Natural horsemanship?

Question

i was just wondering how many people believe in natural horsemanship and what views people have on this? both of my rescue mares have been through years of bond and trust work and i have only seen positive effects from this.. i dont need to lead them in a headcollar as they follow me everywhere i go, they can be ridden in the field with no tack as they are responsive to voice and very light leg commands and they are litterally bomb proof because they have such trust in myself. i would definately recommend this kind of training rather than the use of conventional methods. :)

Answer 1

Training using methods that have come to be called natural horsemanship is by far more superior than the pain and fear training methods. Here are some books in my library which I have read again and again and which I continue to reference for help and which I think are a must read for anyone who wants to be a trainer using the techniques of what is called natural horsemanship.

"True Horsemanship Through Feel" by Bill Dorrance and Leslie Desmond

"True Unity, Willing Communication between Horse and Human" by Tom Dorrance and Milly Hunt Porter

"The Complete Training of Horse and Rider in the Principles of Classical Horsemanship" by Alois Podhajsky

"Natural Horse-Man-Ship" by Pat Parelli, Kathy Kadash, and Karen Parelli

"Problem Solving; Preventing and Solving Common Horse Problems" by Marty Marten

"Horse, Follow Closely: Native American Horsemanship" By GaWaNi Pony Boy

"Starting the Western Horse; A Guide to Preparing the Green Horse for Optimum Performance" by J. P. Forget

"Ride with Your Mind: An Illustrated Masterclass in Right Brain Riding" by Mary Wanless

Answer 2

I use it on everyhorse that comes to my place no matter how highly trained there are.

Horses need to earn humans trust to be able to do things. That is the first thing i teach my horses.

In your paragraph you were saying what they do happily for you. My horses are exactly the same by using my hand and finger i can communicate with my horse to teach it where to go and to continue walking or halting. I've taught both my horse and pony to be ridden around the field with no tack on and tell them what gaits i prefer them.

When i got my pony he was educated but had been mistreated so i trained him up and before i put him on lease i taught him to jump without anything on except while i was on his back. It is a wonderful feeling and i believe the reason behind it is TRUST! Another example is i taught my pony to fetch stuff for me like when i was cleaning out his stable or when we gave him a bath i gave him the hose to wash himself while i rubbed conditioner and shampoo on him lol! Funny ay but i believe the secret to horsemanship is TRUST and seeing inside the creatures soul.

You build trust it is amazing what you can accomplish with the animal, AnD ThAt'S ThE WaY I RoLl! :P

But yes i do believe in natural horsemanship :)

Answer 3

We use it here at our rescue.  I had been using this for a long time before someone told me there was a name for this, I just did what I thought was best for the horse and the relationship we get from it.  Since then I have been studying all the "Natural Horsemanship" trainers out there, reading books and going to clinics, heck there is always room in my brain to learn more, plus they are fun and you meet new people.  Some of the well know trainers have some good sound advise, I have run into people who baffle my brain they are in it for the money and not the horse.

Im handicapped myself, I admitted it im crippled i have a rare neuro muscular disease thats crippling and im in pain 24/7, I dont remember what not hurting feels like.  I have to train and ride differently, I found using these methods makes life a heck of lot easier for me and maybe the horse feels or know im different and they are more responsive.  No matter how i feel that day, i make time for all of them.  Im able to do things with my horses that makes people drop there jaw, but its that relationship we established that makes what we do work.  I too can ride with no tack, direct my horses like im directing traffic, I point they go to LOL, I also talk to them...Ok that part makes me sound crazy LOL

I think whatever type of training someone does, as long as its working for them they need to keep using it.  Conventional methods do work best for some horses.

Also I dont believe in the word bombproof tho...You set off a bomb near any horse and they will go nuts LOL  I know I would freak and the only thing you would see is my backside heading for safety LOL

Answer 4

There are some here that think Parelli is the ONLY natural horsemanship training so kinda assume when you say NH they think you are talking Parelli, as if he invented this way of training *rolling eyes*

There are so many different clinicians out there that are NH and travel the country(s) to help teach it.  I've included links.

I have been doing it most of my life and then someone gave it a name....Natural Horsemanship. Whodathunk!

People don't realize it but they practice NH most daily with their own horses. :)  Most don't even want to understand its concept and just close their minds to it.  To each their own :)

To me..natural horsemanship is training in a way that the horse is more inclined to understand. No devices and not alot of pressure.  Respect. Give and take.  Respect is key

Answer 5

I use it as well. I find it helps me under stand the youngsters better. As i am a horse breeder and find that if my foals grow up with it then training them when older is a whole lot easyer.

It is a great way to get a bond going between horse and owner.=)

Answer 6

Buckinfun, couldn't agree more! When I was 10-11yrs old, my parents bought me my first horse. I didn't have training as such with how to look after a horse, I could ride, that was all on riding school ponies! Naturally, my horse and I built up a strong and sensetive understanding of each other, and he taught me so much. The art of owning a horse is learning to listen to it! Of course, back then there wasn't a label for working and understanding your horse, it was just something I enjoyed doing, spending time with him. With hindsight, I know we bonded with a form of NH, but it was our own, no dvd's or courses. It was common sense and I look now at all these trainers, who are teaching pretty much what I used to do with my horse. A crystal ball would have been handy then though!!!

Answer 7

Good for you and your horses.  Natural horsemanship is great and the group of young trainers that has brought these old techniques into the forefront in recent years should be commended.  They all have good information to offer and you can learn something from all of them, even if it is something you decide you don't want to do. Many years ago, people like Tom Dorrance, Ronny Willis, and Ray Hunt did not have the media available to widely disseminate the information but that is not the case now.  Of course, the original "natural horsemen" were Native Americans.  They rode naturally with a "cherokee bridle" and their horses at "liberty".  It is wonderful to see younger horse owners acknowledging these techniques instead of continuing the old fear, intimidation, cruelty, abuse, and force.  Again, good for you.  Keep it natural.

Answer 8

i dont use it only because i havent been horseriding for a while, dont have my own horse etc... but i have heard about it and am interested. thing is it costs money. i have been to http://www.parelli.com and have seen that the games/programs etc.. and costly. hmm.... i would love to get into it though. great question :)

Answer 9

I use it alot.  I deal with horses that have not been handled/and or handled badly alot and find this method is very effective.  However, there are lots of other good methods too, so try to be open minded in your handling.  I try to find the best method for the horse.  Although this is my favorite and most reliable method, my best mare which I actualy bred myself (not one of the missfits i've aquired) never responded to it at all!! she just looked at me confused! she suited a more traditional method which was really quite suprising, so try to be open minded. Different horses like respond to different things.

Answer 10

Yes I do and so do many others on this site,  with varying degrees of committment to one or another of the many propenents and teachers.  Welcome to the site...we have an ongoing battle between the believers and the skeptics on this subject. I'm sure you'll get some interesting responses to your question.

Answer 11

My horse trusts me and I use voice commands and he does follow me, walk by my side (with not other aids) and runs up to the fence when he sees my car drive into the driveway.

Answer 12

I absoulutly LOVE natural horsemanship.  I do Parelli, and find it to be the best.  The methods make so much more sense to me than traditional methods of go get your horse, get on, and make him do what you want.  With nautal, your horse wants to do what you want and you'll have MUCH better results.  I don't know anybody who's really tried natural horsemanship (at least Parelli), and hasn't liked it and gotten great results.  I'll never go back to 'regular', and I would reccomend it to anyone!!!  :)

Answer 13

i rescued my 1st pony from a riding school, her head was all low and looked a right mess.

i brought her back with time and patience, it took 6 months and now she is perfect! had her almost 2 years now.

i am currently working on my new horse.

Answer 14

I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT XD

I wish everybody did it, it is just listening to the horse, that's all it is! You get much better bond, results and they're long term too.

<3Parelli all the way please =]

Answer 15

i use it two and adjust it depending on the temperament of the horse i am handling. it has help me most with the stallions i handle as i understand them better.

Answer 16

I agree with Jeff and buckinfun.  Natural horsemanship is how people have commercialized common sense.

Answer 17

It depends on what you are calling 'natural horsemanship'.  Most of that is just old techniques that have been renamed so that trainers can claim them as theirs to make more money.  And no they really did not borrow bits and pieces of each technique.  They borrowed whole techniques from different places and renamed them so that they could claim them as their own.  The whole name "Natural Horsemanship" even implies that if you do not buy their products and use their terms then your training is 'unnatural'.

In particular I dislike Parelli and Monty Roberts.  They are not what they claim, nor are they anywhere near as good as they want you to believe.  And in Particular I have seen Parelli horses.  Yes they may be able to play 'games' on the ground but the horses are poorly trained in the saddle.  I have seen too many nutty horses from his techniques.  The fact is he focuses so much on ground work that the riding suffers terribly.

As far as voice commands I call mine by name and in a field of seven horses I can stand by the gate and call the two or three I want to come and get grain. They whoa and to move when I click.  I can use one hand to redirect their feet movements on the ground.    I really do not care about anything else on the ground.  I care how they ride.  I have a four year old that even last year as a three year old my 6 year old little girl could ride her on the trails and she never spooked.  And to think, I accomplished all this without buying a single item or using a single term in "natural horsemanship"