
04/16/2025
Just because you have learned something new doesn't mean you should abandon all of your previous learning.
Most riders have a teacher they admire and aspire to follow their ways. Especially when the proof is in the pudding right in front of your eyes. Whether you observe a big change in the horses they work with or there are big changes in yourself.
What will get you stuck is deciding that you have to abandon everything else you've learned and solely focus on the new. The reason why this gets people stuck is because they forget how to just BE around horses. They get wrapped up in the ex*****on that they lose their feel.
When I'm learning, I think of new information and skill as an ADDITION to what I already have. I consider the new information as something I'm studying and practicing. I'm expecting it to take time. I'm expecting mistakes and uncomfortable moments.
There are some "old ways" that do belong in the trash. Those don't have to continue to be practiced. This is where I like to take inventory of what do I know, what do I not know, and what do I need to practice?
Horsemanship is an art and requires the study of it.