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September 2009 Archive

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

The Pursuit of Unconscious Competence

I didn’t come up with the idea of the pursuit of unconscious competence and the steps involved in getting there on my own. One of my mentors passed on this pearl of wisdom, and I think of it often. Like everyone who’s passionate about what they do, we horsepeople want to attain a level of ‘unconscious competence’ in all areas of our horsemanship.

Think about something that you know how to do so well, you don’t have to think about it – like typing or driving. In fact, if someone asked you where the ‘a’ key on the keyboard or the brake in your car is, you’d probably have to think about it. You have developed muscle memory and habit; your body knows what to do, and it requires very little thought to complete the task. This is unconscious competence.

Unfortunately, the road to unconscious competence in horsemanship is often a bumpy one, involving many mistakes and many, many hours. Most people who get into horses start at unconscious incompetence, for a little while, at least – and many people never leave. They have no idea just how incompetent they are with horses. And if you’re not aware that you are incompetent at something, it’s hard to improve. There is no progress, no forward momentum. After all, you can do everything already! (Or so you think.)

Getting to the next stage of conscious incompetence is a great achievement. Even though it’s an uncomfortable, awkward and often frustrating place, being there is great! You know that you’re doing something – some days it may feel like everything! – wrong, which generally makes you want to improve. Moving on to this second stage is vital if you are serious about horsemanship – or anything else. It motivates you to seek answers – read, watch DVDs, attend clinics, talk to people. By being aware of your own shortcomings, you are inspired to improve.

Conscious competence comes next – you are competent at the task, but you haven’t formed the habits yet. At this point, your body still needs your mind to reason things out, to walk it through the steps. But you’re getting it. Things are making sense, things are working. You are having more and more fun every day.

And then comes the sought-after state of unconscious competence. You know where any one of your gelding’s feet are at any given time. You know just what your mare needs to work through her anxiety. Your timing is exact. You don’t have to think about it; you just know. Unconscious competence is what the horsemasters have achieved.

Once you break free of unconscious incompetence, you will quickly find that you are consciously competent at many things, but may also be consciously incompetent in many areas. It’s okay – everyone who ever got anywhere in their horsemanship had to go through the conscious incompetence stage. Persevere, play around with things and ask for support when you need it.

I have a lot of conscious incompetencies – and one of my greatest fears (right up there with bees and small children) is that I’m still unconsciously incompetent in some areas. It can be hard to break free of your own assumptions, and I find that having people to talk to about ideas and problems is invaluable. I also have many conscious competences and a few good basic skills that I don’t have to think about anymore.

What about you?

POSTED BY CELENA AT 7:50 PM      0 COMMENTS     POST A COMMENT
CATEGORIES: ASPIRING HORSEMAN, HORSEPEOPLE - A BREED OF OUR OWN, UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

More Than Balls & Pedestals

When I started out doing natural horsemanship, I thought that ‘natural horsemanship’ was a discipline – like jumping or reining. I devoted myself completely to it, thinking that if I was doing natural horsemanship, I was limited to playing with balls, pedestals and the like.

Hey, I’m not knocking balls and pedestals – they’re lots of fun to play with and help to increase horses’ confidence. I love doing that kind of thing! But I was missing the point.

What I failed to understand was that a philosophy can be applied to any situation – and that natural horsemanship can be used to train high-level dressage horses and cutting horses alike. Natural horsemanship isn’t the end – it’s the beginning. It’s where you and your horse are going together.

Getting into natural horsemanship doesn’t mean that you can’t ride or compete in a discipline that you love. It gives you a challenge – learn, experiment, and put a purpose to what you were already doing. You’ll be amazed at how those natural horsemanship concepts suddenly make a lot more sense to both of you.

What discipline are you riding or competing in using natural horsemanship techniques?

POSTED BY CELENA AT 9:16 PM      0 COMMENTS     POST A COMMENT
CATEGORIES: APPLYING NH, DISCIPLINES, NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP PHILOSOPHIES