There are many things I love about the horse world, first being the horses of course!
But second, and probably most, of all the other things that I love about being around horses,
is that there is always something new to learn. I have learned something new from every barn I have worked for,
from every horse video I have watched, from books, from clinics, and formal training courses.
Even with all of that I still have so much more to learn!
The benefits of having multiple avenues to learn from is that no matter which way you learn best, most likely,
there is content out there for you to be able to learn what you need, the way you need to. It may take some
searching, but as the saying goes “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
I have found a few different ways helpful in gaining knowledge throughout my own horsemanship journey, so
I thought I would list a few of them.
Virtual Learning
This type of learning probably came the easiest for me, watching videos, and reading on my own was usually
this introverts best learning method. I spent almost a year watching all kinds of horse videos ranging from all
about tack, mucking stalls, and horse training. Between those videos, books, and articles, I was able to gain a
basic knowledge of the different types of tack, and tools used in a barn before I was even in one.
Learning By Experience
However book knowledge alone doesn’t make a great horseman, time and experience do that. There was a
lot of learning by experience at my first barn job, especially since I was pretty much on my own. There were a
lot of learn as I went days, and a few survive as I went. Most days I would get home, and try to find a video
on what to do if your horse does “x” to find out what to do if the situation ever happened again.
Lessons
That is why, if at all possible, I highly recommend in person training as well. The awesome thing about in
person training is that it doesn’t necessarily have to involve riding. You can get training on the ground, or in
the saddle in an individual, or group lesson. There are many benefits of in person training, having someone
who can demonstrate exercises for you, as well as who can work out training for your horse if something
comes up that is above your experience level. Really good trainers are able to figure out what method of
learning works best for you, and your horse, so that you are able to keep making forward progress.
Clinics
Clinics are another awesome way to gain knowledge, and advance your horsemanship. You generally have
two options when it comes to clinics, observing – sometimes also called auditing, or participating in the clinic.
I’ve had the benefit of observing a few clinics, and have been able to participate in part of one, so I can say
that both options prove to be quite valuable.
Here is the difference between the two.
Observing:
The pressure is off you! You’re able to sit back, and see how the horse and human interact, and then how the
horse and trainer interact when they demonstrate how to correct the behavior. By observing you are able to
compare how the two are different, and how they gained different results.
Participating:
Less observing, and more doing! By participating you can get personalized instruction for whatever you, and
your horse, are working on, because the instructor is giving you, or the group, constant feedback on how to
get better results from what you are asking the horse to do.
Formal Schooling And Internships
There is also the option of taking Equestrian related courses through colleges, certified internships, clinician
academies, farrier schools, etc…
I went the route of attending a certified internship to be a professional Eventing groom/barn manager. I spent
almost two months training in Virginia, until the final test of all I had learned, where I spent two weeks as an
intern at a completely different barn.
That internship was one of the best experiences, because it mixed all the ways of learning into one. We would
be assigned videos to watch, and were given articles, and books to read. Then we had hands on training with
the vet, and the farrier. In addition to that we had class time where we learned from our instructor, the vet,
and the equine nutritionist.
All of those ways of learning combined have helped me to grow into the horsewoman I am today, and will
continue too, because thankfully I still have so much more to learn.
Leave us a comment, and share some of the things you have learned on your horsemanship journey!
