A Note About Natural Horsemanship
What’s natural horsemanship? It is a horse training philosophy that is based on using the built-in instincts of horses. While there are a few natural horsemanship methods in use, all of them do share one common approach, they use pressure and release as coaching mediums.
What are equine natural Instincts?
Horses are evolutionally lower down on the food chain, they’re ‘prey’ animals. Their behaviour patterns have been conditioned by the need to survive predation and frequently harmful natural environments, and respond to stimuli from fellow herd members. Endless repetition of stimuli and responses has finetuned equine built-in instincts. Stimuli are largely factors that ‘pressure’ the pony into reacting. This phenomenon is utilized by trainers with trained horses: they apply pressure to generate required responses from the horses they are training. On any particular coaching exercise, the coach releases pressure as quickly as the pony has responded as requested. By using this strategy, horses are conditioned to respond in appropriate ways to different cues.
What is equine body language?
Natural horsemanship relies substantially on equine body language. Wild horses use body language to communicate with fellow herd members. They use their heads, eyes, ears, tails and most other body parts to convey messages. Natural horsemanship takes advantage of these instincts to get horses to respond as needed with the utilisation of body language to convey ‘cues’ (pressure) or commands.
How does pressure differ from force?
Natural horsemanship principles reject force as a tool to coach horses. When we discuss force, we are talking about attempts to compel horses to do things that their natural instincts could rebel against. Horses behave contrarily if subjected to incomprehensible actions. Cues (pressures) are used in ways easily understood by the horses, which allows them to react appropriately. A key element of training based primarily on natural horsemanship is trust between coach and horse. Trust is gained by communicating with the pony in its own language. Close interactions and usage of simply understood body language make the pony feel secure with trainers. When they’re comfortable, they don’t have any problems with learning whatever is taught to them.
Why should one practice natural horsemanship?
Pleasure and functionality are the ultimate motivation factors behind the possession and coaching of a pony. Whether it is simple trail riding, show participation, military or police use, human beings ride horses because they enjoy it or because it is practical. Natural horsemanship enhances the enjoyment. Horses trained in this way are calmer. They enjoy good rapport and trust with their trainers and riders, and this encourages them to make that extra effort whether on the trail or in competition. This is applicable to trainers and riders also: they are more relaxed with their horses because there is a clearer understanding of equine behavior.
While some degree of irregularity is real even with horses trained the natural horsemanship way, they are infinitely more reliable than horses trained otherwise.
Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers read more
