Experience is most certainly not the only - or even the best - qualifier
for excellent information. Some of the best teachers, coaches, and other
professionals in various sports and professions excel in their fields not only
because of experience but because of innate intelligence, common sense, insight,
top notch observation skills, and peripheral involvement. As any pro sports
player knows, a good part of the time, the very BEST coaches were decent but not
great players - and some of a sports' top players....when they coach...pretty
much suck up the place. Experience is good - if it is good experience (forget
the "different horse every year biz") - but it is certainly not the only factor.
I appreciate Kat's experiences and her candor; we all have to admit being there
in some place and activity in our lives and we therefore understand that
experience is a huge, mixed bag. consorting only with the "experienced" riders
limits the field of knowledge and may well eliminate the experiences that can
bring the very best learning - hard knocks and errors. But then, I am sure that
the top echelons in the sport also make errors:) I know I do and I am a lowly
rebel from the hunter disciplines.
