the hive mind: collective intelligence

There are a lot of things I like about this equestrian blogging community. A lot.

I could go through the whole litany of what makes this corner of the internet special: easily networking with like-minded individuals, making new friends, and enjoying the community feel without so much of the drama and flaming that's all too prevalent in other social forums.

all photos are from 2016's Fair Hill International 3* cross country bc somehow I never posted them. sorry! hopefully you enjoy the eye candy to go with unrelated content! the above is Will Faudree and Pfun over the giant trakhener 

For today, tho, I'm delving into something a little more specific. Namely, the benefit of "shared" experiences.

Phillip Dutton and I'm Sew Ready

You might remember last summer when I conducted a survey on rider safety as it related to gear and equipment. That survey netted some really cool results (posts here and here) but one thing was glaringly clear through the information gathered.

easy in over the A of the first water complex

As I wrote then, we are programmed to learn through experiences. We know what we have lived. And as our individual experience with horses grows, we naturally tend to give more weight to our own experiences, while discounting the likelihood of things that haven't already happened to us.

The more we have seen, the more we think we've seen it all.

then tidily through B and C

The main problem with that (very natural) mindset, as any veteran horse person would say, is that there's more to learn and experience from horses than can fit into any one single lifetime.

Lauren Kieffer up next with Landmark's Monte Carlo

A counter agent to that fact is this existing network of collective intelligence. It's mind boggling how much I've learned about the wider world of horses just from following along with so many bloggers.

For instance, eventing always seemed pretty cool to me - but also an entirely different world from anything I knew. As if it existed in another universe and I just saw the glossy magazine shots.

as expected, they made nice work of this too

But now? Even tho I don't do recognized eventing, I feel reasonably well versed in most aspects of the sport as a whole - and feel pretty confident and competent in my endeavors as a low level eventer. Following eventing blogs made the sport feel accessible, and my knowledge grew from reading all about everyone else's experiences.

Will Coleman & Soupcon du Brunet over the c element

Dressage in general and endurance in its entirety were also sports I knew existed, but nothing more. And now, after following bloggers in those sports for so many years - it feels like I can hold an informed conversation with riders from those worlds, or describe the sport to someone unfamiliar. And hell, maybe I even dabble a little bit myself.

And those are just two examples among many! Being totally honest here, I've actually learned more about the hunter jumper world since beginning to read blogs than when I was actually doing IHSA and all the local h/j circuits in college.

and galloping off with purpose

Likewise, I've learned all about the care of various wounds, illnesses, hoof care issues, or general maladies that tend to befall our beloved 4-leggers, but that I haven't personally had to experience.

Included in this is a surprisingly broad education on the many ointments, powders, tinctures and tonics that keep our horses happy and healthy. Despite having never personally used many of them myself.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous, pre bloody mouth

And I've learned more about the typical sport horse life cycle too, as it relates to breeding, registries, trends, and types. Including how to research my own horse's pedigree.

Erin Sylvester and Campground into the coffin complex

Of course, we can't forget the gear either. If there's something this community is really truly excellent at, it's expanding the communal knowledge on the various attributes of rider apparel or horse equipment. Where to find a good deal, where to look for unbeatable quality.

over the ditch!

Perhaps most importantly, tho - from this wonderful community of horse lovers and riders, I've learned how to think more deeply about my own horse habit. My own needs and goals. And how to expand that knowledge into making informed choices about my riding - who I train with, how I advocate for my horse, and how to set us up for success.

and easy out over the brush at C

That's really where the rubber meets the road, right? How have I taken this communal knowledge, this equestrian blogger hive mind, and turned it into something real and valuable in my day to day life?

Madeline Backus and PS Ariana dropping into the main arena

Well. I found a team of trainers for my chosen sport. And another team of horse care professionals who are dedicated to keeping my horse in top form. The whole group has evolved over the past few years as circumstances changed - but all in all it's a surprisingly stable system. Even with changes in horses, and changes in farm residences.

They know me. Who I am, why I ride, what I want, and also what I need. And I trust them.

and making easy (if far away) work of those giant farmhouse corners

And that's the A Team, right? The group of actual paid professionals whose explicit purpose in my world is to guide and advise me in my pursuit of horse happiness.

Colleen Rutledge and Escot 6 on an easy gallop

Basically any critical question that I might have, any major decision I might weigh -- those are the folks I go to first. Ancillary to them are the many close horsey friends I've made over the years. The folks I know and trust, who know and trust me. Who understand my own little microcosm of horses. They are often a favorite sounding board as I weigh my options.

then up over some surprisingly tall and surprisingly upright offset vertical brushes

Which brings us back to this wonderful blogging community, and our collective intelligence. There are some things for which this community is invaluable at providing input and insight.

For most big things, tho, by the time I'm writing it out here as my own addition to the shared experience catalog - I've already decided on my course of action. I've already made my choices, determined what I plan to do for whatever outcome I hope to achieve.

more p dutty <3, I think here with Mr Candyman

It's actually fairly rare, then, that you'll find me looking for advice in that regard. Rather, the thing that keeps me coming back for more, the thing I want and enjoy the most from this community, is discussion of those shared experiences, of the various opinions weighing relative merits of different potential courses of action.

Marilyn Little again, this time with RF Demeter

Because we all know that old adage, "Ask two horse people and get three answers," right?

sporting their notorious black fleece bit guard

I kinda relish the knowledge that many of us will make different choices when posed with the same problem or conundrum. Sometimes the difference has to do with the type of horse we have: hot or quiet, sensitive or hardy, seasoned or very green. Or it has to do with our purposes, varied as they are. Or, ya know, our own personal non-horse lives (unthinkable, right? lol).

and the wonderfully named Clip Clop, ridden by Joe Meyer

Whatever the case tho - we all approach our choices with horses on the foundation of our own personal experiences, colored by whatever knowledge we've picked up elsewhere.

And even as I make my own choices based on the input from the professionals in my life, and my own opinions and experiences in my life with horses, I love hearing about how others have handled similar experiences themselves.

quick video of clips from fair hill here!

For this reason, I often like to end posts with questions for you readers and fellow horse people. Mostly I get really curious about your opinions, your discussion points: Have you had similar thoughts before? Have there been things you've picked up from the collective intelligence of this blogging community? Times when some seemingly random insight completely changed your perspective or gave you a huge 'aha' moment?

Or maybe there were times you felt differently - that to share too much information, or get too much input, actually made it more difficult to decide the course of action best suited to your purposes? Do you actively seek input or advice from the wider world of equestrians? Or do you tend to be more reserved in soliciting feedback from external or unknown sources? Does it depend on the situation?