minutes to "ground" myself and to focus on what I hoped to accomplish with Shadow the black male horse with whom I had chosen to work, I stepped into the round pen. Hearing the gate close behind me meant that I was committed to learning a new form of communication and leadership skills. The skill was to access and direct my energy through the use of the whip to connect and communicate with the horse to walk, trot and possibly run around the ring. The amazing thing is that as I kept myself centered and connected with the horse, the horse responded to my thoughts and direction. To complete the process, I needed to maintain my intention and focus, modulate my energy to communicate to the horse to maintain faster or slower speeds and bring the horse to a resting stance in the middle of the ring. I can remember the exhilaration I felt by learning to direct without force, anger, manipulation, intimidation, or using that demanding tone I tend to get in my voice when I don’t get my way. What if as ministers we understood this new form of communication, listening and connecting with our congregants, as a skill that could possible produce better results that might contribute to a greater team effort in ministry?
In conclusion, Linda Kohanov says it best, "Now that horses are no longer obliged to work in our fields and carry us to war, they’re doing something more important: they’re working on us, helping us reclaim, daily, a hint of paradise not so much lost as misplaced." The Power of the Herd, (2013) Acknowledging and integrating these three simple but effective observations has brought me to a new understanding of my inner-self, my emotional life, my working with others and my spiritual health. Our human relationship with horses and the spiritual and physiological impact that they have on us is well documented through our Methodist history. "John Wesley, as an experienced horseman, knew much, but he believed that, when roads were often no better than quagmires, the horse generally knew best how to pick his way, and so he often gave it the reins and let it go its own gait…" John Wesley and His Horse (1933) Chris Irwin, an internationally recognized horseman, writes, "I believe Christ was born in a barn for a reason—in the company of nature we are immersed in the truth. Horses don’t lie and neither do any of the animals in God’s great kingdom. Thank God we have the horses to teach us how to listen." Dancing with Your Dark Horse, (2005)
Robert J. Wagener, MA, MDiv is a retired United Methodist Minister having worked in the hospice movement as a chaplain/therapist, in higher education at both Tulane University and the University of California, San Diego and served as Senior Pastor in several local churches in the Cal-Pac Conference. He is a trained and seasoned mediator in healthcare matters and for the United States Postal Service and a former faculty member for the University of Phoenix, San Diego. More information about his current work in dispute resolution can be found at www.TrainingDirect4U.com
Vickie Cottle, SEP, CEIP-ED and Epona Advanced Instructor is the founder of Discovering Equus on her ranch located in Descanso, California. More information about her work and schedule of workshops can be found at www.discoveringequus.com