I was sitting in the coffee shop, trying very hard to unobtrusively eavesdrop on two men at a table in the corner. Their conversation was fascinating (what I could hear of it).
“…obviously, horses are naturally terrified of predators like mountain lions. A mountain lion know where to attack an animal like a horse. It goes for its vulnerable areas.”
“Which are?”
“Well, a horse has blind spots on its sides and underbelly. It also has one directly in front and, of course, behind. It is limited in its ability to protect some of that area and so the lion goes right for them.”
“I see.”
I strained to hear the rest. It seemed as if he was talking about a recent event in which a horse trainer had a horse that allowed a “tame” lion on its back.
“The lion’s eyes were huge…I mean, here it is, riding around on this horse’s back. But think of what it took for that horse to let it on there? The horse had to totally overcome and ignore it’s most basic protective instinct.”
“How did it do that?”
“It obviously trusted its trainer enough, that the trainer wouldn’t allow it to be hurt. Just think of that trust! It’s almost unbelievable, when you really understand a horse and the whole predator/prey relationship. To let a mountain lion on its back…wow.”
The man paused, and then they went on talking about something else. I was immediately reminded again why I love horses and how much I’ve learned from being around them on the farm over the years. (And no, it isn’t just a “women and horses” thing.)
But I got to thinking about that trust.
You just trust something or someone that even in what should be scary or dangerous or tough, it doesn’t even occur to you that something bad could happen. It completely goes against nature, that kind of trust.
You know, trust that lets me fall asleep in the car when the weather is terrible and I don’t even think that I’m in danger because dad is driving. Trust that your teacher will teach you what you need to know and not to worry about it. Trust that your friend keeps your secret and you just bare it all out there in heavy discussion. Trust that your flight instructor isn’t going to let you crunch the plane. Trust that people are who they say they are, and want what they say they want. There’s all kinds of levels of trust.
I trust people pretty easily; it’s difficult to comprehend what life would be like if I’d had experiences that caused me to have a default setting of not trusting. I admit I get suckered or taken every once in a while, and hurt easily when I find the trust was too easily given. But a person can’t go through life constantly distrustful of all things just because of the few things that deserve it. I’ve been tempted; it’s easier than being hurt and trying to recover your footing. But I can’t give up on trusting. It seems, somehow, linked to hope.
You have to trust your Trainer.
