The Art of Successful Training

I read on Facebook today about an old student of mine who is going for her C3 Pony Club rating this weekend. Chrissy is one of the hardest working kids I have ever known. From the time her little feet didn't even reach the bottom of her saddle flap, she has had a work ethic that would make a grown man tremble. Chrissy probably studied more books than any other student I have ever had, spent more hours at the barn watching and learning, and kept her eyes and ears open. She is now in college and is finally achieving her C3. Finally, after years and years her hard work is paying off.

I also read on my brother Jamie's web site (http://60secondmarketer.com/blog) an interview with an old high school classmate of ours who is one of the nation's leading commercial photographers (www.ellisvener.com). Jamie asked Ellis for his tips on succeeding in business. Here is his #1 piece of advice:

1. Persist and prepare. It takes time to refine a craft. Eric Clapton spent a year or two in his room in his mother’s house practicing learning how to play different styles of blues guitar. Adobe says it takes 10,000 hours to completely master Photoshop’s tools. Andy Warhol said just do the work. All these things prepare your mind to see the right opportunities and go through those doors when they appear. And the process of practice and preparation should never stop if you want to keep on growing. Warren Buffett still does his homework, shouldn’t you?

My point is, hard work and humility pay off. Whether you are trying to perfect a dressage test, increase your precision and speed in barrel racing, or struggling through fitness training for endurance riding, it all takes work. Hard work. At times grueling work. And it takes studying. Watching other riders perform, standing behind the judges box to hear their comments, watching videos, asking question after question after question, reading, reading, reading, followed by practice, practice, practice.

But the reward is simple. Success.