Natural Horsemanship is a philosophy of working with horses based on the horse’s natural instincts and methods of communication, with the understanding that horses do not learn through fear or pain, but rather from pressure and the release of pressure.
At Good Horsemanship you’ll be taught both the art and science of riding and training horses. – See more at: http://goodhorsemanship.ca/#sthash.cOAb0K8E.dpuf
The natural horsemanship classes are a way to learn and comunicate with the horses in a language that they understand. An important aspect of it is to focus on our body language and the horse’s, and to control the energy we use to interact with him. Until you become conscious of the quantity of information that we contantly emit, most of the time without even realizing. You have to concentrate on your body, your energy and state of mind, something that we usually don’t do in our daily life. The benefits of this class are plenty: a better communication and understanding of the horse, the ability to ride the animal in tune, and how to discover things about ourselves, that we wouldn’t otherwise be conscious of.
They need to survive and perpetuate their species just like all other animals. Thus, the horse lives in herds with clearly determined social structure. Each one has its place in the pack, and there is a field of cooperation among them as they follow one calm, confident leader. They are constantly in communication, which is mostly non-verbal, and there are family and friendship ties.
We always need to remember that the horse is a prey animal that has been hunted and eaten; we are the predators. From this fundamental difference, it follows that their way of thinking and living is totally different from our own. The horse’s top priority is security within a comfortable environment.
Natural horsemanship trainers must use firm but fair force when necessary to ensure the safety of the rider or handler, as well as the horse. We simply do not use fear or pain to motivate the animal, nor do we attempt to force the animal into submission.
Horses are social herd animals, evolved for social interaction and the ability to escape predators. The horse has a highly developed communication system practiced primarily through body language. It is possible for humans to learn to use body language to communicate with the horse. Horses use ear position, head position, speed of movement, threatening gestures, showing of teeth and swinging of hips, and many other gestures to communicate. They are quick to escalate a behavior if early warnings are not heeded. Similarly, in natural horsemanship, the handler or trainer uses body language along with other forms of gentle pressure with increasing escalation to get the horse to respond. Horses are quick to form a relationship of respect with humans who treat them in this fashion; “firm but fair” is a motto.