Don't Be Static

Static: lacking in movement, action, or change, especially in a way viewed as undesirable or uninteresting.

I was talking to a friend this evening about, what else… horse training. She’s a teacher by trade and is also one of my instructors at the farm. I wanted her to know how well she was doing; how much detail she was putting into her lessons, but in a very simplistic way so her students could understand and thrive! She then thanked me for allowing her to always learn. And my retort: I’m just the messenger.

What do I mean by that? I am always learning. I try to learn as much as I can, whenever I can! Don’t get me wrong, I’m very careful and conscientious about who I chose to learn from. But, I am always wanting to learn more. I want details; the what, then when and the why. I can be annoying about it but that’s because I always want to improve. If I am willing to put myself out there and take constructive criticism, then my horses, clients and my business will benefit immensely! And if the things I learned work, then I go back for more!!

What’s my point? We don’t know everything. If you haven’t taken a lesson in more than a year, you are not helping your horse or yourself. And if you are a trainer, you are not helping your clients or your business!

In the past five or six years, I’ve taken lessons from four different trainers; all of which I’ve learned a great deal from. I take different aspects of each lesson and apply it when I need it. I also allow my students to lesson with the person I am lessoning with if they are ready. If they are not ready, they are always welcome to come watch and learn. Why not, right?
It’s a fact in the horse world, all of our clients are fluid - they are all leaving at some point. So, then work as though you aren’t afraid to lose them. If I’m afraid to lose them, then they are definitely leaving anyway! But, if I give them reasons to stay, like access to amazing educational opportunities and reach their goals in the process, they aren’t going to want to leave.

Now, some clients are never happy and will leave even if you give them the world. So, why not work for improvement and bettering myself so clients stay happy and continue to learn as well!

My friend said to me “if you aren’t willing to continue to learn and grow, you should retire”. I agree with that 100%. Keep learning…. From the Ground Up!

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