Considering NH?

Hey everyone : ]

So I've never really been one for NH but I may be getting an un-touched yearling that i am considering bringing on with some NH methods..

Are there any prefered variations, trainers or methods? Maybe things to steer clear of?

Thanking you
Gemma

I love NH groundwork and foundation riding skills. Works wonders for establishing a respectful, trusting relationship with the horse, no matter what "brand."

The best advice I can give you on what to look for and what to steer clear of is to think critically. There are good methods in almost every "main" version of NH, but because of the publicity and the marketing that goes into mainline NH there can be a lot of fluff out there.

Read Tom Dorrance and his philosophy, read some equine psych books (Cherry Hill's How to Think Like A Horse is pretty good), and get a baseline idea of the underlying philosophy and herd dynamics, so you have something to run the potential fluff through, and decide whether or not whatever a given trainer is telling you would be beneficial. Also, you know your horses, and have a better idea of how they will react to certain exercises than any DVD does.

I personally like Clinton Anderson, as far as having a complete outline of the training process, but as far as what I actually put to use in the arena, I borrow from almost every name out there. I really can't think of any that I would specifically steer clear of.

Good luck!

I would highly recommend the Parelli 7 Games. I personally would steer clear of Clinton Anderson, his methods are too aggressive IMO.

UGH CA is just ugh..

Parelli 7 games are so good for any horse.

I have been looking into CA and havn't found anything really 'agressive' about his methods.

What I have found though is that a lot of Parelli people are VERY soft on their horses, I'm not saying all are but this is what I have seen.

Could you please explain to me how CA's methods are 'agressive'?

CA ,, Is NOT 'aggressive' What so ever I have seen ALOT of hiis videos && you tube pots && none what seem harmful to the horse at all .. Insted he gives them repsect && treats them like a young foal with no exp .. Parelli Is one way to get yourself killed as you give the horse no disiplne && show the horse that they can get away with anything ( another way to get yourself killed ) Horses are beautiful animals but they do need dicipline && parelli does not reach the standards to that .. I think you should watch more of CA's proformences before judging hiim as he is a very caring persn with a huge soft spot for horses && would never intentionally hurt them !

Emaa ..

What is wrong with him? Because he can train a horse and get results you don't like him. Parelli will never accomplish what Clinton has.

I have to agree with you there Tiffanny ,, He is very dedicated to his work && has accomplished many good things with his horses ..

LOL well it's obvious who doesn't know anything about Parelli. My warmblood was biting and kicking people, charging his stall door with mouth open and hurting people WITHOUT Parelli.....and I've done nothing but Parelli with him and I have never once been bitten or kicked. I'm actually getting very, very close to riding him bridleless.

I have seen a lot of CA. He usually treats every horse the same.....it's just boom boom boom, do this so that you can get that FAST. There is little emphasis on the relationship, it's all just about what the horse can do for you and you do such-and-such with this much intensity to make the horse do it. I've seen him basically terrorize a young horse with a pull back problem, yank and spur a horse like mad, kick'em to go, won't hesitate to put a twisted wire snaffle or a TT in a horse's mouth, has said that he doesn't care if his horse is behind the verticle, run a poor TB into a lather, circle after circle, when all the horse needed was to be focused on a task that had transitions, changes of direction, certain patterns, he pushes unconfident horses past their thresholds....I could go on and on. This is just what I have personally seen and heard, and it's JMO he's not my cup of tea.

My favorite is Monty Roberts. I feel like he really understand how a horse things. I also like Tom Dorrance.

I'm not a fan of Parelli at all , but it's an easy way to introduce concepts that any horse needs to learn (Respecting space, yielding to pressure, etc). It can be a good tool for groundwork. Look in to/try the 7 games and see if they work for you and your horse.

I also like Clinton Anderson. I do think that he is a better person trainer than a horse trainer though. He is very straight forward and easy to understand IMO.

I would just look around and take what works for you.