What is NH (Natural Horsemanship)

[Lif Strand <fasterhorses@gilanet.com>]

To tell you the truth, Natural Horsemanship is just one way of saying
Good Horsemanship, Humane Horsemanship, Thinking Horsemanship.  It has
nothing to do with the issue of whether or not what we ask the horse to
do is natural for a wild horse, but everything to do with trying to use
what comes naturally to a horse to help it learn what we need it to
learn.

Natural horsemanship is about the human's part in a horse/human
relationship.

It's not a specific technique, it's an attitude.  While everyone will
have their own take on what that attitude is, I can tell you that to me
it involves respect for the horse and a desire to train without invoking
fear in the horse.  It does not involve using force, fear, exhaustion,
devices, etc. to "teach".  It's about giving a horse the freedom to
decide to do what is asked on its own.  Cooperation and partnership, in
other words.

An obvious example of this is the old method of "bucking a horse out" vs
"gentling" the horse.  While perhaps few to no Ridecampers would buck a
horse out, here in NM where we live, it's common.  However, before
anyone reading this congratulates themselves on being a "natural
horseman" ask yourself this:  Have you ever used a whip or a rope to
force your horse in the trailer?  Have you ever hit your horse for not
obeying?  Have you ever solved pulling or running away or other problems
with equipment rather than training?  The answers to these questions, to
my mind, define the fine line between Natural Horsemanship and not.  Lif

--
                                    ____________
Lif & Paul Strand   STRAND ENTERPRISES   http://www.fasterhorses.com
          Arabian Horses (BUY A HORSE FROM US TODAY!)
         Nutrition for People & Critters * WebArt
                     Quemado, NM  USA



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