Just What Is Natural Horsemanship?

Four years ago I had never heard of “natural horsemanship.” I hadn’t heard of Pat Parelli or Clinton Anderson or John Lyons. I’d never seen a rope halter and other than basic leading, grooming, bathing, and trailering etiquette, I didn’t know much about groundwork either.

But I did know a lot of horses. Horses had taught me to work hard, to overcome my fears, to believe in myself, to work in partnerships, to compete with grace, to fall with dignity, and to calmly handle difficult (sometimes dangerous) situations. I didn’t believe in bucking out or other traditional “cowboy” riding styles, and wouldn’t use pain or artificial tools to train a horse.

What I learned when I first met my friends and Parelli evangelists, Dave and Tracie, was that the ways I had been taught to work with horses actually had a name:

Natural horsemanship.

What Is Natural Horsemanship?

Natural horsemanship is a major equestrian buzzword these days. It has many advocates and probably just as many detractors. And I’m sure there are many out there, like me, who just don’t know what on earth it is or how it might apply to them.

For years, trainers hid their methods to protect their livelihood. That was, until Ray Hunt learned “resistance-free” training methods from Tom Dorrance back in the 1970s and then went public with his own techniques. The phrase natural horsemanship was coined 20 years ago by Pat Parelli to describe the training methods he learned from Ray and Tom and then utilized. But the concepts have been around for centuries, while just gaining public acknowledgement and popularity in the last 40 years.

At it’s most basic, and generally agreed upon, definition, natural horsemanship is the art of communicating with horses the way they communicate with each other. It’s based on us as people mimicking equine herd behavior and body language while playing to each horse’s individual personality and instincts. There are several principles that are common across the board:

• Working with a horse’s natural instincts and communication methods
• Using body language to communicate
• Avoiding use of pain, fear, or force
• “Firm but fair” mentality
• Establishing trust and respect by enabling the horse to feel safe during the training process
• Operant conditioning through pressure and release (pressure motivates, release teaches)
• Using groundwork to establish communication skills and relationship
• Teaching people to teach horses, not just teaching horses
• Looking at the horse holistically; addressing feet, health, nutrition, living environment as well as training. Knowing what is most healthy for your horse.

Natural horsemanship advocates also tend to lean towards using natural medicinal and supplement therapies and barefoot trimming. These are not, however, mutually exclusive.

Why Natural Horsemanship?

I come from a hunter/jumper background. I was fortunate to ride out of a barn that had western, saddleseat, and dressage riders as well. In general, everyone was kind to their horses and didn’t resort to painful tactics to address training issues. I understood that basic riding aids meant horses moved away from pressure. I understood that a horse who trusts you is calmer and more willing. I understood the subtleties of a horse’s movement. I understood that different horse personalities often required different approaches.

So when I started learning more about natural horsemanship, it just made sense.

It’s not that natural horsemanship is completely different from how I learned to ride and work with a horse. It’s just that it had a name, a system, specific training tools and skills that addressed certain needs. All of these trainers like Pat Parelli, Monty Roberts, and Buck Brannaman were just putting their training systems into specific words, skills, games, and structures that were understandable to new and experienced horse people alike. And I could see the incredible relationships being built between horses and people.

What true horseman or horsewoman doesn’t want a horse who loves, trusts, and respects them? What person wouldn’t want to have specific tools and ideas for working through problem areas or training a green horse (like I am with my horse Ace)? Who wouldn’t want to know what makes their horse tick? Who wouldn’t want their horse to respond correctly without a fight?

You don’t have to subscribe to any one trainer, or even to natural horsemanship as a method at all to be using the theories or answering those questions. In a way, I was always a natural horsewoman – I just didn’t know it. But I love the skills and deeper understanding I have gained through learning to use natural horsemanship training. I love that I have some great tools for training Ace, which in two months has allowed me to build a great relationship with him and get him going under saddle after years standing around in a pasture. I like that I have an arsenal of ideas for dealing with our training issues, and new ways of thinking to understand why Ace does what he does and how to deal with it.

Common Misconceptions

Natural horsemanship is of no use to me as a hunter/jumper, eventing, or dressage rider.
Not true! Building a relationship with your horse and learning to communicate with each other through body language and pressure/release is perfectly applicable to any discipline. By starting on the ground first, you learn skills to better improve your communication in the saddle. Your horse learns to be incredibly sensitive and responsive to your aids and to look to you for direction. What’s not to like about that? Plus, you can always use only the specific tactics that are most applicable to you and your horse or make the most sense to you. I pull from a variety of different methods, and tweak the skills as needed to keep our training in-line with what we ultimately want to do.

Natural horsemanship means no shoes or medicines.
Not true! You always need to do what you know is best for your own horse. Natural horsemanship, shoes, and traditional veterinary medicine are not mutually exclusive. Most important is that you learn your horse and always do what is best for him as a whole. Educate yourself to know what is most healthy and beneficial for your horse.

Natural horsemanship is all about being gentle all the time (wimpy training).
Again, not true! Natural horsemanship is all about getting your horse to respond correctly with as little pressure as possible. If I’m pushing on Ace’s hindquarters with a stick to get him to disengage, I stop as soon as he does it. If he does it with the slightest, pressure, great! If not, I push harder and harder and make him uncomfortable enough that he eventually gives the response I want. My horse is dominant, and there are times I’ve had to smack pretty hard with the stick before he responded. The key is to use the exact amount of pressure needed for a response, no more no less. As your horse learns exactly what he’s supposed to do, he will respond to less and less pressure. Firm but fair. You don’t want to hurt your horse, but he needs to know you mean business.

Bringing It All Home

Learning to think like a horse allows you to work through issues without causing undue stress to your horse or yourself. Like any good trainer, use what works best for you while keeping your horses best interests (and your safety!) at heart.

Be sure to check back often or subscribe using the links to the left, as I continue to cover natural horsemanship. I’ll be looking at the different big name natural horsemanship trainers, their programs, their methods and their differences as well as covering whatever other related topics interest you! (be sure to let me know if there’s something you’d like to hear more about!). Or, click on over to my personal blog and follow my own natural horsemanship training adventures with my new horse Ace.