At the end of each day I reach for my books. If I have been struggling with something that day I look for inspiration. If I am planning my training for the next day I seek inspiration in the same way. Each night I “train with” the best contemporary and deceased masters of equitation – What does Paul Belasik (7) say about counter canter? How about Michel Henriquet (10) and Kyra Kyrkland (18)? Does Udo Burger (3) agree? How about Nuno Oliveira (8)? I’ve been having problems with my seat now how can Sally Swift (12) help me with that? You get the picture?
Books are fantastic. You can carry them with you. Unlike DVD’s we don’t need a player to watch them. You can read selectively what you need at your convenience. They are so cheap in comparison to a lesson with the same person. I can reap the harvest of the thinking of people long since dead who have taken the trouble to pass on their most precious inheritance of all, their knowledge, not just to their families but to us all.
What of contradictions? There will always be contradictions. Life is like that. What works for one person may not work for another. This is life’s rich pattern. And our challenge is to work out what works for us. Don’t get too caught up in the disagreements. Think it through and make your choice about what you will try. If it doesn’t work for you try to understand why. And then try again. If it still doesn’t work don’t push harder, try something else.
Do you have books on riding? How do you use them?
Many people indulge in what I call passive reading. This kind of reading is about passing time and what is read is forgotten almost as soon as it registers. If your time is precious, and all working riders will be in this category, you need to make your reading time count.
I find that I do two types of reading. One type is what I’d call reference reading. This is basically nugget picking. I search in the index of books for a topic I’m interested in and then just read that section. In this way I can compare and contrast many points of view. The other type of reading is what I call active reading. I’m seeking to really thoroughly understand the author’s point of view. As I read I’m asking myself questions. What is the evidence for or against? Have I seen/felt this? Does it make sense? How does it fit with my mental model? Could it be true? Often I will resort to Systems Thinking to check out the logic of the argument. Well-written prose makes it easy to draw the connections. Poorly written or inconsistent prose does not!