[jumper25]

I don't really know very much about natural horsemanship other that it's riding without tack.... correct? But I do think it looks amazing when you see a horse and rider so in touch so I was wondering if someone could tell me more about natural horsemanship and what it's all about.

 

[ridergirl23]

Natural horsemanship isnt just riding without tack, i dont have quite enough time to explain it is depth but heres a quick answer.... Horsemanship i also groundwork, where the human 'speaks the horses langauge' instead of expecting the horse to speak the humans langauge. All hrose herds have a pecking order, The top horse in the pecking order gets to eat/drink first, and all those things. but they also are repsonsible for the herd, they keep watch for any trouble and if it comes to it they will fight off any threat to the herd. The human is supposed to be the top of the pecking order, If there is a clear pecking order btween the human and horse almost (or no) force is needed, and human and horse work in harmony.

thats all i can think of right now i will post more when i have more time

 

[jumper25]

Sorry for all my questions, I find this very interesting although I can't see myself totally committing to it any time soon! You say it's not all about the tack... does that mean you could say you practice natural horsemanship even if you use tack? Thanks!

 

[nrhareiner]

NH is a state of mind. It has nothing to do with tack or anything. It is how you interact with your horse. How your horse interacts with you. It is teaching them with out cowboying up on them.

There is no one way to do NH. It has been around as long as horses have been around. It is just now there are certain people who have commercialized it.

 

[ridergirl23]

NH is a state of mind. It has nothing to do with tack or anything. It is how you interact with your horse. How your horse interacts with you. It is teaching them with out cowboying up on them.

There is no one way to do NH. It has been around as long as horses have been around. It is just now there are certain people who have commercialized it.

ya thats a great way of saying it! lol you said it in a better way... and used wayy less words... lol:lol:

 

[jumper25]

Ohhh... I think I understand it better now. Thanks!

 

[jumper25]

Gorgeous horse by the way, ridergirl23!

 

[ridergirl23]

Gorgeous horse by the way, ridergirl23!

aww thanks, shes my baby <3
i love yoru profile pic! is that your pony? its a beautiful pic with the nice colouring (or lack of lol)

 

[Spirithorse]

NH is working with the horse's nature, not against it, understanding how he thinks and what makes them tick, and never ever blaming them. NH is less something you do and more something you are. Are we willing to forget all these rules and limitations the horse world has and get back to our senses and just feel and listen. NH is a lifestyle, as it goes beyond your horsemanship. NH is a lot of things

 

[jumper25]

aww thanks, shes my baby <3
i love yoru profile pic! is that your pony? its a beautiful pic with the nice colouring (or lack of lol)

Thanks! Although I can't take credit for the photo, a friend took it. Well... he WAS my pony :'( I move a lot so we had to sell him. That was MY baby.

Thanks Spirithorse.... that was a good way of explaining it.

 

[PaytonSidesHorsemanship]

My most simple explanation of natural horsemanship is when you give you horse freedom to make their own decision but then show them that every decision will either one, have a correction/consequence or two, will have a response of you leaving them alone(the reward).

It's not about anything to do with tack it's about building a relationship with your horse through an understanding of horse psychology (which is very simplistic). When you see people riding bareback with no headgear they are just showcasing where you can go with natural horsemanship. but believe me there was months if not years of preparation to get to that point. It's not like the movie Flicka where she trains the mustang with an apple and virtually no tack haha.

 

[rider4life]

My most simple explanation of natural horsemanship is when you give you horse freedom to make their own decision but then show them that every decision will either one, have a correction/consequence or two, will have a response of you leaving them alone(the reward).

It's not about anything to do with tack it's about building a relationship with your horse through an understanding of horse psychology (which is very simplistic). When you see people riding bareback with no headgear they are just showcasing where you can go with natural horsemanship. but believe me there was months if not years of preparation to get to that point. It's not like the movie Flicka where she trains the mustang with an apple and virtually no tack haha.

As with any other ways of working with horses, NH has some great aspects. However, a dear friend who has 5 horses and works strictly with the Parelli method had a horrible thing happen with one of her horses. She'd unloaded him, and left him ground-tied, letting him make the right decision (this is a very intellegent woman who has had horses for decades, trained and rehabbed more that a few). He heard some horses calling out, took off, and ran through 3 fence lines, cutting to the bone on chest, front and hind legs. He's a beautiful grey Arab, and she spent months working with him. He's fine now, but has terrible scars. We do not think or see like horses, and cannot always expect them to make the right choices. Possibly I have the concept wrong, but I know what I saw, and the devastation both with the horse and my friend.

 

[churumbeque]

As with any other ways of working with horses, NH has some great aspects. However, a dear friend who has 5 horses and works strictly with the Parelli method had a horrible thing happen with one of her horses. She'd unloaded him, and left him ground-tied, letting him make the right decision (this is a very intellegent woman who has had horses for decades, trained and rehabbed more that a few). He heard some horses calling out, took off, and ran through 3 fence lines, cutting to the bone on chest, front and hind legs. He's a beautiful grey Arab, and she spent months working with him. He's fine now, but has terrible scars. We do not think or see like horses, and cannot always expect them to make the right choices. Possibly I have the concept wrong, but I know what I saw, and the devastation both with the horse and my friend.

That accident does not have anything to do with Parelli method. Not many horses would choose to run through 3 fence lines. Might have more to do with personality and breed. The horse could have been loose in a pen and done the same thing. Ground tying did not cause the problem. Maybe the Parelli training helped prevent an accident sooner.

 

[rider4life]

That accident does not have anything to do with Parelli method. Not many horses would choose to run through 3 fence lines. Might have more to do with personality and breed. The horse could have been loose in a pen and done the same thing. Ground tying did not cause the problem. Maybe the Parelli training helped prevent an accident sooner.

Darlin', you weren't there, don't know the woman or the horse. Please don't make such assumptions. It had everything to do with the method.

 

[PaytonSidesHorsemanship]

Darlin', you weren't there, don't know the woman or the horse. Please don't make such assumptions. It had everything to do with the method.

There is no way that a method caused a horse to run through 3 fences. Just sounds like a horse that was really determined to get somewhere to me.

But actually my methods teach horses to understand boundaries, this includes a fence as a boundary. So whatever method was used it sounds like it didn't establish boundaries strong enough.

And please don't take any comment of mine as a slight on your friend.

 

[Spirithorse]

Yea, Parelli can't be blamed for the horse's accident. That could happen to ANY horse, regardless of what training method has been used. Horses are gregarious and prey animals, so we have to keep that in mind.

 

[kevinshorses]

The fool that left thier horse without tying it up is to blame. Ground tying is turning your horse loose and hoping it doesn't move. It may work for a while but eventually the horse will wander off or if it spooks at somethingit could run through three fences. Had the woman just tied the horse up or kept it in hand Parrelli would not have been an issue.

 

[Whipperin1]

Natural horsemanship is a vague term, like Christian. The meaning lies in the details and it may be meaningless. What is unnatural horsemanship? Talking to your horse? Giving your horse kisses? Lecturing your horse? Jumping your horse 500 times a day at a horse show? Keeping your horse in a stall? Shoeing your horse? Feeding your horse grain?

 

[5cuetrain]

Natural implies that it is from nature no?? Take some time to watch a lead mare and how she interacts with all of the other horses in the herd--foals, fillies, mares, colts and studs and that is natural horsmanship. It is a way of thinking and interacting.

All of the rest of it is simply techniques to achieve the goal but without the above the chances for success is slim to none.

 

[kiwigirl]

Yeah I like watching horses together in the paddock. It is so natural the way the lead mare saddles up the rest of the herd and rides them off to shows or sometimes it is just a quick bareback jaunt around the paddock. I also love the way the horses all take turns to free lunge each other around the paddock using their tails instead of carrot sticks - it is magical.

With natural horsemanship we TRULY emulate the way horses work with each other.