Natural Horsemanship

The relationship between humans and horses throughout history has consistently followed the same types of patterns. Some people see horses as sweet companions to bond with, while others see them as work animals. However, the one idea that needs to be grasped by every person is that horses need proper training. My argument is that horses need to be taught manners based on how horses naturally establish a pecking order in a herd. This type of training is called “Natural Horsemanship”. Natural Horsemanship is the best training method because it establishes safety and a good relationship between the horse and handler. Almost everyone has been warned at some point in their life that horses are dangerous and that you should never walk behind

If a horse were to bite another horse and that other horse started to hurt him, he would realize that it is not wise to try and engage like that with him. A Review of Learning Behavior in Horses and its Application in Horse Training, supports training by reinforcement with the replication of herd behavior, “When the trainer applies an aversive stimulus after the horse makes an incorrect response, the trainer is utilizing punishment. Both punishment and negative reinforcement use aversive stimuli… Punishment differs from reinforcement (both positive and negative) in that it works to suppress or eliminate a response, whereas reinforcements increase the probability that the response will occur again with the presentation of a specific stimulus” (McCall, 1990, p.78). These techniques are not abusive because they replicate the methods of establishment of the pecking order and how horses socialize. The punishment a horse may receive is not nearly as painful or aggressive as a herd member’s punishment with teeth or

Establishing leadership begins with Natural Horsemanship as a foundation. The safety concerns stated above will rarely present themselves in a horse that understands that humans are the leader. Clinton Anderson’s book, Establishing Respect and Control for English and Western Riders, gives demonstrations of Natural Horsemanship techniques that will establish and maintain a stable relationship between a horse and rider. In the field the horse needs to have a leader. A specific example in his book is the “Hula-Hoop Method,” This method teaches the horse that he must respect his owner’s personal space by making him back up with a whip unless he has been invited in. This simulates how the horse would respect the top horse in the pasture, if he comes near it uninvited he will be pushed away. Once the horse understands that the owner is in charge, he will start to understand that all humans are in