In a world of do-it-yourself, learn from YouTube, and Google everything, let’s not forget about learning directly from professionals.
Professionals hold knowledge, experience, and expertise in their minds and bodies. They possess a passion for performance and a drive for perfection that the average person will likely never achieve.
When I purchased a 3 yr old filly a few years ago, I did not bring her home and try to train her myself. I sent her to a professional. Actually she went to 3 different horse trainers over her first year with us.
Why? Because even though I know horses and have ridden my entire life, I have not trained hundreds of young horses. I have not put in the 10,000 hours required to reach expert level in horse training.
When my daughter wanted to start her on a barrel pattern, we went to a professional. Have I trained barrel horses? Yes. Am I professional? Not by any stretch of the imagination.
It’s not fair to the horse to confuse her or teach her incorrectly when she has her entire life ahead of her. Landry needs expert level instruction so that she and the mare grow together correctly.
When my eldest son was playing high school baseball, he went to lessons with a retired professional baseball player. That’s more knowledge and feedback in an hour than he could get from watching hours of YouTube videos.
When my middle child wanted to rodeo, he went to 3 different rodeo schools hosted by 3 different professional cowboys, just to start. He has grown up riding horses and taking care of livestock. Yet I am only happy to pay an expert to impart his wisdom to my son.
A major issue veterinarians run into is clients who want to take animal health advice from breeders or trainers. Veterinarians have spent many years and many thousands of dollars to become a veterinarian. There is no way any breeder or trainer has more healthcare knowledge than a veterinarian.
Yet we battle that constantly.
Please remember to use experts and professionals as your primary source of knowledge. Pay them for their time and talents.
Anyone who studies long and hard to master any skill or vocation is someone worth listening to.
As a side note, don’t discount those elderly, self-taught experts.
My son has learned to play both banjo and guitar from a grandfather figure. My daughter has learned to sew through her 4-H sewing instructors who are all grandmotherly women.
I have learned many animal behavior patterns through wise elderly people.
We should all be lifelong learners. We should all be using the available resources to self-educate and grow. We should not neglect paying professionals for sharing their life’s work with us.
Education is what drives us forward.
Keep moving friends.
Dr Vet Sonya 