...Natural Horsemanship? I just don't get it.

[Yann]

If there are any misconceptions they are laid down by those doing 'it'.

True to a degree, anyone promoting a 'method' or 'programme' has a responsibilty to do so in a responsible fashion, and most probably do, but whilst you can take horses to water you can't always make them drink. In the case of this article (which I didn't see) I'm surprised that the magazine didn't act in a more responsible manner if the article gave the impression it sounds like it did.

 

[PaulaqhMax]

I agree with what you are saying about natural horsemanship becomming a way to make money, the cost of some of the packs are terrible.
I don't really understand Natural Horsemanship trainers methods but I will say the ones I do understand work.
I have broken to ride lots of horses and I find lunging a real killer on me, I have never been able to teach a horse to lung with out doing it for quite a few lessons with the horse but when I tried it using Josh Lyons body cues my 8 month colt was walking on a 15 meter circle within 10 min. no fuss no stay out for half the circle come in and go back out, he was walking the whole way round.
(please understand me when I say I was not lunging him like I would an older horse all I was asking was for him to walk on a 15 meter circle listening to me, calmly and controled.)
I have never before tried any of these methods with previous horses, I used the handed down knowlage form good horse men and women and it does work, but I find myself training my colt without getting worked up myself or bored.
The rope halter IMO is a very good training aid for horses that have a tendancy of walking all over you without the need to be forceful, leading in a halter most balshy horses you need to pull, put the same horse in a rope halter and you only have to put finger pressure on the lead rope and they stop.
My halter cost £6 because I made it myself with the help of the natural horse supply web site which has step by step instructions on how to tie them.

I like the feeling of training without forcing my horse, before I would try to take respect, now I ask for it, me and my horse are calmer after our training sessions. If I need to be abit tough I am but only when it is called for.

I will continue to study these methods and if I like the look of them I might try it out. I will hopefuly be a better trainer myself by studing all ways of training.

 

[aBreeze]

but Parelli seems to me more of a cult then anything else (ducks the bullets and thrown chairs)

omg! thats it! thats what Iv had at the back of my mind but havent been able to say! Finally, Im no longer trying to figure out what creeps me out... *ducks*

ok thats my pointless post...

 

[dotsanddashes]

I just don’t think horse training is a one-size fit-all deal.

Surely then, in this one line, you have your answer

 

[Crystal Fire]

I'm a bit tired of arguments like this. They seem a bit contrived. Just because people come across a few bad students who claim to be following any approach (however badly), is that really a reason to condemn the whole movement? I don't think so. When I hear about these so-called Parelli students who faff around for months without getting on their horses backs it is so frustrating. I don't follow that system, but I know that is not what they are supposed to be doing. Maybe someone would like to email Pat P himself and ask about this (I'm not interested enough because I know the answer). A Parelli student should be in that saddle pronto.
I come across bad horsepeople all over the place, some claim to be BHS trained, some claim to be trained by their excellent family, others claim to be following some NH approach. They have a lot in common - they are all bad. And if people are naive enough to think that they represent excellence in the approach they claim to be demonstrating...
I also come across excellent horsepeople who think that they learnt from all of the above. They have a lot in common too. Often the really big thing they have in common is that they are quiet - they don't brag on about being Parelli, or self-taught, or Haute Ecole - they just get on with it. Their actions speak loudly.
Just because someone decided to publish something in a magazine about horse training, claiming she was following some NH approach (Parelli or what?) doesn't mean she is right. There is a lot of crap published the world over. (Important point- if this lady was claiming to be following Parelli - was she a level 4 student? If not Pat P would have her ar*e for playing with stallions. Agree or disagree with that isn't the point, but that is what the Parelli system teaches).
Who says NH = rope halters? Or Carrot Sticks? etc etc... Someone mentioned Jason Webb earlier, well he is someone who fits my definition of a natural horseman that I gave earlier. But he mostly uses headcollars and starts young horses with a bit - two things that many seem to think isn't " NH". Not sure how they work this out, unless they are applying a very narrow definition, ie maybe they think Parelli is all there is to NH?
As for tagging the barefoot, rugless, out 24/7, treeless saddles, bitless bridles... on to the term natural horsemanship. Well, I think that only serves to confuse the issue further. I have met many natural horsemen that I respect, many who teach, and they don't impose all of this on their students horses. They are more likely to look at the horse and person as individuals and talk about what is best for them. I'm sure that is one reason why Mark Rashid shuns the term natural horseman. As I would use it, I would say it is a complement. The all-or nothing brigade have coined the term and really given it a bad name. They scare people off.
Natural horsemanship is a way to make money. Well, I guess most things associated with horsemanship are. The BHS teachers round my way don't teach for free. The wide range of bits, videos, books and other equipment on offer in my local tack shop don't come for free, and they are about all forms of horsemanship. Some years back I paid £50 for a half hour lesson with a professional dressage trainer, I didn't expect him to come cheap and he didn't. Why not be content to leave people to choose how they want to spend their money? It seems pointless to get all wound up because you think that something is over-priced, particularly if you don't like the system on offer anyway. A lot of natural horse training stuff is much cheaper than Parelli by the way - if that's what you want to buy.
That's probably it for me on this thread. I think it would be much more constructive to focus on and share good practise that we have seen, rather than spend time applying labels and putting people down.

 

[Yann]

Well said CF I personally think anyone who dismisses stuff out of hand based on very little actual evidence does themselves no credit whether they're having a go at 'NH' or being holier than thou about 'traditional' whilst riding their horse in a rope halter

It's best to be open minded, sometimes it's worth looking into things a bit. I like NH stuff and I'm interested in it but it's only ever a means to an end as far as I'm concerned. It can and does work though, I only play at it but I've been able to catch horses that couldn't be caught by far more experienced people, load horses that didn't want to without needing brooms or lunge lines, clip a pony calmly without that had previously needed sedation, the list goes on. No fluff, flim flam or magic powder there, just a good way of dealing with horses that anyone can use.

 

[chev]

It comes down to definition again. There are people who think NH equates to letting the horse work it out for himself while never raising so much as your voice, there are those who condemn the very same philosophies for chasing horses round in circles until they give in through exhaustion. NH = ultimate bullying and rule by dominance, or letting the horse go his own sweet way scaring all who go near it depending on who's defining it.

In fact it's neither. Those are both examples of NH done badly by people who don't understand how to work with a horse. NH is basically common sense, empathy and firm, fair handling that uses non-forceful methods to communicate. NH is asking why the horse 'evades' instead of simply mechanically preventing that evasion. NH is also assuming leadership, being firm but clear and fair in what you ask and how you ask it.

Problem is, so is a lot of so-called 'traditional' horsemanship. The lines between the two are very blurred. I suppose within NH there's more emphasis on keeping a horse's life as natural as possible (without casuing misery or neglecting care in doing so) whereas traditionally run yards tend to be less heavily based on keeping things natural.

To be honest I get sick of the semantics of the thing. I'm fed up of reading that people don't do NH because horsemanship can never be natural anyway, or that NH is spending an hour waiting for a horse to load himself while letting said horse walk all over them. The more we interfere with natural processes, the more problems we cause; nobody would argue with the science that says feeding forage based diets to horses is better than grain-based diets because that's what they're designed to eat, for example. Nobody would say that because they're not browsing untouched by man that science is no longer applicable. NH comes down to a similar thing; how well can you work with a horse, without taking things too far from how the horse best works?

 

[leoquine]

Just my opinion, but I think the OP was asking who you're favorite NH trainer was and what it was all about. I just smell a bit arguement coming around the corner, so maybe we should start answering the OP and stop telling each other that 'NHS is a cult and fad' or 'NHS doesn't work'.

 

[elise]

Just my opinion, but I think the OP was asking who you're favorite NH trainer was and what it was all about. I just smell a bit arguement coming around the corner, so maybe we should start answering the OP and stop telling each other that 'NHS is a cult and fad' or 'NHS doesn't work'.

It seems like there wouldn't be an argument if there wasn't a name attached to it. There's gotta be something better to call it especially for folks that take their bits and pieces and do what works versus subscribing word for word to someone's marketing package.

 

[jUmPingIsLifE]

i LOVE clinton anderson, however does anyone know if he even lables himself as Natural horseman? people do, but i have never heard him once mention the word "natural" i dont think, at least not about his methods. Sometimes he talks about the horses natural instinct ect..

In my opinion Natural horsemanship is more 'common scence' horsemanship. All the trainers i have worked with at one point has said the exact same things you hear come out of parelli or anderson or reis's mouths. The goal is to gain the horses respect and trust. Personally i dont look for a trainer that is into natural horsemanship, but i DONT look for one who thinks that martingales, draw reins ect.. are the answer to problems. I know many H/J and western trainers who never use those contraptions but are most certainly never given the name "natural horseman"

1) Ask first. If the horse doesn’t respond, tell. If the horse still doesn’t respond, insist. Rule

Every natural horseman i have ever heard about, watched or listened to has used this rule, every "traditional" horseman i have ever known has used this rule.

I dont believe there is really much of a line between NH/Traditional.

someone used a story about someone trying to load a horse with NH methods and it took so long, finally they went over themselves and put he horse on the trailer. They were probably not doing something right, obviously the horse would have gone on the trailer if they had increased the pressue in asking it to come on the trailer which all the NH people i have watched will say, increase the pressure until you get a result, the the release is the reward..ect...ect....

Personally, i love watching clinton andersons clinics, his videos. He is a comedian on top of a great horseman, i tried his stuff on Tahoe (some of it I already had known from what i learned from "traditional horseman) I have used parelli, his 7 games were great for all my horses. I recommend clinton anderson to absolutly anyone. You learn a lot and his stuff works. His stuff is also a little common scence, its not big huge secret or "miracle" method.
Just a couple months ago someone was telling me about this amazing work a trainer did with her horse, and she went through it step by step what he did and it was step by step what i saw clinton anderson do at one of his clinics. I asked if he was a natural horseman and she didn't even know what i ment.

 

[Shadowlark]

FIRST of all - thank you to EVERYONE for continuing to make this an intellectual polite conversation about this rather then a mud slinging contest for the close minded.. A good debate is a healthy thing and getting to work this morning and not seeing this thread locked was a nice thing

Now on with my long winded reply

Now hang on a sec.

Some unfair statements here have been made here.

First of all I never once said that I don't do them because of Semantics (although I have heard that) or that they don't work - in fact I gave reasons why they DO work. I also never said I don't research it , read what differnt people have to say attend clinics etc. I am not taking a blind stance here against it. and I am all for HORSEMANSHIP period.

I Don't like some of the aproaches (I don't like some classical aproaches either!) - I don't like this magical cult like entitiy that is being formed - I don't like this.. you have an issue? doing XYZ with Product A will fix it. (that just isn't any differnt then so much of what is in the tack stores anyway!) And I don't like this be all and end all of horsemanship that several people seem to think it is.

Flip side.. I CHEERED when he (Parelli) said stop lunging your horse in circles until thier brains turn to mush - the idea of "playing" with your horse - the idea of bothering to FORM a relationship - the idea of socializing a horse to experiences to help in day to day life - the idea that ground manners MATTER - the idea that a horse is an intellegent living breathing animal who can LEARN behaviours rather then just being forced into them.

But none of this was NEWS to me, there were no new concepts there - but if other people were seeing them as new concepts - Heck the more power to it!

and I am certain many of you have seen horses who have done "lateral lunging" (or as I like to call it.. Ground work) till thier brains turn to mush.. or done round pen work until they went loopy. Or people who in an effort to "form the unbreakable bond" force themselves on thier horses so much that the horse get irritated and buggers off!

I do see that I spent a good deal of time on the semantics - but feel that it IS important in this case as it gives a false sense of what is going on here and makes people feel that what they are doing is good and natural etc. What worries me is that it is often making the more traditional training sound like garbage and crulty to animals. when the TRUTH is that Traditional horsemanship and "Natural" horsemanship have a WHOLE lot in common - it's just been rebranded and repackaged and some "mystique" has been add for the masses.
What is ACTUALLY happening is a horse is being TRAINED - Horsemanship is being applied. Call it what you will Natural, Classical, traditional - a horse is being asked to perform set tasks and time is being taken to TEACH them to him in what we hope is a fair and compasionate manner.

If ANY of you ever get the chance to see Cavalia (a Cirque de Soliel show) take it. this is "Traditional" horsemanship at its FINEST The beuty of the horse/man bond is incredible you can FEEL it when you are there. http://www.cavalia.net/ the website saddly doesn't do it justice.

The thing that makes me the MADEST is it seems to me that it's leading to a lot of stupidity as many people have said. A false sense of "Knowledge" gleened from money spent on this that and the other. Causing people to approach tasks far above thier level of skill. How many of us have read posts on here.. I bought such and such as a first horse he is out of control - I try doing what (insert name of natural horseman here) said to do in his book.. but it doesn' t seem to be working.. Why?? no background, no help no one to guide you and help you see past this cookie cutter idea - no "box of tricks" as I like to call it to pull from. If it didn't work.. I am stuck.. I must be doing something wrong.. because the book/video said... no one to take thier hand and say OK he doesn't seem to respond to that lets try THIS.

Now when I was learning - back when moon boots were in and I wore florescent pink and acid wash pretty much everyday. There were good horse people.. and not so good horse people.. those with intuition and those without. But more of those people where under the care of someone. be it instructor, knowledgeable aunt, maybe a neighbour. I just find more people are trying to go it alone because they have heard of this guy who waves his wand and POOF your horse is perfect. They have spent the money.. and the money.. and well more money to get the books, the videos, the gear, join the club, go to the clinics, the seminars and the demo's and can't understand why they are no further ahead and in some cases are further behind. That money would have been better spent on classes, a trainer maybe 4h or pony club. Sure they arn't perfect and I am sure I wouldn't agree with a lot of what THEY had to say either (such is the way of things doubt me? read my signature.. but I always go my own way.. wanna come along it's always an interesting trip..) But at least the time would be spent with guidance, understanding and most importantly TIME in the saddle - out of the saddle and in general working with/caring for horses. Truly horses are amazing teachers of all things horse.

Horsemanship isn't about flash and bling.. and I am sorry it can't be learned in books and videos. It is as much about feel and balance not to mention empathy. It comes from the heart, a few good instructors at millage. There is no quick fix, no majic cure. I don't care what level you are at or who you have read or seen.

The truly simple truth is - that if you spend your time wisely with your horse, treat them with understanding you will end up with the horse you want most of the time (I say most because sometimes it in general, just doesn't WORK for whatever reason)

Long enough? Come on it's me.. you expected a long one..

Stille - Grab some books - get them from the library. you may be able to pull some interesting thoughts idea's or concepts from them. A little trick here that may come in handy later - a thought or concept you hadn't considered. It won't cost you anything to put a little time in rather then dumping it out of hand (although the fact that you asked says you have some interest in what's going on) Will it shatter your world and change your outlook on horses forever? not likely! But if one little thought that you pick up helps a horse down the road it will have been well worth it

 

[hackedoff]

SL, you have made some excellent points there!
I ( like CF) am honestly getting a little tired of these arguments I just wanted to make a couple of points- firstly if we all ever only did things the way our ol' grandpappy's grandpappy's grandpappy did then we would all be in the Stone Age in every respect, everything evolves and grows and we all add our tiny pearls of wisdom into the pot and pass it along to the next generation. That is progress, which is fired along by people asking questions; the NH movement is just that, people asking questions.
I dont ride bareback in a mystic robe with a string around my horse's left ear, but I am much more inclined to ask why an animal is doing something than immediately assume it is a b*st*rd and punish it when I dont get what I want. If I can change something without compromising my safety I will, even if it goes against my own personal preferences, I am not wedded to any 'system' or trainer or gadget or tradition. I just want to keep asking questions.

 

[Shadowlark]

hackedoff:

I think what you are saying is really what it comes down to. You have some background, you have done some reading, you have taken what is advantagous to you and you have moved on to aquire still more.

Bar none to me the best use of the available knowlege and is to be applauded

It's the Cultists that are making me mental

 

[Emz]

Elsie I am going to call you on this one

Do I call myself a "Natrual Horsewomen"? Nope never Do I approach my animals with gentle methods, compasion and understanding yes! Do I acheive results of course I do..

I agree wholly with you there Shadowlark. I'm the same.

But then again every horse is different and requires different querks in it's handling, NH will work for some but i've found not the majority of horses respond well to it. My methods have worked so far, if they don't i try another and keep adjusting the way i approach a problem with a horse until i find the answer. So far i havent had the need to try any NH methods.

 

[Crystal Fire]

I dont ride bareback in a mystic robe with a string around my horse's left ear

You don't?? Darn it, that must be where I'm going wrong. I thought I was getting some funny looks out riding today
Which "natural" horsemen do I like?
Mark Rashid (whatever he says he is or isn't) - because he is quiet, what he says makes sense, and he understands that nothing with horses is straightforward. I think it's a bit difficult for people to learn from him without attending seminars though.
Steve Halfpenny, because he's always striving to do it better and more fairly for the horse. And he's genuinely nice to all people and horses (how ever trying). Easier to learn from, he has been forced to produce a couple of DVD's and is happy to give unlimited free email advice to students. But at a rate of one DVD per year I wouldn't accuse him of being commercial.
Phil Rodey (in Australia) because he is 100% down to earth common sense horseman. He does clinics where he takes no prisoners. I can (and have) watch him work with a horse for hours.
Philip Nye, because I think he is as close as it gets to being a genius with horses. I wish he was more commercial and money-grabbing because it's very hard to learn from him when he only teaches twice every other year - in Australia! He will natter away via email though, and is very helpful.
There's more, but those are the ones who come to mind first.

 

[Bay Mare]

I don't "get" NH either. I'm talking all this Parelli and Kelly Marks garbage. Of the people I know personally who do NH, they are all either scared of their horses and refuse to discipline them, or kids who like fads and within a month will be using draw reins and Rollkur! Or just a strange breed of people who are easily brainwashed by marketing!

I would like to offer you an invite to visit our yard and see the strange tree huggers and their horses that we are

Although I do not follow 'NH' slavishly I do use the Kelly Marks 'garbage' method. A method which has cured, yes CURED, my horse of rearing and which has helped countless other horses even saving some from slaughter.

I am not scared of my horse and I do discipline her if I have to. I do not use it as a fad and will NOT use draw reins or Rolkur EVER. Even prior to 'discovering' NH I was not into using gadgets for the sake of using them.

I may be strange but I am not easily brainwashed and am far from susceptible to marketing ploys!

OF COURSE the different 'brands' of NH are marketed. They have to be to survive. Some are more aggressive than others and it can, I appreciate, be very off putting.

I do like the Kelly Marks way but also add bits in from Mark Rashid, Michael Peace and Bay Mare and Saffy!

NH, certainly the form that I use, is not about NOT disciplining your horse. It isn't about letting your horse do what it wants. It is not about carrot sticks and expensive lead ropes. If you actually look into it and, preferably, see how it works you'll see that some of the 'brands' talk a lot of sense.

I don't think that it's anything new and will accept that it isn't, strictly speaking, natural, but ANYTHING that can take people away from whacking a rearing horse over the head, kicking it in the ribs when it won't stand still etc can only be a good thing.

Following the 'NH' way has helped me form a stronger bond with my horse than if I had used the traditional methods that I was brought up with ... though I haven't completely discarded them either, there is still a lot of good in the 'traditional' ways.

I agree that the 'cults' are a bad thing. You should treat your horse as an individual in that no one method is going to work for every single horse on the planet. That is what drew me to IH (that you so despise), it's NOT about the join up, it's not about the Dually halter, certainly the experiences that I have had (with their qualified RAs) is that they tailor their approach to suit the individual horse and their owner.

Here endeth the lesson according to BM

 

[de_Stille_een]

I haven't come across a single NH trainer that won't 'go there' when they need to, even the ones that will work as quietly as possible once the boundaries have been set.

As I said earlier, I'm not well-studied in the ways of each NH trainer works... but I've met a lot of NH riders, and been to a lot of NH clinics (while I'm not a supporter, I like to stay informed and decently-educated-- that's the main reason for this post. It definitely comes in handy, as I encounter a lot of NH riders and supporters through my work), and I have to admit-- When talking about a problematic scenario, rather than explain how they would handle the situation, they always say the same thing-- "You really need to take a few steps back-- your horse wasn't ready" or "It should've never happened in the first place! Here's how you could've prevented it..." or "I wrote a really good book about groundwork" or "He's obviously in pain or afraid! You're scaring him when you should be encouraging him." I've never ever heard of or seen one who actually stated he would really "bring it" if a horse crossed the line. Or if they do, that line just magically keeps moving off into the sunrise...

It's like parenting-- did your parents spank you, or just tell you "no."? Obviously it's not going to help if you whack a kid upside the head because he asked if he could have cookies for dinner-- but there are situations that warrant a good spanking. Yes, there are kids who've been raised without being spanked (pretty soon, I imagine it'll be outlawed, at least the way things go in The States), but they don't really have the same respect that spanked-kids do. It's not because pain + fear = respect-- it's because kids understand what the standards are, and what happens if they get into trouble. And honestly, I've broken the proverbial wooden spoon over the backside of at least a few horses-- and now... I hardly have to ask before they happily respond as if to say "What can I do for you next?"

 

[de_Stille_een]

Well said CF I personally think anyone who dismisses stuff out of hand based on very little actual evidence does themselves no credit whether they're having a go at 'NH' or being holier than thou about 'traditional' whilst riding their horse in a rope halter

It's best to be open minded, sometimes it's worth looking into things a bit.

By the way... I absolutely love how everyone who has an opposing or dissimilar view from you tells you it "good to be open minded"-- because obviously, if you weren't so closed minded, you'd be doing it their way!

I find it interesting, how natural horsemanship's taken over certain articles tack As if using a rope halter makes you a natural horseman? Let's be honest folks-- rope halters were in use before natural horsemanship. In fact, I've heard NH clinicians state that they find rope halters to be inappropriate for the NH world-- the rope noseband is too harsh, they say.

Tack is tack. Using it doesn't make you a natural horseman or a conventional trainer. A tie-down is a handy piece of tack, and it serves it purpose in certain situations. A rope halter is an equally handy piece of equipment, as it offers a different feeling for training than a regular halter.

 

[de_Stille_een]

Here's my... theory. What I consider to be "traditional" or "conventional," is the method of starting horses on the lunge, and then later transferring those commands and such into under-saddle work. Definitely how the majority of competitive, upper-level horses are trained. I guess I rather mentally clump "cowboy training" in there too-- the whole chase-'em-round-the-round-pen-and-jump-on-his-back-and-hold-on-til-he's broke methods. This seems to be the party most likely to use brooms to load into trailers, as well as to become more dominant and aggressive in their training. Very much "Show 'em who's boss!"

Old-Fashioned... is what I've been taught. It's the way people trained horses before the Civil War and such-- The horse very much dictates how he's treated. He's always given the chance to make the right choice, he's ridden and handled in a non-confrontational way, etc-- but if he crosses the line, we really will do whatever it may take for him to understand that it's certainly not appropriate, and he's not calling the shots. Old-fashioned trainers don't usually lunge or round-pen (in reference to the chase and then back off technique), but they do use round pens for a lot of ground work and ground driving. And, yes-- they use crops, spurs, shanks, curb chains, martingales, tie-downs, and overchecks. (The previous five, by the way, are not in any way abusive when fitted correctly-- for example, a tie-down doesn't put pressure on the horse's nose whatsoever unless he's really stringing out or throwing his head up).

And Natural Horsemanship—I believe the training side of it all rather sprung out from old-fashioned techniques. It seems to me that the real boundary is that Natural Horsemanship is more passive and doesn't use the previously mentioned tack and aids-- perhaps someone way back when thought it was too overbearing or unnecessarily strong-- and it's definitely more do-it-yourself. As for the horse-keeping part, I think it’s an excellent idea—as I said earlier, it’s never “one-size fit all” with horses, and some (I’m guessing most) horses do much better off eating grass and weeds in a big field with all their little barefoot horsey friends—this is definitely where the “natural” side comes in.

I think that in most parts of the world, the “old-fashioned” training has rather died off or melted into the shadow of NH—so most people out there assume that if you’re training with common sense, understanding and some decent pool of compassion for horses, you’re part of the natural training to some extent.

Just a thought.

-Stille

 

[Kate F.]

As mentioned on another thread - I think the big misconception is that NH is something new. It's not. It goes back hundreds of years and has its roots in the Spanish baroque school of the 1600s. It's not a case of "natural" vs. "traditional" it's a case of working with the horse's mind and natural instincts to create a situation where it wants to work with you, or creating the situation where the horse does what you want because it's afraid not to and thinks it has no choice. Basically good horsemanship vs poor horsemanship.

What is new in NH is all the labelling, branding and packaging - and it's a matter of personal taste whether that appeals. However, good horsemanship is good horsemanship in whatever guise and with whatever equipment - and good horsemanship will work with the horse's mind to reach its body. Poor horsemanship uses gadgets and gizmos to fill in for the laziness, impatience or lack of skill of the human - it cuts out the thinking bit and goes straight for the muscle!

What is now often (incorrectly!) labeled "traditional" is simply poor horsemanship - using mechanical help to get quick results ... which are almost invariably short lived and counter productive in the long term because they ignore the horse's mind... but for the quick-turnaround-get-em-going-and-sell-em trainers they can make a living by turning quantity of horses. Unfortunately, the same approach filters through a section of the equestrian community where the first response to any problem becomes "how do I stop it happening" rather than "why is it happening".

Another big misconception... NH is a quick fix. It's not. It's a slow fix - but it works and stays fixed! It is, however, much quicker than the tackle-the-symptom-not-the-cause route - which most of the time doesn't work, and therefore appears very slow indeed!

My mentor is Richard Thompson - who doesn't have a branded "method" - he teaches exercises that help us relate to the way the horse sees the world and explains why they are relevant to the horse. You can then see these cropping up in all the commercial programmes and understand why the are working... or in some cases not. You can also look at trainers in any discipline and any style and see why what they do works.. or doesn't. Richard's philosophy is based on teaching us to understand the horse's mind - not selling a package - which is why most here have probably never heard of him - but I hope that one day all horsemanship will take this approach and it won't be seen as a gimmick... it will be what it is... common horse-sense!