Natural Horse Training

What is This and How does it Work

Natural Horse Training

Natural training is about communicating with a horse and finding ways to help them understand what you want, but without training them through the use of fear and force.

It is not a matter or them being bad or wrong and us being right. It is a matter of learning how to communicate with them effectively so that a partnership can evolve between rider and horse. They are the most beautiful of animals but they can be enormously challenging. When you hit blocks, if you come through them you will have learnt, in many cases a great deal and will have become much more knowledgeable.

Resources

There are now many horse training books and natural horse training books and ideas available.

I have found that to study the works of one trainer and really try and grasp their ideas and tips is very beneficial before embarking on yet another trainer and their ideas. To try too many ideas all at once can easily just create further confusion.

Once having studied one natural horse training master you can them move on and study others. As you study, ideas will begin to evolve in your own mind and so solutions will come. There are times that you may feel completely stuck with a problem. With a bit of research and reading and the correct advice and support from someone knowledgeable in that particular area you are struggling with, you will find solutions.

The Many Different Trainers

It is worth remembering that everyone has opinions. But it is worth finding someone who has actual experience and practical ideas in the particular area you are stuggling and needing help with.

If you reach a block and find the horsemen who's work you are familiar is unnable to help you, then move on and find some more advice and knowledge for your particular problem.

However do not back lash any trainer, after all they may not have the answers now, but they may have helped you in some previous ways. No trainer has all the answers, we are all students.

Decisions

Decsions have to be made all the time, by not making them you go backwards. Even if your decisions are wrong you are better to make them, only then, will you continue to move on. Listen to your gut feel, your quiet inner voice inside, this will help you but you need to listen to it and act on it.

Our Experience

For us we found initially Monty Robert's work enormously valuable. His work is now widely known but it can be immensely helpful in so many situations. His books are good resources and other solutions to many everyday problems.

His Dually Halters for general handling and leading are so easy to use and invaluable.

One of the first things we do with a new horse in the yard is to work with them using the Dually halter. Just simply, leading, backing and walking them so anyone can lead them safely and turn them out. It also helps to begin to understand what Monty calls Equus, the language of the horse. His work on body language is enormously helpful in so many situations when working with horses.

Montyís work and advice on long lining extremely useful. It is so easy to put into practice and so effective. Understanding how to put them on safely and not get them twisted up and how to use them is important.

Mark Rashid is another trainer using natural horse training ideas and methods and writes very easy books to read. From them it is easy to get ideas of your own and to help develop your own skills. As he says there will be times and situations when you will have to find your own answers but if you have done some reading and studying your will be much better equipped to find natural horse training solutions.

A thought to consider is, What are ones Aims and Goals?

Ones goals are highly individual and personal but regardless of what discipline or riding we do, a nicely mannered relaxed horse that is safe to handle and ride will help us regardless of our riding ability. Showing respect to our horses and our horses showing us respect must be foundations with which to work from. The attention to detail when working and handling them is so important and if we do it to the best of our abilities and understanding we will continue to improve and learn.

For me my basic aims (regardless of any riding achievements) have always been to ride a safe well behaved horse. By this I mean to be able to ride where ever I wanted to go, with or wihtout other horses, to go at whatever speed I want to go. For them to stand still while I mount and dismount, load easily and be pleasant to handle and lead (and not get bitten, trodden or knocked over.) Equus Monty Robert's work and training covers all this and a lot more.