Article August 6, 2012 Issue

'Gentled in' by God

Patricia Hardee

Wild Horse Ministries draws a crowd at country festivals. People who came to a recent festival expecting to see trainer Paul Daily “break” an untrained horse were surprised as they watched and learned that he doesn’t “break” horses. Daily “gentles” horses until they graciously agree to let him rope, bridle, blanket, saddle, and ride them. Instead of brute force, it’s a demonstration of the power of love. 

I was there, and we all watched with rapt attention as Daily got an untrained horse to cooperate with his every request in less than two hours! At the same time, as he explained what he was doing, we heard a most helpful “sermon.”

Daily trains the horse in the middle of what he calls “The Round Pen of Life.” As he teaches horses what they are capable of, they learn their true value. His mission is to help them improve their experience by understanding their purpose. Success depends on a trusting relationship between trainer and horse. He uses this teaching method to draw an analogy about our relationship with God.

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