When you say “yes” to horses, either for yourself or for your children, you are committing yourself to a whole new world of education. Horse care, horsemanship, behaviour, competition, anatomy, riding, etc etc etc. It can be overwhelming, but it can also be an amazing experience.

Learning something new, especially when you are an adult, surrounded by other adults and kids who appear to know what they are doing, can be really intimidating. But I want to encourage you that you can do it! So to help you on the way here are 10 things I have learnt about learning as an adult.

1 Be brave.

I added an image to my facebook page of a sign outside a school saying “Be brave enough to suck at something new”. Yes! Because even though we want to be awesome straight away, the reality is we won’t be. And that can be embarrassing! I remember going on my first, and so far only, hunt (think horses, hounds and red jackets) and a very nice man asked me if I had been riding for long. Um… so it’s that obvious?!!? And that’s just one example… I could write a whole blog post on just these moments… So the point is be brave! It’s ok to be a beginner.

2. Be humble.

You don’t know everything, in fact in the beginning you pretty much know nothing! A know-it-all beginner is not going to get much support. So accept that you are an empty vessel, be humble and you will be much better supported.

3. Value people. Surround yourself with horsey people by going along to horse events, join clinics, track down horsey neighbours, join facebook groups. Oh – and actually talk to these people! Instead of being intimidated by their experience and knowledge see them as the amazing resource that they are. Be grateful for everything they pass on.

I am so thankful for all the people who have helped me over the years and have made this journey possible.

4. Ask questions.

To anyone. Everyone. All the time. Again, don’t be afraid to look silly because getting a direct answer to a specific question is going to accelerate your learning. I humbled myself recently and admitted to an instructor that I didn’t think my saddle was fitting my horse, and possibly hurting him, but I didn’t know exactly why. The answers I got were gold and I have a much better understanding of saddle fit now. Most people will be really helpful and happy to encourage a newby. If you come across the odd one who isn’t, don’t take it personally. You don’t know what is going on for them in their life, or that day. Be respectful though of their time, and pick your moments. Asking questions right before they go into the ring for a showjumping round is not the right time for most.

5. Be proactive.

Read books, magazines and blogs, watch youtube videos, join facebook groups and follow discussions, google terms or veterinary diagnoses. If your children ride, then stay and observe their lessons. I have watched pretty much every lesson my girls have been to and have learnt a huge amount. You can even be helpful to the instructor by moving jumps etc and incidentally learn more terms like cavaletti… And potentially get invited in for a wine!

5. Get hands-on help.

There is so much you can learn online or in books, but sometimes you actually need someone in the paddock with you. So that’s back to having horsey friends. If you haven’t got that far with your connections (or they are busy), then consider paying someone to come out and help you learn to float or catch a troublesome horse for example. It would be worth the investment.

6. Evaluate.

One thing you will learn quickly is that every horsey person has a different style, methodology and opinion on just about every aspect of horsemanship. In fact it can get rather turbulent on facebook groups at times! So compare different views and work out what suits your personality, your horse, your budget and time constraints, and your own developing horsey ethos.

7. Be flexible.

There will be things that you learn that you may need to unlearn later on when you find a better way of doing things. Or something may work for one horse or situation, but not another. Be flexible too in when and how you learn. Download podcasts to listen to when cleaning the bathroom, or blogs for waiting rooms. If you haven’t got a spare hour to work with your horse, then even 10 – 20 minutes of trying a new groundwork technique is useful (apparently 20 minutes of working on something new is optimum, especially for young horses).

8. Learn with your horse.

Yep, actually get out there and spend time with that gorgeous creature in the paddock! Practice, practice, practice. For example if you know you have to go somewhere with the float and that is freaking you out then practice for a couple of days before hand. If you are inspired by training videos then actually go and do it. (Yes I am speaking to myself right now…)

9. Break it down.

If an area of learning seems too daunting then break it into little manageable pieces. This was really helpful to me, especially as I was dealing with a lot of anxiety around some of the “scary horse stuff” so I will be sharing some tips on this in other blog posts.

I know I said there would be 10 points but this one’s a bonus and it’s a goody…!

*** Bonus Number 11. Be patient, and be kind to yourself!!! You will make mistakes, you will feel ignorant, even overwhelmed at times, but you are being brave and amazing by committing yourself to a new learning path. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Your progress and growth is what matters, and the result of that will be more confidence and enjoyment with your horse… and your horse will thank you for it.

You are on a journey, and (SPOILER ALERT) you are never going to reach the end! No one ever does. But you will look back and see how far you have come. So be brave, be humble, and embrace the learning!

xx

Larisa