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What is Natural Horsemanship?
(And Related Questions)
So what is 'natural horsemanship' anyway?
Natural horsemanship, a term coined by Pat Parelli in the 1980s, describes a horse training philosophy that horses inherently understand because it uses body language and a hierarchy all horses are instinctively familiar with.
What is the difference between natural horsemanship and traditional horsemanship?
Traditional horsemanship is when people train horses by using humans' natural predator instincts to accomplish tasks. Sometimes it involves force, bullying and intimidation, but it can actually be relatively gentle. The problem is that the horses don't understand the training methods used, so they find life with humans confusing, frustrating and sometimes frightening. Luckily for humans, horses are very forgiving and adaptable; even when traditional training is used, they can become "broke", well-trained horses that can win in competitions and be safe on the trails.
Natural horsemanship is when people train horses using the horses' natural instincts to accomplish tasks. It is a set of values that encourages riders to think from the horse's point of view and do things in a way that make sense to horses, instead of in a way that make sense to humans. In fact, natural horsemanship actually goes against our own instincts as predators—it is very unnatural for us! The trainer uses body language, consistency and a sense of justice to make the training program predictable and easy for the horse to understand.
The result of true natural horsemanship is horses that are eager, willing, playful, and confident but respectful.
A lot of people say that they do natural horsemanship. What isn't natural horsemanship?
Like any set of beliefs, natural horsemanship can be misinterpreted and consequently misused. Some people think that allowing horses to do whatever they want whenever they want is natural horsemanship. Because they have too much confidence and not enough respect for people, these horses are spoiled and often dangerous, and have given natural horsemanship a bad reputation in some circles. Don't worry—by any stretch of the term, this is not what 'natural horsemanship' really refers to!
Do horses trained using natural horsemanship have to be barefoot or wear rope hackamores?
People choose to have their horses go barefoot for various reasons. Naturally trained horses do not necessarily have to be barefoot, and not all horses that are barefoot are naturally trained.
Rope halters and hackamores are tools commonly used by natural horsepeople, along with others such as long lead ropes and sticks (known as a horseman’s stick, wand, carrot stick, etc). They are used because they can enhance natural training methods when they are used effectively. But although they are great tools when they're used well, they aren't vital to training a horse using natural horsemanship.
What is important is the philosophy behind the training, not the tools used. Some people like to use rope hackamores before introducing a bridle, but a horse ridden in a bridle may also be naturally trained. Any tool can be misused and abused; what matters it the attitude of the person using the tool. Bridles and spurs can be marvellous tools in the hands and on the heels of a natural horseperson.
I agree with the philosophy—but I don't like the term 'natural'! It isn't natural for people to ride horses, so how can a horse training philosophy be 'natural'?!
A lot of people are offended by the term 'natural'. After all, horses and humans would not coexist peacefully in the wild! One is a prey animal; the other is a predator. It is definitely not natural for a predator to ride a prey animal. In that sense, these people are right; horsemanship isn't natural.
But in the way Pat Parelli used the term, it fits. It is about using training methods that horses naturally understand. It is about thinking like horses do in order to do the best for them and get the best from them.
What is really important is that this philosophy has a name, not what the name is. It could have been called 'jelly bean horsemanship' or 'John Smith horsemanship' and it wouldn't have mattered! Greenland certainly isn't very green, but everyone knows where you're referring to when you talk about it. Natural horsemanship was dubbed 'natural horsemanship' and the name stuck – and has allowed us to easily identify, train with and learn from people who are interested in similar philosophies, even when their methods vary.