NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP VERSES THE BREAKING WAY

Natural horsemanship verses the breaking way

Natural horsemanship verses the breaking way

Natural Horsemanship has always been around, probably since the time man first interacted with the horse. Less than 15 years ago however, it was packaged by a run of American Trainers with marketing hype, buzz words, 'touchy feely' speak and in some cases, an almost Pentecostal delivery. Good on them as so called 'Natural Horsemanship' is a fantastic principal and has enlightened multitudes of closed minded people. A lot of money has been made and a number of Trainers have become household names as a result but in essence, they are no better or worse than other good Trainers, the world over. Many are not as good as conventional Trainers'. Natural horsemanship is the philosophy of working with horses by appealing to their instincts and herd instincts. It involves communication techniques derived from wild horse observation in order to build a partnership that closely resembles the relationships that exist between horses. Horses are social herd animals, evolved for social interaction and the ability to escape predators. The horse has a highly developed communication system practiced primarily through body language. It is possible for humans to learn to use body language to communicate with the horse. Horses use ear position, head position, speed of movement, threatening gestures, showing of teeth and swinging of hips, and many other gestures to communicate. They are quick to escalate a behavior if early warnings are not heeded.

An example of natural horsemanship can be found in some of the exercises that trainers following natural horsemanship exercise. The trainer want the trainer horse to maintain a soft face (that is, no bracing against the bit) as he (1) willingly moves his rear end a few steps sideways in response to pressure, and then (2) willingly moves his front end (shoulders) a few steps sideways in response to pressure. First, the trainer will concentrate on one end of his body at a time. Then the trainer will work toward getting both ends to move together, for a whole-body move to the side. At the hitching rack (Budiansky, 1999). Practice this whenever the trainer are grooming the trainer horse. (If there's any chance the trainer horse will pull back, untie him before conducting this lesson.) Stand at The trainer horse's side, and use a sweat scraper, hoof pick, or other hard object to create pressure (that is, mild discomfort) right where The trainer heel presses on The trainer horse's ribs when The trainer are mounted (behind the cinch). The trainer goal is to have him move his hind end in response to the least amount of pressure possible, so don't start with a jab.

The instant he takes one sideways step with a hind foot, stop and praise him, then ask for another step. If he resists, increase the pressure gradually in a push-and-release movement until he takes at least one step, always looking to get response from the least amount of pressure, and praising ...