The benefits of online learning

I thought I'd take a different spin on things this week and talk about education. It tends to be a favourite subject of mine, considering the amount of time I've spent in school (7 year post-secondary and counting!). Today, however, I will be waxing on the awesomeness that is the University of Guelph's online equine programs. (In the interest of full disclosure, I am currently a student in these programs and have been taking these courses for two years.)

Courses offered range from Exercise Physiology to Equine Event Management. The great thing about the programs is that you can learn nearly everything you need to start out in the equine industry from the comfort of your own home. Obviously it's a good idea to have access to horses for the duration of the courses, but it's not an absolute necessity.

The courses are taught by professors with years of experience in the given topic and are from different parts of the world, so variety is definitely the spice of these courses. Guest speakers are drawn from all sorts of different walks of life and are available to answer any and all questions for at least a week. Assignments given tend to be practical and can be tailored to be useful to anyone even after the course is finished.

These courses build an international online community of people who love horses and want to learn more about them. It's great for learning and networking.

Thank you Equine Guelph.

The importance of confidence

I was working with a particularly difficult horse today and the more frustrated I got, the less she responded to what I was asking her to do. I had to let her be for a few minutes while I got myself calmed down. Finally, I got back in the ring with her and projected a calm, confident aura to her and she responded positively to me and did what I asked her to.

This whole experience has reminded me of the importance of confidence. Confidence is one of those things that you take don't really notice when you have it and desperately want it when you don't. This is particularly true when dealing with horses. Horses can sense and respond to the energy that you're projecting and it's particularly helpful when you're projecting confidence.

It makes me wonder how much more effective I'll be in working with horses when I've done more leadership training. Maybe boosting my confidence in myself is what I need to be more confident around horses. I'll let you know.