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What exactly is natural horsemanship?

2K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  Doe 
#1 ·
Sorry if this is silly to ask, but I can't remember ever hearing the term before.
 
#2 ·
It is a way of communicating with and training horses by using and understanding their thinking processes. Working with them to get them to understand what is wanted from them with the least resistance possible.

Because of all the TV shows and things of that nature, NH is often seen by outsiders as a fluffy gimmick that requires silly sticks and colored barrels and "games" that have to be played.

The root of NH, though, is working with the horse instead of against him. Teaching him instead of just forcing him. Preparing him instead of just jumping aboard and riding until he quits bucking. NH in it's basest form is just common sense horsemanship.
 
#5 ·
It is a way of communicating with and training horses by using and understanding their thinking processes. Working with them to get them to understand what is wanted from them with the least resistance possible.

Because of all the TV shows and things of that nature, NH is often seen by outsiders as a fluffy gimmick that requires silly sticks and colored barrels and "games" that have to be played.

The root of NH, though, is working with the horse instead of against him. Teaching him instead of just forcing him. Preparing him instead of just jumping aboard and riding until he quits bucking. NH in it's basest form is just common sense horsemanship.
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What a good explanation!!!
 
#3 ·
I'd say NH is just a common sense and lots of patience.
 
#4 ·
NH is only common sense to you people who have been working with horses for so long! I always hear that phrase... Its not common sense to me... I have done a lot of work to try and understand my horses way of thinking! Patience yes. Ohhh yes..

To the OP:
I would define it as interacting with your horse based on an attempt to understand and coordinate with your horses perception.
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#9 ·
The key is understanding the word. It is horsemanship not manhorseship.
The horse and its psychological/pysiological needs/requirements are put before the inflated self needs of the rider, and that is an extremely hard thing to do.
Natural horsemanship is predicated upon how the horses function and that is to ask and allow not demand and force. Horses ask each other before they reach the point of the demand.
 
#10 ·
"Natural Horsemanship" is a brand name / fad name / pick your favorite epithet.

What people generally mean when they say any of these names is "Good Horsemanship, as opposed to Bad Horsemanship, and in particular using a horses's natural mechanisms to teach and communicate with the horse instead of forcing the horse into trying to understand what you mean through blind trial-and-error until they eventually either get it or give up and ignore the world."

Here's a concrete, if extreme example:

Someone who is a practitioner of "Bad Horsemanship" might raise a foal in a stall without ready access to other horses except in rare, human-supervised interactions. Then as the foal gets older, when it does something like crowding the human or nipping at him, the owner (trying to be compassionate but not understanding) might lunge the colt around-and-around to "teach him not to do that" without actually striking the horse. The horse, not able to connect cause-and-effect between these events, just gets tired and thinks of the human as someone who wouldn't let him quit doing something when he was tired.

On the other hand, a practitioner of "Good Horsemanship" might find a herd situation to let the foal spend a couple of years in as it grows, so it can develop appropriate social skills among other horses. Then when the colt is older and does something like crowding the human or nipping at him, the human will be on the lookout for such behavior and arrange for the colt to "accidently" bonk his nose on the human's elbow right when he reaches out for the nip. After a time or two of this, the colt will realize that when he tries to nip, he bonks his nose, and will give up.

If the person's timing isn't quite so accurate and the colt realizes that the human bonked him, the human might still make the situation a positive one by watching closely. If the colt realizes that the human, like an older horse would do, just nipped or thumped him back, the colt will often move his mouth in a small, repetitive "baby mouthing" movement that essentially says "I'm sorry, don't hurt me." An attentive human might, at that moment reach out with a soft pet down the colt's face in the same smooth manner that his dam's tongue might have stroked him when he was very young, and he'll feel reassured and feel a little more secure in his understanding about how to be around this human.

After letting him lick & chew a moment or two after this, someone practicing "Good Horsemanship" would then lead the colt's attention into the next activity with a positive energy.
 
#11 ·
Find the books from Dorrance and Ray Hunt or if you want to go 19th century "old school" look up professor beery. Hunt/Dorrance improved those methods.

"natural horsemanship" isn't new or the flavor of the week, we used the same methods 35 years ago in California.

its what the above posts say, seems when the horse went from everyday companion and necisarry for life, the car/truck/tractor ended this. Most people here still do it the way you see in the old westerns where you:

1: snub the 2 year old up, put saddle on and blindfold

2: dumb cowboy climbs on and holds on for dear life and waits for bucking to stop.

3: further training requires a stick to the head

4: problem arises see step 3

and a lot of other arcane methods to literally break the horse's spirit


Experience has taught us that work them in the round pen, expose them to everything on the ground.... build up the horse's trust then confidence then communicate what you want them to do.... and wet blankets the more sweat equity invested the better your horse is.

also the round pen does not equal lungeing for 15 minutes.... all that gets you is a horse thats in shape and still has a bad habit
 
#12 ·
Also more thoughts in the natural method you still strike the horse but in a constructive and positive manner..... its how when and where you "bite" or "kick"

watch a herd in the pasture when the alpha mare wants to move someone lower on the pecking order

1: She Pins her ears back, cocks a leg and looks, or in human "MOVE"

2: She then bites the other horse on the rump or shoulder, or in human "I SAID MOVE"

3: She then may kick the offending herd member, or in human "MOVE AND I DON'T WARN TWICE"

now as people we cant possibly kick the horse... so we have the lead rope with the leather popper on the end... that will in no way injure the horse, we are not capable of kicking or biting as hard as a horse and anyone who's been bit by a horse knows this.

as your horse progresses you ask with a gesture, then you add more pressure until they move their feet, these methods don't make the horse feel bad, they by nature are a herd animal and will dominate herd members they can't and vise versa... they as a rule accept their position in the herd and that position hopefully is below you in the pecking order

one thing to remember the horse is smart, is faster than you, out weighs you by several hundred pounds and has hard hooves and teeth, but with the proper treatment they will be the most loyal animal you have the privilege to be blessed with. (i'm sure the mustang would commit murder for me)
 
#14 ·
Someone said that NH was more for the benefit of the human than the horse. A way of packaging common sense for those who don't know horses or feel confident around them. No truer word was said.

I believe that NH has very little to do with herd behaviour, and in fact has little natural about it. Quite simply it is a form of training based on largely negative reinforcement and justify by talk of pretending to be the alpha mare or the lead stallion. (incidentally licking and chewing largely demonstrates a horse that has been subjected to increased stress and not "oh yeah I'm all happy and learning")
To train a horse like a dog, it does work yes. However it does also depend on what you are trying to achieve.

On the other hand it does have some common problems. Let's just talk about the physical first. You watch a show with Clinton Anderson and see the horse with his head up and bracing as he's chased backwards or sideways. Even Monty Roberts as he is snapping on the Dually halter to get a horse to step back or lead. This creates the exact opposite of what we are trying to achieve with a soft flexible horse - tension in the poll, tmj, shoulders and neck.They are often stiff due to the constant and aggressive backing, or end up with a 'disconnected' fore and hindquarters due to the single rein bend exercise being repeated too often.
One day I believe 'or hope' that we will realise just how crude these techniques are and look for a better way, just as most of the people who come to NH came to it looking for a better way than what they knew previously. As horse owners (or perhaps guardians) it is our responsibility to constantly grow and learn as any other great leader.
I am not judging anyone. I too thought that such forms of NH were better and kinder and was attracted for the same reasons, but over time I have learned otherwise. Look beyond the egos and look at what the horses they are training are saying. That is our only gauge of horsemanship.
 
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