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Towards Better Horsepersonship: The Ins and Outs of Personal Journal-Keeping

Why Keep a Journal? Because it will make you a more proficient
• Rider
• Trainer
• Groom
• Student of Animal Behavior
• Mucker
And—All around good or better human being

In writing term papers, you are using Writing to Communicate
The direct audience for writing to communicate documents are (generally) teachers, employers, or classmates

Characteristics of Writing to Communicate:
• legible or typewritten
• Has title pages, bibliographic references, page numbers
• Contains complete sentences
• Is thesis driven/deductive
• Contains diagrams
• Has few, if any digressions
• Has no ahh haa moments
• Is linear
• Is close-ended in its conclusion
• May be contextual

In keeping a horseperson’s journal, you are using Writing to Learn
The direct audience for writing to learn document is YOURSELF

Characteristics of Writing to Learn:
• Illegible or sloppily written
• Contains incomplete sentences
• Is speculative and/or inductive
• Will appear to your biographer to show the path of your thinking
• Contains doodles
• Has innumerable digressions
• Is non-linear
• Is open ended.
• Is connective, contextual

Journal keeping enables you to do several things. You can:
• Problem solve
• Record important information
• Reflect
• Emote
• Prioritize
• List
• Make important, previously unknown connections

In problem solving, one must keep in mind that they might not know the answer before writing. Remember, always, the moving hand engages the previously inactive mind.

Self example: A horse-related problem that has puzzled me for years
In recording important information, one writes down what they hope they won’t forget. This information (because you can’t record it all) will serve as a memory jogger when you return to it. Putting dates on journal entries is a good idea in that one has a written record of what happened when.

Self example: In reflecting and or emoting, one might commend themselves for a job well done. Or, conversely, chide themselves for a bad performance. Emoting also enables us to put whatever has happened into a perspective we can live with – and then move on.

Self example: My acquisition of a key piece of information makes me feel euphoric In listing, one prioritizes. This makes one more efficient. It also reduces the odds that you’ll forget what it was you were supposed to do.

Self Example: In making previously unknown connections, one moves beyond memorization, into higher realms of knowledge.