I am an advocate of natural horsemanship in that I believe change in the horse industry is long overdue. In the past most horses were used to serve human beings for working purposes, transportation, military, and agriculture. Now, the overwhelming majority of them serve to entertain us. There was horse abuse in the past, as there is horse abuse today, but today for different reasons. People often abused the working horses in the past, because of their lack of understanding and expertise, as many of these people were not horsemen and used horse for work. Now abuse stems less from ignorance, but much more as a result of vanity, greed and the desire to win at all cost. Horses of every breed and in every form of showing can be subject to some sort of abuse, but the abusers don't necessarily represent the whole of the industry.
So, overall the shift toward gentler methods is a big step in the right direction. Natural Horsemanship is based on the philosophy that any dedicated horse person be the best they can be, but not at the cost of the trust and friendship of their equine partner.
This a great philosophy, and I'm glad it has gained the popularity and respect of horse enthusiasts. More horse enthusiasts means more job security for people like me, and a kinder breed of enthusiast is obviously good for horses. A lot of the Natural craze today is a result of really good marketing by a few savvy horse people. I would love to have been the one with the foresight and business sense to market the"Natural Horsemanship" brand in an attractive package with "must have" accessories. The reinvention of the horsemanship wheel sold as the alternative to more conventional training was brilliant. However, It did more than make a few horseman famous. It gave horse owners the courage to question bad trainers, to become advocates, and to seek better ways to communicate with their horses.
The downside of the way natural horsemanship is packaged and sold is that most programs offer a very limited and superficial understanding of horses and horsemanship. The problem is that while the heart of this "natural movement" is of good intention, there is a division created by implying that "classical", "old-style", "old-fashioned" methods - and, in fact, all methods but their own - are cruel and abusive. The reality is that Natural Horsemanship principles can be incorporated into all work or sport with horses, to help produce a better performance, to help produce a better horse. It is important that we realize that Natural horsemanship training is a means to an end, not necessarily the end itself.
I recently spoke with a fellow Meredith Manor graduate who took a job as a Instructor/Rider for a "Natural Horsemanship" barn. When it came time to get horses ready for lesson season she came across a new mare that was given to the school by a boarder who could not pay their debt. She was to begin riding the mare so she could be used as a lesson horse for the program as well.
The first time she tried to mount the mare, and the horse began to walk away, refusing to stand still. She decided to work the horse on the ground a little more first, attempting to get the horse relaxed and focused. When she eventually was finally able to mount the mare she asked the horse to walk on. The mare pinned her ears and again refused. She remained quiet and relaxed with her hands forward not restricting in anyway, asking again with a little more pressure. The mare moved forward begrudgingly only to stop at the gate and again refuse to walk on.
At this point the owner entered the arena and explained that she had been having the same problem with the horse and just to keep after her she would eventually go. Within a few minutes the mare became increasingly defiant and finally began to rear. The rider leaned forward opened her hands and tried to send her forward. At this point it became obvious she had no intention of complying. She had obviously played and won this game before.
My friend asked the owner if she would mind retrieving the whip she left sitting in the corner. The owner glared and replied with a harsh tone "We don't beat horses here" Surprised, she tried to explain the whip was going to be used as a reinforcement of leg to get the horse forward, not as a punishment. The owner refused and told her to just keep asking, she would "come around". Again the rider put her leg on and again the horse reared. When she came down this time the horse actually began backing up taking more than ten steps backward before stopping once again.
At this point the owner decided the horse must be sore and rather than creating a big fight that they should just take her back to her stall. I cannot think of a worse possible way to handle this situation! Not only did the mare have zero respect for the rider, but now her negative behavior was being reinforced. So next time she doesn't want to work you better believe she is going to do the same thing or worse.
There are many people, all well-meaning, and all interested in the kind and sensible treatment of horses, following a particular Ideology or method religiously with no solid foundation of knowledge. You need to be able to stand back and look at what is actually going on in order to separate the substance from the hype. Understanding the tools available and how to use them is part of working with horses. Certainly artificial aids have the potential for misuse but, they can be extremely useful communication tools when used correctly.
“Natural” aids include the legs, the rider’s weight, the hands, and an independent seat. Anything else an “artificial aid.” For that matter a round pen is an artificial aid. If you are using the arena wall or the corner to help you shape your horse’s movement from the ground or the saddle, it becomes an “artificial” aid people use to shape their horse’s activity. Round pens are not cruel and for that matter neither are whips, spurs, or flash nose bands.
Artificial aids should never be used to punish the horse. There is a difference between punishing and enforcing. Enforcement means re-enforcing something the horse already knows, re-minding or re-focusing his attention. That's different than correcting the horse because he's done something wrong.
A dressage whip should serve as a reminder rather than a punishment. The rider must be sure that the horse completely understands the request being made before using a whip or spur to reinforce. For example if the horse does not respond to the rider’s increased leg pressure, a quick tap of the whip can be given immediately. If you repeat a request that the horse understands perfectly well 3 times before telling with the whip you will need twice as much pressure the next time the horse ignores the leg aid. It is similar to a child pretending not to hear you not responding until you say his entire name. Until you yell out "John Michael Smith get down here right now!" does he heed the warning knowing this time your serious.
Whips and spurs are no more abusive than your hands or your seat or your legs. You can use your hands or your legs in an abusive way and you can use a whip or spurs to convey the subtlest communication. The goal is to use the artificial aid to reinforce the natural aids so that the rider can use the lightest possible aids to communicate with the horse. The problem comes in when artificial aids are misused by people who either don't know or don't care. For instance, if you are not yet rolled in at the thigh, or you do not yet have good control of your legs then you are not ready for spurs. You shouldn't use spurs to constantly drive your horse forward or to attempt to push him into a leg yield. Its all a matter of using the tools responsibly.
We might be better off changing the name to "Logical Horsemanship" or "Responsible Horsemanship" . Maybe then we wouldn't get so caught up in the term natural. There is no one perfect recipe for training every horse. Horses are as individual and distinct is the person training them. Natural Horsemanship advocates that discount every "old school" trainer or every method that we don't understand or agree with are no different than the horseman who refuses to acknowledge their may be a benefit to utilizing kinder methods. Learn in as many ways from as many horses, and people as you can, because in the end we learn just as much from the good ones as we learn from the bad.
I really enjoyed your article - very interesting... and in my opinion, mostly accurate point of view.
One thing caught me as strange though, you said, "Her first day, when she tried to mount the mare, and the horse began to walk away, refusing to stand still. She decided to work the horse on the ground a little bit first, attempting to get the horse relaxed and focused." Why would this 'natural' trainer even attempt to mount her before establishing a relationship on the ground? That seems like a silly way to go about training a new horse. Almost like she set herself up for failure in front of the owner. Maybe is she had taken more time on the ground, the outcome would have been different. Just food for thought.
Stace
Posted by: Stacey | February 22, 2007 at 08:11 AM
Thank you for pointing that out. I didn't write that exactly as I meant to. She was not actually intented to train the horse but to exercise her. She was a 12 year old mare who had been used in a lesson program before she actually was sold to this owner. This day she actually was getting on after the owner had already supposedly worked her on the ground and attempted to ride her. So she finished up the horse she was working and began working with this mare. I think you are correct though. Had she worked with her from the beginning the results probably would have been much different. I'll edit that- Thanks for the comment :)
Kelly
Posted by: Kelly | February 22, 2007 at 10:37 AM
Being a fellow Meredith Manor graduate (2002), I agree with this article. There are many people that call themselves "natural horsemanship" trainers. I am not trying to generalize any particular "discipline" or style of training, but many "natural" type trainers don't understand the why behind there training methods. My experience has been that many "natural horse" trainers apply training methods that cause a horse to have training issues. One thing that you point out is the importance of groundwork. Many trainers discard the aspect of groundwork which causes the horse to have issues later in their training. It also makes it difficult for the "amateur" rider to have a horse that is a respectful partner. I agree with your opinion regarding "artificial aids". It is a breath of fresh air to see other trainers with opinions that are similar to my own. It is sometimes hard to be a successful trainer, when many people expect "quick" fixes. "Quick fixes" are not the answer, building a relationship with the horse is the answer.
Posted by: Sara | May 14, 2007 at 10:45 PM
I like this article it has told me lots about how artificial aids can be used without being used to beat horses I will definitely tell my friends about this
Posted by: Kelly | April 22, 2010 at 06:34 PM