What kind of natural horsemanship is best???? - Barnmice Equestrian Social Community2024-03-29T10:35:44Zhttp://www.barnmice.com/forum/topics/what-kind-of-natural?commentId=1773158%3AComment%3A287375&feed=yes&xn_auth=noi think anyone who uses commo…tag:www.barnmice.com,2011-01-04:1773158:Comment:3173692011-01-04T02:28:15.081Zvickie lawsonhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/vickielawson
i think anyone who uses common sense and tact, care, repetition, and reward is on the right track. i am tired of the nh people who really are in it to make money. (just my opinion- don't have a cow over it)
i think anyone who uses common sense and tact, care, repetition, and reward is on the right track. i am tired of the nh people who really are in it to make money. (just my opinion- don't have a cow over it) Hi Krystal,
interessting topi…tag:www.barnmice.com,2011-01-02:1773158:Comment:3164832011-01-02T08:44:55.591ZStina Herberghttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/StinaHerberg
<p>Hi Krystal,</p>
<p>interessting topic, i think when you study the different horsemanship methods and look at your horse you will find your way. if you horse is happy and want to be with you on his or her free will, you are on a good path.</p>
<p>remember to have fun and take good time</p>
<p>personally i enjoy the carolyn resnick method and you can see some of what kind of horsemanship we do on the videos and photos in my profile</p>
<p>best of luck and happy new…</p>
<p>Hi Krystal,</p>
<p>interessting topic, i think when you study the different horsemanship methods and look at your horse you will find your way. if you horse is happy and want to be with you on his or her free will, you are on a good path.</p>
<p>remember to have fun and take good time</p>
<p>personally i enjoy the carolyn resnick method and you can see some of what kind of horsemanship we do on the videos and photos in my profile</p>
<p>best of luck and happy new year</p>
<p>stina</p>
<p> </p> Great information! Will def l…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-10-23:1773158:Comment:2930652010-10-23T08:29:19.831ZShiny Fluffhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/shinyFluff
Great information! Will def look into some of these authors and horsepeople!
Great information! Will def look into some of these authors and horsepeople! Love this answer... Its nice…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-10-23:1773158:Comment:2930632010-10-23T08:28:20.859ZShiny Fluffhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/shinyFluff
Love this answer... Its nice to see a sensitivity toward the horse! Also thanks for the references..... I see new books arriving in my library soon!
Love this answer... Its nice to see a sensitivity toward the horse! Also thanks for the references..... I see new books arriving in my library soon! hello Krystal
You have gotten…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-10-20:1773158:Comment:2914042010-10-20T22:49:56.216ZEllen Ofstadhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/EllenOfstad
hello Krystal<br />
You have gotten a lot of responses and by now I am sure you are both happy about that as well as a little confused. What trainer to get depends on what you are trying to accomplish, and it also depends where you and your horse are at. I think you should see what is avaiable close by you, is there a trainer there that you could get help from? I suggest you watch them working with other horses first to see if you like what you see and if that trainer seems like someone you can get…
hello Krystal<br />
You have gotten a lot of responses and by now I am sure you are both happy about that as well as a little confused. What trainer to get depends on what you are trying to accomplish, and it also depends where you and your horse are at. I think you should see what is avaiable close by you, is there a trainer there that you could get help from? I suggest you watch them working with other horses first to see if you like what you see and if that trainer seems like someone you can get along with. It doesn't have to be someone well known:)<br />
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A little hands on help is important on the beginning, watch some clinics if you get the chance, and deside if this is someone you want to bring your horse to. Books and videos are good tools, however some personal instruction is important. Meanwhile, spend time with your horse and get to know each other, and last but not least, enjoy each other:) Thanks for posting this one S…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-10-20:1773158:Comment:2911112010-10-20T16:15:27.497ZMarlene Thomshttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/MarleneThoms
Thanks for posting this one Shirley. One of the best I've seen for a great rider/horse relationship. Far above some of the adults or some "experts" I've seen. This young lady makes it look easy, but time spent with her beautiful horse has obviously been considerable, it looks like she enjoyed every minute of it. I am always impressed when people can ride with invisible equipment, less is more. I am jealous, but maybe one day I will be there with my horse.
Thanks for posting this one Shirley. One of the best I've seen for a great rider/horse relationship. Far above some of the adults or some "experts" I've seen. This young lady makes it look easy, but time spent with her beautiful horse has obviously been considerable, it looks like she enjoyed every minute of it. I am always impressed when people can ride with invisible equipment, less is more. I am jealous, but maybe one day I will be there with my horse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-10-20:1773158:Comment:2911072010-10-20T15:59:51.103ZShirleyhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/Shirley
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJQQo5djl8s&feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJQQo5djl8s&feature=related</a><br />
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Having fun with her horse!
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJQQo5djl8s&feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJQQo5djl8s&feature=related</a><br />
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Having fun with her horse! Deb, I really enjoyed your no…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-10-20:1773158:Comment:2908482010-10-20T05:27:46.505ZShirleyhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/Shirley
Deb, I really enjoyed your note. Glad you wrote. I have done and still do much of the stuff you mention in your note. But I didn't come up with much of it on my own. I had others that gave me suggestions and sometimes I'd pick up ideas from video tapes but most the stuff came from well known trainers. I use ideas from different trainers but the majority came from one. The process has been much longer then I thought it would be BUT i think most of that is due to my issues, not my horse. I am a…
Deb, I really enjoyed your note. Glad you wrote. I have done and still do much of the stuff you mention in your note. But I didn't come up with much of it on my own. I had others that gave me suggestions and sometimes I'd pick up ideas from video tapes but most the stuff came from well known trainers. I use ideas from different trainers but the majority came from one. The process has been much longer then I thought it would be BUT i think most of that is due to my issues, not my horse. I am a rather anxious person and it definitely shows up when I'm riding. I have gotten very comfortable on the ground and am improving in saddle.We are at a friends house for a week or more and I'm really tickled.how well the new situations are going. I think this will help us work into being more comfortable.when we start trail riding and camping together. I have been leading Cash around on a lead line alot and I spend 3-8 hrs. a day with him. It's hard to come home from the barn. Hi
All I can tell you is how…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-10-19:1773158:Comment:2896782010-10-19T16:07:20.798ZDebra McDaidhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/DebraMcDaid
Hi<br></br>
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All I can tell you is how I begin with each horse. I start by brushing them, talking to them, and offering treats... getting a feel for what type of personailty I am working with... what kind of soul each horse has... and I really do look at their eyes and can tell what messages they are sending me... I also pay attention to body language... how is the horse reacting to me. If they are a normal horse, I groom them with my hands as well, messaging their mains and 'bitting' down on…
Hi<br/>
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All I can tell you is how I begin with each horse. I start by brushing them, talking to them, and offering treats... getting a feel for what type of personailty I am working with... what kind of soul each horse has... and I really do look at their eyes and can tell what messages they are sending me... I also pay attention to body language... how is the horse reacting to me. If they are a normal horse, I groom them with my hands as well, messaging their mains and 'bitting' down on the base of their neck like a horse might... anything the horse dosen't like I don't do... next I often have others around me, or just my horses, I'll spend time with the horse still on the crossties, or just on the end of line tied or in the stall-- depending on if the horse is broke to crossties... in all I am trying to make a connection... minus the round pen, minus chasing the horse etc. I let myself be distracted by others and my other horses, and talk and discuss in a normal way or wander off and talk to the other horses... then come back and pay attention to the other horse... by the end I know what I am dealing with... I discount all the other history of this horse at this time, and just pay attention to the horse that is in front of me... most bad horses end up never exhibiting the problems that they did for others when they come to us.. we truly give them a fresh start.. some problems are so ingrained that we still have lots of work to do... but this is the very begining... we in effect make them a part of our herd, people and horse herd... each day brings them closer to this end... if the horse is at all receptive to my attention, then I end up usually leaning against their neck, and hugging them, talking and laughing and sharing whatever conversations are going on around me... even previously 'bad' horses, usually end up 'friends' with me after a short time... no fan fare, no hype... they know that I like them and they like me... the next step I do with all my horses as well, the good the bad and the ugly as they saying goes... sometimes it can be interesting with an unbroken yearling but in the end it works! lol I take them out for a walk... I don't care where I am headed, don't care what the type of horse is, I just put a lead on and start walking. Kind of like the dog whisperer I guess LOL. I just spend time with them grassing if they will, but if they won't I walk them until they relax, if they are really hyper, I'll turn them out for a while, then walk them in the paddock or field... but in the end we walk and I work on walking together... also I always use a lunge line for walking... for safety, and so that I can let the horse lead me as well as me leading the horse-- horses love this and will often be won over by it very quickly-- I don't care if it's an old horse or a baby we walk... so they have now learned that we are a unit, that we like one another, and that nothing bad will or has happened. I have learned what makes the horse tick... food, pats, attention... does the horse even really like attention??? etc.. this is my connection that they are talking about that they gain in other ways.... I have been known to walk up and make friends with some pretty aweful horses, that turn out to be great horses... I am always respectful of the horse and their power/temperment, and of the owner's wishes... but usually (especially with STB's) the horse is really just misunderstood and needs fair play to show their true colours.<br/>
In the case of your horse you already likely have this conncection, time is the best way to make it and of course I strengthen the conncetion from the first day... we spend loads of time with our horses, more than most I would say, with usually 2 to 3 horses only for one person, and sometimes one horse to one person in our family... we always tried to keep the stable relatively small for this reason. We are there from early in the morning until late at night, and my son currently stays all afternoon with our colt 'babysitting' if you will.... time is my friend as you have problably figured out! lol<br/>
For anyone just spending time would be the best bet... walk with the horse, spend time brushing, teach tricks if you like, laugh and play with them... most horses have a great sense of fun and adventure... most of our horses spend a lot of time in the crossties just being with us... enjoying the conversation if other people are present, or the company of the other horses in the barn while we go about our business. We talk baby talk to our horses and spoil the heck out of them... yet they are never 'spoiled', they are the best behaved horses no matter where we go...<br/>
I would also suggest that you go into each situation 'knowing' that it will go well, that it will work, and usually it will, positive attitude makes a huge difference. That was another lesson Badger taught me... my defence against this very dangerous horse is that I was totally fearless and I truly believed that nothing would go wrong, that he would not hurt me... green I know but it worked... and to this day it still does... horses are flight animals and if we are confident than they will often show far more confidence than they would otherwise on their own. The gelding I now have is a great example of this... a very nervous horse by nature and by cruelty-- he was horrid in the paddock for everyone else previous to us... he peed every five seconds, shook, washed out, and reared and was quite dangerous to be around, he had to be run into walls to stop him... would run off the track and is still a run away at times on the track (we are working on this-- good at home now, but needs more time on the track)-- now he stands like a normal horse in the race paddock before and after the race and only pees normally... we did nothing other than spend time with him and we are VERY calm and relaxed in the race paddock... we carry on like he is normal and indeed he has become normal... no one can quite believe it, and people keep watching to see if he will revert... he will be fine... I will do anything to relax a horse, I used to hug Willow Ryan's head and hide his eyes like an ostrich! People thought I was crazy... but it worked!<br/>
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Once I have made myself a part of the horses life, and we are 'friends' usually really quickly, but not always to the level that I want, I then will saddle, or harness depending on the horses job... and on a side note, I will often ride my race horses since this is a much closer conection even if they will never be shown... and if I am riding, I don't set out for the first week to do anything, I just ride, often on the walk, often just around the barns, or maybe a hack... if the horse seems to like exploring... then by the end of about a week or less I usually have an excellent relationship with the horse... and I start training... in the end I have not used any one way, just mainly time is what I have spent... attention, grooming, loving on them, and more time... tricks, treats, whatever makes them happy... I use bribery a lot, but it comes from the heart and the horse fast finds out that I really do enjoy giving them treats and paying attention to them... it becomes a game... and it works... I also expect the horse to give in return... and they do, time and time again. I don't know if this would work for everyone, but I have always been good with animals... so it works for me...<br/>
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So to go back to your question... I always told all my students that their best 'weapon' was time spent.. and it can be well spent or not it is up them... if this means that you take up a method go for it, if it means you just do as I do and put the horse in the isle, then go out and go for a walk, go for it... also the relationship you have on the gound will not always translate to the one you have on the horse... it can but not always. Horses, like dogs do not always translate one training area with another... so you will sometimes have to start all over again once you do ride... if this is the case I hack the safe horse for miles and miles, and if the horse is unsafe I will keep them in the ring, but work them short sessions, and then just usually get off and teach a lesson, or just watch others work, then get back on and work the horse again... this might go on for a couple of hours with the horse being offered to pee, and a drink periodically... the horse isn't tired, but learns that I just keep going back until their is calmness... many horses can be bored into sense and calmness... if it is a race horse this translates into jogging (going slow miles trot or pace) 10 to 12 miles... most people only jog 3-5 in this side of the world, but in Australia and New Zealand (at least they did when I last read about it) they jog long miles as well-- and I guess when I think about it I am again spending time?? lol<br/>
The more I want to bond with a horse the closer I keep them to me... if they could live in the house with me than they would... I know this is not actually totally difinitive as answers go, but it is hard to translate a lifetime of being with horses into words... I just follow my heart and have a very relaxed way around horses that seems to work... I have never been nervous, so I often have to think outside the box to help those that are... I used to tell my more nervous students to think about something else, what to make for dinner, what bills they have to pay, who was the guy they most liked at school currently??? and start chatting to me, to the horse, to the other students... it often worked... another approach was to think about everything from the horses prespective... how you can make it better for the horse... so you think less about your own worries and more about something else is the idea... other than this it is a battle that you and everyone else must face... not an easy one either... for you it might be better to pick a method at least for a little while, and as long as their is only kindness in it, and you work at it-- likely it will work for you. I would suggest that I do have issues with 'chasing' horses...in a pen or out of one-- as this only drives them from us... it is a form of mental 'worry' I won't call it cruelty as it is not that harsh if done mildly... but I am not a fan of it... I have never chased a horse in a pen, yet any horse I have worked with has 'joined' up with me if you want to call it that... and in fact we had a horse that we sold back to the previous owner come back to us on three seperate occasions... for us he had only two chains across his door (Sudbury Downs Raceway) and for the other guy he had a locked stall door in the end... he had to be barred in to keep him there... Sam kept comeing home. We also had a quiet 14 year old race horse that we only had for one year break free from him new owner after not seeing us for a year and come across the grounds to us... we had a heck of a time getting him to go back... so for us at least time and kindness seems to work...<br/>
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I wish you all the best, I am heartened to know that you are trying to get a real realtionship with your horse, being around the STB horse people I get pretty jaded... so that I is why I write to barnmice and follow it... people like you make me know that I am not alone in loving horses and wanting what is best for them... Cheers<br/>
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deb I love your reply but am left…tag:www.barnmice.com,2010-10-18:1773158:Comment:2874572010-10-18T19:51:50.342ZShirleyhttp://www.barnmice.com/profile/Shirley
I love your reply but am left with a question. When I started at 50, I had no clue WHAT I could do. I mean really a bit clueless. I needed some sort of rough draft to even begin to build a relationship with my horse. My horse was already well trained, a real sweet heart too but I was afraid on horseback and really really wanted a special relationship with my horse. I did lots of reading and video tape watching and acted as a sponge at a training barn where I originally boarded. Where does a…
I love your reply but am left with a question. When I started at 50, I had no clue WHAT I could do. I mean really a bit clueless. I needed some sort of rough draft to even begin to build a relationship with my horse. My horse was already well trained, a real sweet heart too but I was afraid on horseback and really really wanted a special relationship with my horse. I did lots of reading and video tape watching and acted as a sponge at a training barn where I originally boarded. Where does a really new to horses person start from day one of going out and trying to interact with their horse. I felt like I needed some sort of guide. Each person sure does have their own story to tell.?????????