10/16/2025
Running from Learning: Why So Many in Our Industry Fear Knowledge
Recently after many years of only coaching out of my own barn I returned to doing freelance lessons. Mainly fueled by wanting to help people in my area that maybe didn’t have access to an experienced trainer, and needed some help- or so they posted in their ad.
It’s funny, isn’t it? So many riders, owners, and even professionals say they want to learn. They research endlessly, scroll through credentials, and spend hours online making sure the person they’ve chosen is qualified and reputable. They show up to that first lesson full of hope and curiosity.
Then… the sheet gets pulled off…
Reality hits. The things they didn’t know—the gaps, the misconceptions, the habits that need changing—suddenly come into the light. The horses “bad behaviour” can no longer explained by just being a cranky mare, the bucking in transitions is because of a poorly fitted $8000 saddle by someone who was a sales person not a fitter, the reluctance to pick out hind feet is not because they want to be dofficult but because they actually have sore stifles that continually catch- and before you know it, they’re gone. Running faster than if someone had announced a closing sale at Lululemon.
So what happens? Why is knowledge so appealing—right up until it challenges us?
Maybe it’s ego. Maybe it’s fear. Learning forces us to admit that what we’ve been doing, sometimes for years, might not have been right. It can make you feel exposed, uncertain, even a little foolish. But that discomfort is the doorway to growth.
In our industry, fear of learning is everywhere. We talk about wanting better horse welfare, improved riding, and higher standards—but those things only come from knowledge, and knowledge requires humility. It means saying, “I didn’t know that.” It means asking, “Can you show me again?”
Being afraid of learning does a disservice—not just to you, but to your horse. Because the more you know about nutrition, hoof care, saddle fit, veterinary sport management, and body work, the better your horse’s life becomes.
Isn’t that the goal?
We can’t claim to love our horses and then close our eyes to the things that would make them happier and healthier. Learning doesn’t make you weak.
It doesn’t make you less of an owner or rider.
It certainly doesn’t make you less of a professional.
It makes you responsible.
So next time the truth feels uncomfortable, sit with it. Stay in the lesson. Be brave enough to know more. Ask questions. Because running from knowledge might protect your ego for a moment—but it will never make you a better horseman and it will never improve your horses life.
Skyland Stables
The Next Stride
