Epona Equine Services

01/08/2025

We all think we know what is going on in the industry we love, but after serving as the chair of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Horse Welfare Commission for the past year, now I do know, and I can’t un-ring that bell. I was sickened, as anyone would be, to hear of some of the atrocities commit...

12/19/2024

IMPORTANCE OF THE DUNNING-KRUGER EFFECT IN TRAINING

A few years ago, I was watching a well-known trainer teach a clinic. I had hoped to be incognito, but the clinician's partner recognized me somehow and approached to speak to me. During the conversation, they said something like, “I think it is important we all (meaning horse professionals) support each other and try not to be critical.” I just nodded my head because it seemed the right thing to do at that moment. But I disagree.

I worked for a long time as a scientist. Science is never stationary. It is always moving forward. It is always evolving. The thing about science that makes this possible is that as scientists we are always examining and re-examining our work and our work is always being examined and tested by other scientists. Our work is constantly open to scrutiny. There is no political correctness designed to protect a person’s feelings. There is no sense that a person’s work should not be pulled apart and rigorously tested in case somebody gets upset. Part of the contract a scientist makes with the world of science is to accept that other scientists are going to work hard to prove you wrong and then tell the world about it. It happens at grant interviews, it happens at conferences, it happens at laboratory meetings and it happens when you submit a manuscript for publication. It is an important part of the job because without that constant and harsh review process science would grind to a halt – knowledge would grind to a halt. Scientists see this as normal and okay, and even necessary. But many non-scientists, “horse world” people see this as unprofessional, rude, offensive, inappropriate, and even divisive.

I see a big part of my job is to strive to be a better horse person and teacher and to better the knowledge and understanding of people who want to learn from me. If that means I need to explain to my students what I see is wrong with some practices and what changes I would make, then that’s where my priorities lay. I don’t see my job as supporting and protecting the teachings of those I believe are heading in the wrong direction. My job, as I see it, is to be an advocate for the horse, not an advocate for the livelihood of horse professionals whose work I don’t believe in.

However, I want to be clear that a criticism of a principle or method is not a criticism of a person who uses it. Nor is it a suggestion that they are not talented horse people. Most professionals are talented horse people and it would be extremely hard to find any that have no positive merit to their work. However, even the best of the best are not as good as they could be. Most will admit to that.

This brings me to the Dunning-Kruger effect. Dave Dunning and Justin Kruger are American social psychologists and researchers who spent many years establishing a principle that says, “The more incompetent a person is the less incompetent they think they are.” It means that the less we know the less we know we know. But conversely, the more we know the more likely we are to realize how much we don’t know.

One side effect of this is that we are always self-assessing inaccurately. We hide our imperfections from ourselves, so we need experts outside of our sphere to help keep our self-evaluation accurate. Our imperfections prevent us from seeing our imperfections. No matter how smart you are everybody will fall victim to the Dunning Kruger effect because we are all going to have areas of ignorance and incompetents that are outside our ability to see.

Therefore, the people best suited to evaluate and analyze the ideas of expert horse people are other expert horse people. Just like in the science world, other expert scientists evaluate and test the work of other scientists, so too do we need expert horse people to test and evaluate other horse people’s ideas.

It should be encouraged and applauded, not criticized and shrouded with howls of “unprofessionalism”. Professionals like me should welcome scrutiny and public discourse of our ideas and methods. Nobody should hide behind political correctness. To do so runs the risk that horsemanship will stagnate and not evolve beyond what we know now - cheating both horses and people from having the relationship one day (or decade or lifetime) we all hope but never dream could be possible.

I’ll keep taking the hits of scorn and ridicule because Isaac Asimov (science fiction writer and biochemist, 1920 - 1992) once said that great discoveries were not accompanied by words like “Eureka”, but by words like “Hmm, that’s interesting.” That’s why I want all of us to keep evaluating and critically analyzing what we believe we know and what others tell us they believe they know. I want every horse person to experience that moment when their horse does something unexpected and they think to themselves, “Hmm, that’s interesting”.

Photo: David Dunning (L) and Justin Kruger (R) published their seminal work in 199. Kruger, J; Dunning, D (December 1999). "Unskilled and unaware of it: how difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 77 (6): 1121–34.

11/28/2024

So many thoughts, and none of them well organized enough that I should even post this…I am in a position to bounce back into a more active professional role should I choose to, but I’m honestly not sure I have it in me anymore. And this is coming from someone who had a very successful business and great clients (not without rough patches, so don’t be fooled). I had a thought reading this…Does anyone in this industry use virtual assistants?

Anytime I’m doing barn chores or even sometimes just driving to and from the farm, I think about the issues outlined in this article. How a more business savvy approach to training and boarding programs could make all the difference. Leading and truly managing staff the same way any other legitimate business would, from interviewing and hiring, to training and oversight, to benefits. Providing clear expectations for employees, for boarders, for clients. And what sticks out the most is doing things efficiently. I sometimes wish I could pop around to people’s farms and help them to optimize efficiency. I’ve also wondered if others outline the actual cost associated with boarding each horse, and if they’ve shared that with their boarders to help them understand. I’ve lost friends over this because I was subsidizing their horses for months and I had to raise my rates. I was hurt and amazed by how much these “friends” didn’t seem bothered by that at all and expected me to keep doing it. I’ve been shocked at the numbers every time, month in and month out, that I add up the actual cost of doing business. I have acquired chronic pain, physical limitations, and medical debt over the years for work related injuries. Not something you can predict or easily quantify. I’m sure I’m not the only one, and these injuries aren’t covered by liability insurance. Health insurance is impossibly expensive. I could go on and on…

This old joke is funny because it’s true. And if you’re an equine professional, it’s also sad because it’s true. Growing up in the horse world, I heard things like this all the time—“There’s no money in horses!” or, “The only way to make any money is in sales, and they’re all cro...

10/14/2024

I just love this time of year! High Spirits Farm

10/10/2024

Christopher Bartle – genius trainer – dressage, eventing:
”Christopher has a very simple system to communicate with the horse. First, you make a POSITION STATEMENT, putting the body into position to tell the horse what it’s going to do. It’s the preparation. Next we use BODY LANGUAGE to tell the horse when it’s going to do it. It’s the action. This is then supported by the SEAT for length of stride and the LEG which is for energy and FINALLY THE HAND.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2023/12/christopher-bartle-this-is-a-truly-amazing-article/

09/15/2024

Two fun days at Moon River Training working with a great group of horses and riders.

Kelsey Steller and Tory Whitson are so photogenic!

08/08/2024

There’s something special about barn chores on a rainy day. Even if rainy is an understatement and you’re actually about to head home in a kayak.

07/31/2024

06/13/2024

What a pair! Willie and I were so fortunate to call TuckerBerry Farm home. Emily and Kate loved Willie like he was one of theirs and embraced his weird, old man habits. They are our people, our village, and I am forever grateful.

I can just see Emily’s smile shining through this article. Read on if you’re looking for a heartwarming story about an amazing woman (and pony!) doing cool stuff.

'The Best $125 I Ever Spent.' Emily Graeser and Comic Relief Achieve Century Ride at Hunt Club Farms