[fusion_builder_container type=”flex” hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” align_content=”stretch” flex_align_items=”flex-start” flex_justify_content=”flex-start” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” container_tag=”div” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” border_style=”solid” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” absolute=”off” absolute_devices=”small,medium,large” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_transition_offset=”0″ scroll_offset=”0″ animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_2″ align_self=”stretch” content_layout=”column” align_content=”flex-start” content_wrap=”wrap” center_content=”no” target=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” order_medium=”0″ order_small=”0″ margin_top=”22px” margin_bottom=”0px” hover_type=”none” border_style=”solid” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ background_type=”single” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ last=”true” border_position=”all” first=”true” padding_left_small=”20px” padding_right_small=”20px” min_height=”” link=””][fusion_title title_type=”text” rotation_effect=”bounceIn” display_time=”1200″ highlight_effect=”circle” loop_animation=”off” highlight_width=”9″ highlight_top_margin=”0″ before_text=”” rotation_text=”” highlight_text=”” after_text=”” title_link=”off” link_url=”” link_target=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” content_align_medium=”” content_align_small=”” content_align=”left” size=”2″ animated_font_size=”” fusion_font_family_title_font=”'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif” fusion_font_variant_title_font=”” font_size=”27px” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”#003429″ hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” animated_text_color=”” text_shadow=”no” text_shadow_vertical=”” text_shadow_horizontal=”” text_shadow_blur=”0″ text_shadow_color=”” text_stroke=”no” text_stroke_size=”1″ text_stroke_color=”” text_overflow=”none” margin_top_medium=”” margin_right_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_left_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_right_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_left_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” gradient_font=”no” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ highlight_color=”” style_type=”none” sep_color=”#834840″ link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_color=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_delay=”0″ animation_offset=””]I often reference a paper that was written by a distinguished psychologist Paul Wachtel, PhD where he makes the assertion that our graduate psychology programs are training technicians rather than scientists who are exploring the edges of our knowledge and understanding. On a similar note, I remember a talk I attended back in the early 90’s where the speaker reminded us that all of the founders of the various popular family therapy models being taught in our 2-year graduate programs where classically trained psychoanalysts with 30 to 40 years of clinical experience. He feared we where prioritizing tools and techniques over deep knowledge and understanding.
As humans, we want clarity and direction. This is especially true in the equestrian world where the development of effective relationships with our horses so often seems a mysterious process. Our desire for clarity drives us to seek out simple digestible answers and direction which many trainers are happy to provide. Heels down, inside leg to outside rein, when your horse does this…do that, and so on and so on. Please don’t get me wrong, technical skill is essentially important. But, just like in the world of psychology, mistaking technical skill for mastery is unfortunate and misguided. What then is the path to mastery?
I spent the day yesterday auditing a Tom Curtin Quality Horsemanship Clinic. It was amazing to watch him ride and demonstrate the days lessons on his horses. He talked about his horses feet being his own when he is in the saddle. He said, “I don’t get on a horse. I get the opportunity to have an extention of me.” If seeing is believing, I believe.
Equally impressive was the way he taught. Sure there were moments where he spoke to technique and technical skills. However, most of his time was spent setting up simple exercises which were designed to help each rider feel their way to the awareness of their horse’s feet.
Riders in the clinic also asked questions in a different form than I am used to. They would ask, “How can I help my horse to…” rather than “What should I do…” questions. Tom would give suggestions or thoughts related to their question and then he would ask, “Did that give you some ideas?”
I love that. “Did that give you some ideas?” Some new ways to think about it. Some new ways of approaching it. Something to explore. Something to master through exploration. A path to both mastery and ownership that did not depend on you “getting it right” or “following directions to the letter.”
In almost every arena of modern life, we are acculturated to perform to a standard. We strive for performance objectives. Test scores. Job titles. Performance quotas. Salaries. Ribbons. Year end awards. The list goes on. What would it be like to give ourselves permission to explore, make our own mistakes, gather some ideas from masters along the way, do some stuff, and seek the mastery rather than performance.
I am going to go and ride my horse today and play with some of the ideas I took away from Tom. Hopefully, I will be able to find my horses feet and put together a few things I have learned along the way in a new way that deepens both my knowledge and understanding. Will you join me on this winding path to mastery? ~ Paul
PC – Erin Gilmore Photography
Tom Curtin Quality Horsemanship
#sportpsych #equstriansportpsychology #mastery #equestriansportpsych #equestrianlife #learning #deepunderstanding[/fusion_title][fusion_imageframe image_id=”2633|full” aspect_ratio=”2-1″ custom_aspect_ratio=”35″ aspect_ratio_position=”” skip_lazy_load=”” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” max_width=”” sticky_max_width=”” align_medium=”none” align_small=”none” align=”none” mask=”” custom_mask=”” mask_size=”” mask_custom_size=”” mask_position=”” mask_custom_position=”” mask_repeat=”” style_type=”” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” hover_type=”none” magnify_full_img=”” magnify_duration=”120″ scroll_height=”100″ scroll_speed=”1″ margin_top_medium=”” margin_right_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_left_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_right_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_left_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” z_index=”” caption_style=”off” caption_align_medium=”none” caption_align_small=”none” caption_align=”none” caption_title=”” caption_text=”” caption_title_tag=”2″ fusion_font_family_caption_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_caption_title_font=”” caption_title_size=”” caption_title_line_height=”” caption_title_letter_spacing=”” caption_title_transform=”” caption_title_color=”” caption_background_color=”” fusion_font_family_caption_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_caption_text_font=”” caption_text_size=”” caption_text_line_height=”” caption_text_letter_spacing=”” caption_text_transform=”” caption_text_color=”” caption_border_color=”” caption_overlay_color=”” caption_margin_top=”” caption_margin_right=”” caption_margin_bottom=”” caption_margin_left=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_color=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_delay=”0″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″]https://ridingfar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/438059672_956692106456266_308980961420169179_n.jpeg[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

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I remember back to grad school and my first clients. I was feeling badly one day about one of my first cases and bemoaning my lack of understanding, skill and experience when someone said to me,, “Every surgeon has their first operation.” At the time, I was comforted. However, as time has past, I began to wonder if my taking comfort in that idea went too far. While it is certainly true that we all have to start somewhere, it is also true that we should take the necessary care to develop our understanding, skills, and experience in a way that builds capability over time. That way, when we do our first “surgery,” we are well prepared for success.

Yesterday, Justin and I spend another fabulous day with the trainers and riders at Meadowbrook Stables. After lunch I spent some time with their IEA coach Halle and another instructor Charlotte. We had a wide ranging conversation about coaching, mental skills, emotional growth, and preparation for competition. Their team IEA team is headed for finals and we talked about strategies and techniques to help them effectively cope with the pressure. One of the themes that emerged was the value of small and consistent practices over time. It is great to have tools to use in the heat of competition. But, in order for those tools to be maximally effective, we need to consistently and regularly practice the fundamental mental and emotional skills. Then, when we need them, they are ready to go.

As we worked with the riders during the day on connection through the reins and bit. I reflected on how essentially important it is that our equine partners understand what we are trying to communicate. We ended up talking about it in a way that was very similar to the conversation about mental preparation. In order to develop that communication, we need to work on the small things in a consistent way to build and then refine our relationship with our horses through the bit, as well as their understanding of all the aids.

I would be the first to acknowledge the value of experience, experimentation, and play; engaging the world at the cutting edge (or just beyond) of our knowledge and skill. At the same time, I am also concerned that in our race to the end game, we often skip over the fundamental understandings and abilities that allow us to be successful when challenged. In the world of horses, we end up with teams that can accomplish the competitive task but, suffer behaviorally, physically, or mentally because of a shallow foundation. In the world of humans, we end up with people who are struggling mentally or emotionally with the stress of competition because they jumped over the development of core coping and regulatory skills.

I hope you will join me in resisting the temptation to race to the end game. Let us commit to the thoughtful and consistent development of ourselves and our relationships with our horses. ~ Paul

PC – @eringilmorephotography

#fundamentals #equestrian #equestrianlife #sportpsych #equestriansportpsych #equstriansportpsychology #foundationforperformance

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The summer before I started graduate school, I spend many afternoons siting in the hospital with my namesake and grandfather, Paul Kern. He had bone cancer and his body was dying. That summer was the most beautiful and excruciatingly painful time of my life.  There were quiet times of shared silence. Times where I reread our favorite Louis L’Amour westerns aloud. Times when I comforted him in his pain. TImes where I shed silent tears of grief.

We lost Vortex this weekend. We first met him as he flew off a stock trailer with several other Nokotas fresh off the plains of North Dakota back in 2014. He had a presence and energy that was wild, vibrant and pure. He Joined our herd several years later. His relationship with Justin in the years that followed is Justin’s to tell. What I can say is that Vortex lived up to his name. Not as a destructive force. Rather, a collector of the world’s energy, organizing it in a clear and powerful way.  He was a central spirit in the whole herd, human and horse alike. 

I watched Vortex and Justin grow their relationship. We talk a lot about complex systems and opening channels of communication. I got to watch that happen in real time as Vortex taught Justin and Justin stumbled his way forward. In the end, their relationship was a beautiful thing to watch. And, when I watch Justin with young or confused or frightened horses, I can see the  echo of Vortex in him.

It is one of my greatest honors to channel the quiet, patient, and loving spirit of my Grandfather, to share his spirit with others so that they might experience the same loving acceptance I experienced as a child and young man. We aspire to honor Vortex in the same way, to share his gift of organizing the energy of our relationships and make meaningful ripples in the universe. ~ Paul

#SportPsychology #equestriansportpsych #Equestrian #grief #loss #vortex #spiritguide

PC – Erin Gilmore Photography

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