Which Side to Mount the Horse?
In 1976 a revolutionary thing happened in the rodeo event called calf roping. A 21-year-old cowboy named Roy Cooper jumped off the right side of his horse. He then ran down the rope and flanked and tied the calf faster than anyone had before. To those who watch rodeo nowadays, that sounds like the normal routine. Everyone on the circuit does it that way. But not in 1976.
All cowboys stepped up on their horses on the left side. And they dismounted the same way. That’s the way cowboys trained horses for a couple hundred years. No one would have tried anything else.
The Right Side
We call the right side of the horse the ‘offside’ or Indian side. Most all Indian tribes trained their horses to be mounted from that right side. I figure the simplest explanation came when a cowboy carried a revolver, rifle, or musket with his right hand. The left side provided the easier mount. The Indian warrior who carried his bow in his left hand would rather mount from the right side. There’s no correct side to mount or dismount. It all depends on how you train your animal.
Only One Right Way?
It seems to me that sometimes Christians spend too much time arguing about the right and wrong way to mount a horse. That is, we have an idea how a spiritual goal ought to be accomplished. Instead of pushing to reach that goal, we try to ensure everyone fits our mold for getting there.
For example, we’d all agree that praise should be part of the fellowship when we come together to worship. And often corporate praise can come during singing of hymns, choruses, and other spiritual songs. But we spend long hours debating whether songs should be sung seated or standing or standing with hands praised. Should there be no instruments, only an organ and piano, or do we need drums and electric guitars?
Get on Board
I don’t think it really matters from which side of the horse you mount. Whatever your habit might be, that’s fine. Just get aboard. A particular style doesn’t mean anything as long as you get the job done. This is true of calf roping and of offering worship and praise to God.
Stephen Bly
Circa 1992
Mounting Horse Image by Daniel Mena from Pixabay
Horses Being Mounted Image by DonnaSenzaFiato from Pixabay
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“Which Side to Mount the Horse” audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.
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