Several years ago I began a new educational journey into dressage, which was quite the departure from 20 years of hunter and equitation riding. While I felt like a very accomplished rider on the flat I quickly found myself becoming much more enthralled with the sport as I learned more and more. And the more I learned, the less I found that I knew.
As a business owner I’ve kept up a consistent pace of learning over the last several years, although most of it is outside the realm of equine jargon. I’ve learned about EBIDTA, actually started to understand what depreciation is and why it’s important, realized the importance of trusting gut instincts versus overanalyzing, figured out what information needs analyzing and what is superfluous. I’ve begun to understand how to make decisions that affect others in very real ways, and when to delegate and let others make decisions and deal with the consequences. In other words, my education as a business owner has been intense on ongoing.
In the meantime I’ve found myself at times feeling stagnant as a horseperson. Education isn’t thrust upon me like when I was a junior or amateur, now like it is as a business owner in a sink-or-swim way. Now I have to actively seek education and even more difficult: remember to begin the search.
The phrase I keep repeating to myself and hearing other professionals, and even some amateurs, say after taking a lesson is “I didn’t realize…blah blah blah.” For myself, I didn’t realize how much more we can be asking of our horses, how much more they are able to do, how much more flexibility. they need, how much more sensitivity they possess. Sometimes we need an outside source to look with new eyes as to how much more we can be. Watching the instructors here at the Stables take lessons this week from Button Baker was an excellent example. For days after our instructors’ lessons showed their inspiration not just through new exercises and higher standards, but also by a renewed effusion of passion. As horse people we are always trying to improve and strive for better. Complacency is sneaky and can whittle its way into our daily lives without notice; the continual reminder of progression through education is the best remedy to fight back.