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When I was in college, I had a math professor, Fr. Dobbins, who was equal parts challenging and inspiring. He would assign homework that no mere mortal could complete on their own. Then he would offer a three to four-hour study session every week to work through the material as a group. On the first exam I took with him, I earned 27%, which turned out to be the second-highest mark in the class. He would say, “Anyone can memorize procedures and theorems. I want to know how you can apply the principles to novel problems.”

I would like to say I appreciated his approach back then, but I would be lying. However, in reflection, it taught me some valuable lessons. First, it gave me both experience and confidence in tackling problems I had never encountered before. Second, it taught me how to work with others to solve the novel problems I faced. Problems that I could not solve on my own. I honestly think these may have been two of the most important lessons I learned in college. As I write this, I realize that I have carried this story and experience with me and have been able to draw on it when I’ve felt stuck or faced seemingly impossible odds.

I am grateful that Fr. Dobbins was the only professor that taught higher level Calculus. If I’d had a choice, I am certain I would have switched out of his class after that first semester with him. As it worked out, I had the privilege of being his student for Calculus III, IV, V, and VI. I remember in the last semester with him. He kept encouraging me to pursue advanced study in fluid dynamics or the study of how liquids and gases flow. Otherwise known as “modeling chaos.”

I chuckle to myself when I think about my career and how much of what I do with riders and horses involves finding ways to understand the turbulent and chaotic; and to then work toward bringing predictability and order to our experience and our relationships with our horses.

Father Dobbins passed away in 2008. I like to think he would be proud of my work and how I strive to embody and share the lessons that he taught me in those study sessions so many years ago. I think he would love the process I engage in with my clients where, together, we tackle the novel problems of their lives and horsemanship journeys.

I will end today with this thought—If we can effectively resolve 30% of life’s novel challenges on our own with no help from others, that is pretty darn good. For the other 70%, we can be successful when we work together with a supportive team or community.

I encourage you all to build an amazing “study group” to help you through the tough times.

~ Paul

PC -Erin Gilmore/ Erin Gilmore Photography

#Equestrian #sportpsych #equestriansportpsych #sportpsychology #equestrianlife #Community #creatingcommunity #Resilience #resourcefulness

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Earlier this week I ran across a quote that really got me thinking. It is a quote from a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident Dietrich Bonhoeffer and it goes like this, “The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.” It has been floating around in the back of my consciousness ever since. It both inspires and challenges me on many levels.

Recently, Riding Far has invested in serving riding instructors and trainers by sharing our knowledge about how people learn, effective teaching practices, and helpful ways of dealing with strong emotions in ourselves and our clients. One of the essential elements of teaching and learning is creating positive learning environments. We love Timothy Clark’s Four Stages of Psychological Safety and use it as a basis for our work. It starts with inclusion safety and then moves to through safety to learn, safety to contribute, and safety to challenge the status quo. I wonder if Bonhoeffer’s reference to loving those around us is his way of creating psychological safety. An essential element of a healthy community is that it is a psychologically, emotionally, energetically, and spiritually a safe space.

When Justin and I started building Riding Far, we talked a lot about not wanting it to be a cult of personality. We have made conscious choices to build our business as a values based organization. One of our core values is our own personal growth and education. We love to share our knowledge, insights, and skill. If what we teach and share is helpful, we are delighted because we also value each and every clients’ personal growth and education. However, we are not invested in anyone doing it “the Riding Far way.” Rather, we value individuality, compassion and empathy, and the dignity of every horse and rider. We are invested in people finding their own way forward, a path that brings joy and well-being to riders and horses alike. I wonder if this is what Bonhoeffer meant by “loving those around them?”

Riding Far is currently searching for our next home. These transitions always come with challenges. But, as is always the case, each challenge presents an opportunity. One of the many opportunities in this transition is that we will likely have a facility that is wholly dedicated to our program. This is incredibly exciting, but at the same time we recognize our responsibility. We will have the responsibility for creating a culture that elevates psychological safety and fosters healthy community. We rely on you to help us guard against the kind of hubris, self-importance, and love of our own vision that Bonhoeffer warns will destroy community.

With love and respect… Paul

PC – Erin Gilmore Photography

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A passionate lifelong fox hunter calls for help when a new equine partner challenges her confidence in the field. A woman starts riding again after raising her family and experiences anxiety and fear that she has never felt before. A seasoned competitor is shaken by a seemingly innocuous fall (one of hundreds she has taken in her lifetime) and then experiences crippling anxiety in the jumping arena. These scenarios are a small sample of some of the requests for help that we receive regularly.

When asked if I can help, the answer is always surely. I am happy to do whatever I can to help riders find their way back to their joy of riding and competing. I often share that I have a pretty big toolbox of strategies and techniques that I have honed and developed over the years. But, in all honesty, the most powerful help I have to offer grew out of my observations of the patterns that I saw in the riders that I worked with over the years.

What I noticed is that in every situation I could identify a concern in one or more of five areas: motivation, goals, resources, risk, or relationships. Sometimes the issue was circumscribed to one or two of these areas. However, more often than not, the issue was in how these factors aligned in their equine activities. We can all imagine the problems that arise when we have high motivation and lofty goals but few resources such as time, money or appropriate resources. Or, the challenges we face when, with a lifetime of skill and experience, circumstances change like growing older or starting a family and we don’t consider how the impact of the very real risks in our sport change with the circumstances.

What I love about what I now call the Pillars of Progress is that they are straight forward and accessible to everyone. Yet, in a way similar to foundational horsemanship, there is a deep richness to what they have to offer us in or equestrian pursuits. A richness that can be mined and actively used to support us throughout our equestrian life if we are willing to invest in learning about ourselves through the lens of the Pillars. By reflecting on and seeking alignment among the five Pillars of Progress we greatly increase the likelihood of making good choices for ourselves and overcoming the challenges we face in our riding.

We want everyone to have access to this powerful perspective. We want everyone to be able to use the Pillars of Progress perspective as a foundation for their decision making. This is also a tool that is valuable for trainers and instructors by providing them with a framework for understanding where riders might get stuck and helping them develop helpful and effective plans in moving forward.

Join us for our upcoming virtual course Pillars of Progress. Take a deep dive into understanding the Pillars and finding the kind of alignment that will serve as a solid foundation in your horsemanship journey for years to come. ~ Paul

📸 Erin Gilmore // Erin Gilmore Photography

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Last weekend we launched our new instructor training course, “The Art and Science of Teaching and Learning: Skills and Strategies for Teaching the Modern Rider.” It was a fabulous weekend. As a group we shared our frustrations and victories, we laughed and maybe leaked a tear or two, we learned, and we played with new ideas and strategies for tackling our most difficult challenges. By the end I was exhausted in the best of ways. And, I was profoundly grateful and excited to hear that so many in our group found deep value in the experience.

As I sit with my coffee this morning, I got to thinking about how this all came together. The majority of the content for the weekend has been in my head and heart for many many years. A lot of what we taught is simply an integral part of the way I view the world and conduct myself in my practice. For decades I have possessed the knowledge, skill, and experience to teach something like this. Yet, I never even imagined it. So… how was this born and how did it grow.

I think the core spark came from our community of connections and an openness to be of service. I am not talking about the kind of service where we decide what everyone needs and how we want to serve them. I am talking about the kind of service that comes from openness and listening. I remember several years ago being invited to a meeting of the USEA’s coaching certification program committee. I expected to be asked about how I might contribute to the instructors’ toolbox of mental skills and other traditional sport psychology strategies. What I heard was a profound interest in helping instructors become better teachers and grow in the understanding of their students and how their students learn. I thought… I can do that.

I had never considered how valuable my years of assessment and treatment of learning differences would contribute to the world of riding instruction. Looking back, I realize how blind I was to what I could contribute. It was the act of being open and listening to what others in my community needed that unlocked my imagination and potential.

That may have been the spark but it was our team and supporters at Riding Far that tended the fire. I remember coming back from my first presentation at USEA’s educational symposium. I was telling Justin about the talk and he thought it was cool. He asked how long it would take to turn that into a course or clinic. In that instant, I realized it would be a matter of minutes to outline a course. Our instructor clinic was born with the help and hard work of everyone on our team.

You will often hear me say that people are the worst judges of their own progress. We tend to focus on the set-backs and forget the steps forward. I am beginning to think that we are also the worst judges of our ability to contribute. Left to our own devices, we are often blind to how our talents, skills, and experience can benefit others.

It is in our relationships and genuine connection to others that we can hear the invitation. So I leave you today with an invitation of my own. Connect. Love. Listen. When you hear the call from your community take the risk to answer it. It is my heartfelt belief that responding in this way will deepen your connection to your community and open many more doors that you were blinded to while on our own.

~ Paul

📸 Erin Gilmore // Erin Gilmore Photography

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A week ago today I swung my saddle onto the back of a five-year-old quarter horse under the watchful eye of Tom Curtin.