Harness The Horses

Draft horses are magnificent animals.  However, they will never beat a thoroughbred in a race or effectively cut cattle.  They were bred to pull heavy loads.  You wouldn’t want your thoroughbred harnessed to a plow unless necessity demanded it.  To take advantage of a draft horse’s strength, several components must come together in order to make its strength productive.  A bridle,  neck or shoulder collar, back pad, traces, and reins.  All together it’s heavy and cumbersome.  Harnessing a large draft horse isn’t easy, even for an adult.  It was impossible for a young boy.  From the bit to the blinders to the collar, back straps, and traces, everything had to be in its proper place in order for the horse to pull something.  For years I hoped to one day be tall and strong enough to accomplish it myself.  Until then, I just helped grandpa.  Despite how large and strong these horses are, unless harnessed their strength remains untapped and unproductive.  Ultimately it was the harness that made them useful.   Alone, a harness is just leather straps hanging lifeless on a hook in the chicken coop.  If you combine the horse’s exceptional strength and stamina with the harness you have horsepower.  Without the harness you just have a very large pet.  To some extent there is potential strength in each of us.  Often we observe the ease with which someone does something and envy their inherent talent.  Perhaps that is an accurate assessment for some, but more likely, there has been a harnessing of those natural abilities, disciplined by restraint until natural strength is magnified and something difficult becomes proficient.  It’s the strain against the traces that builds the muscles, whether physical or mental.