Systematic training is the road to success
with any horse. We utilize the principles of "calm, forward and straight"
as an expression in every movement. These principles hold true with any discipline.
THE BASIC PRINICIPLES:
CALM: It is first and foremost on my training agenda
to deal with the horse's mind and make sure we pave the path to success with a calm and easy-minded horse. The
horse is, by nature, a flight animal. Natural Horsemanship addresses this reality and enables us to make partnership through
leadership. What I teach and what works is not new...we have co-existed with and interacted with horses for thousands
of years using natural horsemanship and the knowledge of herd dynamics.
FORWARD: Hands,legs and seat are the key to forward
motion. When we first begin to train a horse (under saddle) we teach him to follow his nose...he balances with his head and
neck and soon learns to walk, trot and canter with the burden of rider.
When the rider drives the horse forward with his seat but then holds the horse back with his hands... The hands
create pressure and "holds" the horse in the movement, not releasing. The horse gets heavier, not lighter.
Our training calls for the horse to find his balance without the restraints of hands. Once achieved we create a forward
and light horse by driving the horse with our aids (seat and leg) with the utmost of respect to the horses mouth(light hands).
It is the release of pressure with our hands that creates the forward and light horse. In natural horsemanship we refer to
this as the 'soft' and 'responsive' horse. By conditioning the horse to hunt for the release of pressure
we create a light and responsive horse.
STRAIGHT: Straightness is a perfection of left or right. We condition
a horse to let his spine become part of the line of travel. On a curved line his spine will form a segment of the arc
of that line. The horse is said to be "bending in motion" and it is an important basic building block to creating
a straight and supple horse. We use various arena patterns to introduce the concept of bending in motion (circles
of various sizes, figure eights and serpentines.) The horse learns to transition from a straight line to a curved line and
vice versa by yielding to our leg and hands and on our request.
This is just the basic philosophy behind training for ANY discipline...it is how we BEGIN
with every single horse and build the basic building blocks that lends to success. A solid foundation is the best insurance
to guarantee progress with your horse. Starting a horse correctly will give you years of success with your equine partner.
So many times we hear how a horse has 'baggage' or 'issues' from being started incorrectly. If we build
and progress the horse systematically, and with these principles clearly in mind, we have insured our success and our
horse's success.
NEXT STEP:
Is your horse 'broke?' He isn't if you don't have control.
