I'm not sure I'm all that fluffy compared to the last post. The same thoughts and issues keep re-surfacing, duh.
When one is first learning to ride and have a horse, there is so much that you don't know. It's impossible to learn it all in a short amount of time. Becoming a horseman takes years, no matter how good your instructor is. And if you don't have a good instructor or you don't have an instructor at all, you could conceivably ride/have a horse for 60 years and still be a beginner rider. While you don't know what you don't know, it's what you don't know that just ain't so that can really get you into trouble.
Who wants to spend a life in trial and error when someone can show you? You're still going to have a lot of trial and error anyway, but most of it will be that if you don't have someone helping you. How many of you would be proficient at math on your own?
Take lessons, read, watch videos, watch horsemen, watch idiots (it's important to learn what not to do!!)