Gideon - Overcoming Blindness

01/24/2024

After a busy few weeks prepping and enduring weather that the south isn’t so equipt for… I finally had a moment of silence to reflect. And it led me to my life, family, and then… Gideon.

Why welcome a blind horse into our crazy life when I barely have to means to……. it’s because he teaches me how to live. How to see when I’m blinded by life.

He teaches me calm when scared, how to trust. He draws to me (and Selah) calmly, wanting love and security in the storm… controlling his instinct to bolt and run out of fear. It’s like he waits in the pasture for whatever moment he gets with us. Craving it. He sees so clearly the important things, while I’m so blinded by the distractions of life. He’s a constant daily reminder of the life I strive for. The person I hope to become. That’s why he’s here, part of our family…

01/16/2024

06/20/2023

We had an amazing, enlighting week recently. If took me a while to post this because I wanted to reflect and find the right words for the impact He had on me and others.

Our church had its Wrangler Camp and I wanted to use Gideon for a lesson about trust, being trustworthy, overcoming fear, trust God to show us the way when we are blind to it, and so much more. But I had fear myself… is he ready for his first big event being blind, with children nearby? Will he load? Will he be and stay safe?

And he did all that…. I had safety plans but he just stood still as 100 kids painted him and learned his story. He was brave, calm, still, willing, loving, trusting. He did the obstacle course after they tried it too. He brought lots of happy tears to our faces.

And I overcame a lot of doubt and fear myself. One evening I saddled him up (the second time i have ridden him). I’ve never ridden a blind horse in a strange place… and at a trot or…. canter. I wondered if he’d trust me…. Or shy, bulk, and resist…. But he was smooth and willing…. Amazing. It was life changing…. How a blind horse can teach us so much about how our walk should be. 🥰

06/07/2023

What an amazing boy….

04/23/2023

Gideon looked for me… but seemed surprised to find me sitting on the ground.

That cute blind horse tilt, that I’ve grown to love. I was watching him… maneuver in his darkness with grace and faith.

He has had to trust me, and i realize now how much that I’ve had to trust in him. 🥰

03/27/2023

What an amazing, enlightening 1st week having Gideon here at our home.
These are some of the things we have worked on this week.

He’s already been learning to yield to pressure. For a horse with sight, the lightest pressure possible = our body language…. But for Gideon, I sometimes use a verbal cue, then the lightest touch, then a bit more until he understands and moves away.

He has so much try, willing to trust…. And I credit my friends Stan & Robin Clem who raised him, for setting the strong foundation as a foal which is enabling his to adjust to his blindness well.

Also, he may make things look easy….. but the hardest parts of having a blind horse is….. Me….. remembering…..
To guide him through the gate that he can’t see….
To cue him to “step up or down”
To say “hoa” before I stop as I lead him.
To guide him to his hay, feed, & water.
To keep others safe….
And to not worry as the storms come or when I hear him still gently run into his pen panels… he’s okay… he’s mapping it out in his mind, he’s adjusting.

And along the way… he’s teaching me grace, patience, kindness, gentleness, compassion and so much more about the person I want to be. (Galatians 5:22-23)