RC: Re: LONG!! What "Natural" Horsemanship is to me...

[Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

>NH (Natural Horsemanship) is based on communicating with a horse in 
>the language they understand and respect. It has to be strong enough 
>to demand respect, but has to accommodate the horses need to be accepted 
>by a leader. The whole technique is built on attaining and retaining 
>respect and validating the hierarchy between horse and rider. There is 
>a lot of talk about prey / predator relationships with NH, but for me 
>it all amounts to respect and appreciation.
>
Once again, Linda, I'm with you 110%!!!

>
>NH is "talking" with the horse in terms they comprehend and respect.
>Communication is verbal and physical, and for the most part, involves a
>great deal of kindness & infrequent physical discipline. The discipline
>is there, it *is* stern, and it's delivery is assertively prompt. Horses
>appreciate swift and stern discipline... if you are strong enough to 
>lead justly, they're safe following you!
>
>Horses engaged in dominance battles aren't tentative. When a horse does
>something dangerous - disrespect to a human is dangerous - I react
>appropriately. That is the NH way. Set them up to do the right thing,
>and don't tolerate more than an alpha horse would tolerate. They have to
>respect you. Without absolute respect, they won't trust, and without
>trust and respect, they won't obey unless it's convenient or easy.

Have you been listening in on my lectures to student???? ;-)  You are RIGHT
ON THE MONEY!  May I quote you?  Better yet...may I post your post in the
classroom/lounge area?

>If you use the right timing and are
>consistent, forceful corrections seldom necessary.

Consistency is extremely important in training...no matter what it is.  And
not just "most" of the time, but ALL of the time.  

>Successful NH trainers don't hesitate to make a stern correction when
>it's called for. There's a strings of words along the line of "ask,
>promise, deliver". 

Same procedure I teach all students --- Ask quietly and gently but loud
enough to be heard (their "reception" improves with time)...count to 4 and
if there's no indication that they intend to respond appropriately...demand
they listen!  (You must give them time to "hear", think, and respond.  They
get quicker as they understand and their response more conditioned.)  The
second communication is usually an amped-up version of the first -- sterner
and stronger.  Count to 4 again and if there is *still* no response, amp up
one more notch and accompany the cue with *ONE*, STRONG smack with the
whip, crop, or popper (near the offending body part or ignored cue (ie leg)
if that's the situation.)  By then they've figured that you're serious and
are not very interested in the next step <g>......then IMMEDIATELY go
*back* to where you started and repeat the above procedure.  This last part
is probably the most critical when schooling a horse!!  (A tip I picked up
from Jane Savoie.)  They quickly learn that they really don't want to have
step 3, so they start responding to Phase 2...pretty soon they get tired of
step 2 and will respond to your first cue.  As their attention and response
time improves, the first cue can become quieter and quieter until you're
barely whispering.  My horses will rarely go to step 3 anymore...they know
that if I, or one of my students, have to escalate to step 2, step 3 is
*not far away*!  And NO NAGGING!  No repeating step 1 over and over, or
step 2 over and over.  It's 1-2-3!  There isn't a horse that I've worked
with that doesn't catch on to it very quickly.  And NO ANGER!  Be strict,
stern, and business-like...and when the message has been appropriately
received, go right back to the normal program.  

Beware of falling into the trap of taking their behavior personally.
They're *not* out to get you or purposely doing stuff to p*** you off...and
they won't hate you for disciplining appropriately.  They learn that you're
the Alpha and they are beneath you in the hierarchy...and they don't care!
They just want to know clearly where they stand.

I also carry a crop with me when I ride out -- it's clipped to the saddle
(not carried.)  If I run into a situation where I feel I may need it, I
have to unclip it first (I have it set up so that it can be done fairly
quickly for emergencies)...and, unless their brain has totally left their
body, they know what's coming next and usually opt to comply before then.
(They can feel me reach for the clip! ;-))  Again, consistency is important.

>NH methods set the horse up to understand what's being asked, and make
>it easy for them to do the right thing, hard to do the wrong thing. It's
>soft training when the horse is soft, hard when the horse is hard. It's
>a way of training the horse to willingly do the right thing, to not
>resist.
>
>Set the horse up for success, and give them freedom to make a the
>choice, because if you don't let them be wrong, you can't train them to
>make the right choices without constant guidance.
>

AMEN!  I couldn't have said it any better.  

Sue
Blaze, Blue, Sherry, Darby, and Xxxxx  (I think I may have made a decision!)

sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.


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