Horse Camps for Christ
By Charlie Hill
“Unlocking the mysteries of the horse revealing the mysteries of God”
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Horse Camps for Christ is the vision of founder Charlie Hill. Charlie is a remarkable individual who has, through dedication (what some would call obsession) spent a lifetime studying the movement and alignment of the equine species. The thousands of horses and hundreds of people that he has touched has created the excellent and enthusiastic horseman that he has become. His never-ending quest for knowledge and his excellent ability to study and read a horse continues to both satisfy and also create more grounds for discovery. Charlie describes horsemanship as “The understanding of your horses’ thought and movements and how one influences the other,” recognizing your responsibility to the horse in all situations, and the ability to arrange these thoughts and movements to obtain a willing service. HCFC’s vision is not to make a horseman of the student, but show the way the horse can become a willing servant to the human, and fulfill the purpose God has created them to be. This can be a challenging proposal, whether the student has zero horse experience, or is an accomplished horseman.
The challenge to the human is trying to have a relationship with a horse, and to convince the horse to be that willing servant, when the horse is an animal of prey, and the human is considered a predator. This relationship is difficult at best, and to accomplish a willing servant, the human must give up their selfish attitude, egos, pride, and any ambition that allow time for the horse to accept and trust them. Likewise for a human, born into a fallen world with a sin nature, to have a relationship with the one true God, a Divine entity, guiding us to a willing service can be challenging, with the influence of the devil, the one that comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The world’s view of success being win at all cost, look out for #1, or what have you done for me lately. Or any other worldly view, that can stop the human from seeking the love of God, studying God’s word, or understanding the sacrifice of Jesus that has reconciled us. We at HCFC believe the horse provides the best conduit to gain understanding, when the student engages in watching, or participating in having a human-horse relationship the student can see that the human being MUST become the leader and take responsibility for need the horse may have. Like in my definition of horsemanship I speak of reckoning your responsibility, in all situations, sometimes the situation requires you to give the horse more time to accept what you want, or to better organize for what he is to do. There are other times, when the horse is organized, and is prepared, and he needs more encouragement before he loses interest. There are times when the horse accepts you in a new place on his body that he has been reluctant or even defensive to accept, and you would like to reward him, and pet him, but his need is for you to remove yourself from that spot that he felt such a need to protect.
In all situations our reactions must come from a place of love, as one of the horses, self perseverance is to recognize our intent. HCFC will conduct multiple types of camps that can be specifically designed for any group or demographic. In today’s society with everyone’s busy lives, it seems like many people of all demographics neglect time or energy to study or understand the Word of God. Because of the complexity of either our relationship with God or the human having a relationship with a horse. The Bible is the best source to help understand any relationship.
It says in 1st John 4:19 “We love because He loved us first.” This means God’s love can’t be bought, or earned, it is a gift from God. As horsemen, our love also must come first, as the horse being an animal of prey, and the human is a predator so it is obvious there is no love coming from the horse first. The Bible also tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” As our relationship with the horse grows, and the horse recognizes our love for him, and trusts our ability to meet their needs, both physical or physiological, the horse lets us show him which path to take. As our relationship with the horse grows, and the horse recognizes our love for him, and trusts our ability to meet their needs, both physical or physiological, the horse lets us show him which path to take.
In our relationship with God we must learn to trust him. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This scripture doesn’t speak of trust, however, it does speak volumes of His love, His plans, His desires for us. In order to receive His plans we must trust in His word. Likewise the horse must develop a trust for us, so that in our plans for him he can see that we also have this best interest at heart. First, God has put a desire for community in the heart of both the human and the horse. The human needs family, friends and neighbors. The horse is considered a herd animal in the wild that must depend on the leadership of the strongest in their herd. Both the human, or the equine have the nature for fear. This is a statement that may or may not be accurate as humans, most of have experienced some degree of fear. However the Bible in 2 Timothy 1:7 reveals two important truths about fear. First, it tells us that fear does not come from God. You’ll notice it says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Second, it identifies fear for what it is: a spirit.
As I speak of the nature of fear, ours or that of the horse, and how it relates to build a relationship with a horse, or God, there is much importance in understanding the nature of fear, as our fear doesn’t come from God as we learned in 2 Timothy 1:7. Our fear is of the devil, he tries to get in our head, but Proverbs 2:11 tells us “Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.” So to deal with our fear we can go to God, and his many promises of protection, and our own God given discretion and understanding. We can say “devil get behind me.” The horse can turn to us, or call out his barn buddy, who is incapable of helping.
God also has wired, both the human and horse to achieve. As humans, when our ambition gets us in trouble with the horse, it results in the horse regressing in its trust in us and increasing the anxiety in the horse. As my friend Ray Hunt says “you are probably working, when you should be waiting, or waiting when you should be working.”
Learn to wait on the Lord.
1 John 2:16 ”For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world.” The equine’s ambition gets him in trouble, error for the horse shows up as anticipation. Anticipation in itself is not bad, as it means the horse is eager and willing to work. However it leads to the horse taking over and calling the shots. The human loses both leadership and respect. Without the leadership the horse becomes lost and frustrated, in his task and no longer has the same degree of trust for the human or in his judgment. This introduction camp is quite versatile as it can be presented at HCFC’s facility, or at an venue of your choice or at horse expos or other public events. Attending this camp is an invitation for the general public to see how HCFC uses the naïve horse, or the horse that became calloused in his behavior because of abuse, neglect or simply poor communication. Making them difficult or unpredictable to get along with. This camp will be presented in a round pen in front of any size or diverse group where they can see how God has wired the horse to change as they feel our love (attitude) toward them. Each demo the event will begin with an opening prayer, and end with a closing prayer.
What’s included:
TBD
DONATE HERE TO SUPPORT HORSE CAMPS FOR CHRIST:
EVENTS AND EXPERIENCES COMING SOON:
Observe Charlie Hill as he uses the behavior of a horse to illustrate how building a relationship with the horse can resemble having a relationship with God. Hear Charlie’s stories and insights into life as he shares the Word of God.
Program curriculum and development in progress. Stay tuned!
- Currently open to the following:
- Training troubled horses
- Observe a horse’s healing as he faces his issues (attendee to clinic/training)
- Group sessions for youth
Contact Horse Camps for Christ by phone if you have a horse you want Charlie to work with, or you have an event you would like to book with him.
Contact for details on each event/experience.
