Watching my children grow and learn has gotten me thinking about how we learn. Trial and error is very over-rated. I think only as a last resort should we learn from our own mistakes. Wouldn’t it be better to learn from someone else’s? Sure if you burn yourself you learn not to grab hot things, but wouldn’t it be easier if you learned not to grab hot things by watching someone else get burned. I for one have learned a lot of things for myself that I would rather have learned from someone else.

In a rare moment of generosity and in the spirit of public service, I thought I would list some of the things I’ve learned so that others might learn from my example. In the interest of clarity I’ve grouped them into several major categories.

Velocity

• The human body skips like a rock when it hits the water at high speed. My best is three skips.
• It is possible to hydroplane on a bicycle if you go fast enough. That skipping effect works on pavement too.
• Very few things feel as fast as being in control of a good horse. Not being in control of a bad horse is one of those things.
• Your vision blurs when you exceed approximately 30 mph when riding a bicycle on a washboard dirt road. A hydroplane-like effect kicks in shortly thereafter.

Newton’s First Law of Motion – Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. - link –

• A horse can go from top speed to a complete stop in a few body lengths. Riders usually take a bit longer.
• Contrary to popular notion, a horse can’t throw you so high your breath condenses. They can throw you high enough you have to take a breath in order to continue swearing on the way back down.
• A stopped BMW can bring bicycle from 40 mph to zero instantaneously… So can a Mustang… and a Jeep.
• A good horse can run through heavy trees at lightning speed without hitting anything. Not all horses are good.

Miscellaneous, or “Hey dude, watch this!”

• It is possible to ride a horse into the bed of a truck. If the truck has an enclosed top, duck.
• If while on a horse you look past your feet and see sky, it is time to define your exit strategy.
• If a trainer wants you to train one of their horses… Run away.
• Never ride a horse named Banjo. See “If a trainer wants you to train one of their horses…”
• The first time I tried walking down a steep hill while wearing spurs I discovered two things. An unknown gift for profanity and the true origins of Rollerblades.

I hope that you’ve all learned something here today. Remember, learning from your own mistakes should only be done by professionals. Everyone else should make sure you have a good view, sit back, relax, and learn from the mistakes of others.