In this episode, we talk about adult learning. It’s a topic suggested by Natalie in Montana and we got help bouncing it around with Liz and Chris in California.

Natalie is working on a ranch and taking riding lessons. She sees roping calves and doctored and asks: Can I ever succeed at that level?

As it happens, co-host Maddy Butcher was doing some adult learning with a few lessons with Katrin Silva in Santa Fe. Katrin's book, Ride with Feel: A Guide for the Rest of Us will be out soon!

Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  I talked with Hannah James the other day. She helps run Lucerne and was up in Aroostock County, near their fields. Aroostock County is better known as “the county” in Maine. At over six thousand square miles, it is by far the biggest county east of the Mississippi.

It is a very busy time of year for a forage company and Hannah had to keep it short because there was so much to do. But she let me know that Lucerne continues to be super supportive of what we’re doing here AND of what we’re doing at the Best Horse Practices Summit, the non profit education conference in Kentucky this October. So thank you, Lucerne Farms.

We also thank Skratch Labs. If you’re sweating, you should be staying hydrated with Skratch labs powdered drinks. So much healthier than gatorade or the shady rainbow collection of colored, sweet sports drinks out there. Oh and they have drinks for after a big workout, too. Like chocolate milk, but better. Enter "besthorse25" and get 25 percent off your order.

Also, check out our BOGO offer at Cayuse Communications. Buy any book and get a FREE copy of A Rider's Reader: Exploring Sense, Science, & Sentiment.

Here is a great article on adult learning.

Top points to keep in mind, as mentioned by Liz:

• Find a great mentor and stay away from yahoos.
• Trust your instincts around safety, money spending, etc.
• Realize it's going to take time. Be patient. Build your toolbox for every situation.

Also, she said: keep your beginner's mind.

Chris Ellsworth’s suggestions:

• Over time you're going to gain a bit of natural ease with what you do. It’s important not to worry about it. Worrying tends to get in the way.
• Get past thinking that there is only one way. Think critically.
• A good mentor is someone who would be happy to see you surpass their ability someday.
• Reg Flags: Disrespect from a trainer or having him/her teaching something that does not improve you.

We thank Kate’s Real Food and Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Did you know? All ya gotta do is comment or suggest a podcast topic or send us a training question here and you’ll be automatically qualified for our monthly Patagonia WorkWear giveaway.