Shoshin - the Beginners mind

Shoshin – The Beginners Mind

Whenever I am given information about any aspect of horse riding, training or horsemanship, I will generally file it in one of three categories.

1 - What I know to be true and works

This drawer of the mental filing cabinet is for the techniques I use, and the evidence and experience that validates my belief that the technique or knowledge is correct.

2 - Information under advisement

The second category is for information that is either new, or requires further scrutiny. It could be something I have been told, or a technique I have been shown that requires some further form of validation or investigation on my part. Eventually information here will end up in category one or category three.

3 - What I know to be false and ineffective

This category is for information or techniques that I view as incorrect or ineffective (or in a worst case cruel or dangerous).

There is a huge caveat here though. The following statement should apply after both the first and last categories. “If I receive valid new information, I will re-evaluate my knowledge and beliefs”.

If I firmly believe something, and I am presented with evidence to the contrary, I will weigh that evidence against my knowledge and if required I will change my belief. This is an extraordinarily hard thing for anyone to do (from both an intellectual and emotional point of view). This requires a concerted effort and mind-set to overcome feelings of cognitive dissonance. But it’s in my opinion the most important mindset to becoming better at horsemanship.

At all times we are bombarded with different opinions and conflicting advice. The tough part of learning is to sort through this information to arrive at what is best for us, and best for our horses. At any time it is perfectly acceptable to change your belief when presented with new information. (But I should caution that extraordinary claims require to be backed up with extraordinary evidence).

We should not tie our idea of self worth and competence as horse people to the techniques we are familiar with or the ideas we have formed. We should instead try to maintain an open mind, discarding our preconceived ideas and biases.

In Shotokan Karate this is a practiced and cultivated mindset called “Shoshin”. It translates as “the beginners mind”. It is a state of being in which a person should combine humility, serenity, and curiosity in order to grow and learn in any given subject. Maintaining a beginners attitude to a subject will ensure that we will never grow stale or become stuck in our endeavour to understand and improve in that subject.

The Zen Bhuddist monk Shunryu Suzuki best surmises this idea in the brief and poignant statement that:

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few”.