Have you ever met anyone who was self taught a foreign language by book alone? Neither have I.
I also have never met anyone who learned how to train their horse and to ride by book lesson alone – and was successful at it. That is my ad caveat. Success.
First, let me explain what my definition of success is before moving along. Success is often measured by the amount of money you make, how many trophies you win or championships you’ve clinched. Whether you are a household name or when your name is Googled you appear in the top 10 results. My definition of success is a little different…
Success to me is whether your horse honestly looks forward to interacting with you – without the assistance of treats or other bribery. Success can be measured by the complete lack of resistance in the horse. Success is the ability to converse with the horse as if you both speak the same language fluently; which is where book learning a language comes into play.
Books can provide only so much assistance in the learning process. Unfortunately they cannot give you feedback on whether you are in this very moment doing something correctly or incorrectly. They cannot step in to keep you from getting kicked in the face or foot stomped. They cannot show you what the right amount of pressure in the reins or with your legs is. They are inanimate and the kind of learning that develops solely from their use is likewise INANIMATE.
To the contrary the idea of working with horses is to develop yourself DYNAMICALLY. To be able to ebb and flow with the whims and fancies of the horse, to make every effort look effortless (and feel effortless).
My writing has taken a turn towards championing more the welfare and treatment of the horse than the actual training process, and in reflection it is because of this book learning effect. Written words only go so far before they fall short altogether. Theories and ideas are great, but actual actions are not. Think of stereo instructions… :)
Learning has to be in person, has to come from an instructor/teacher/mentor who is fluent, effortless, graceful and honest. That is the art of teaching, because in teaching you learn more than is possible from being just a student.
Now I’m rambling a bit, but that is the point I wish to convey – go out and interact and learn from a teacher. Set down the books that discuss technique because they cannot teach you the fluent language.