Have you ever ridden a horse that suddenly begins rearing or bucking? If you have, then you know what a frightening experience it can be. This is true whether you’re a seasoned rider or simply a beginner.

This change of behaviour from your horse can understandably cause riders, whether novice or veterans, sudden fear, and panic. While this may be a problem for those who frequent horses, most of us will never have to deal with such this situation.  

As I watched a young rider trying to calm down his horse, I noticed his horse becoming more and more unruly.  I wondered what was going on in that horse to make him so troublesome.  I thought he was in pain, or felt fearful, confused, or maybe simply being disobedient.

I realized there was no way the horse could tell me his problem or pain, therefore the only way he can escape this tough situation is to kick and rear. Of course, I thought some horses will also use rearing as a way of asserting their dominance over other horses. Although I felt certain this was not that situation.

In this situation it had to be pain or discomfort as the main reason this horse was rearing or bucking and is showing the only way, he knew to make the rider feel uncomfortable also.

Suddenly, I heard the horse trainer yell, “Turn his head toward the sun!” Not understanding why, the rider did just that. Wouldn’t you know it?  The horse gradually calmed down. Later the trainer explained, “The horse was frightened by his own dancing shadows. When you turned him away from the sunlight, he stopped seeing his shadow and calmed down.”

When I heard the trainer’s explanation, I thought that’s what we humans do when we find ourselves in a similar situation. We can become extremely fearful of these shadows which suddenly rise from our thoughts, daydreams, and experiences.   We become frightened by a recent or past loss of someone we love. We fear tomorrow, or perhaps even today.

When fear upsets us, we believers, are asked to turn to the Son as well. However, our Son is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the way, the truth, and the life. When we bask in the light of His grace we can move more easily and calmly away from what bothers us and find an oasis of peace.

St. Francis de Sales wrote:

“No thoughts which cause disquiet or agitation of spirit are from God, who is the Prince of Peace. They are temptations and are to be rejected.”