Aug 22 2009
Natural Horse Training
Make people are under the impression that to control a horse you simply have to control its head. For this reason, many use a lead rope or bridle to show the horse how to stop and start. But what choice do you have for controlling a horse without a lead rope or bridle? Anyone who has trained a horse has often wondered this as they chase horses around the pasture.
Natural horse training is the process of teaching people how to control the horse’s mind. When you control the horses mind you don’t have to worry about losing control, no matter what the situation. Natural horse training is a very specific discipline that you need to learn to do correctly in order to have success.
The term discipline for natural horse training doesn’t refer to obedience or punishment; rather it focuses on calm compliance. The trainer needs to have discipline or self-control in order to make the horse a good follower and allows them to willingly follow your lead all the time. In order to do this, natural horse training focuses on establishing a pattern and providing the horse with a feeling that we are the safest and most comfortable place in the world for them. While this description make natural horse training sound easy, the actual program is more difficult to master.
The first step is to get the horse to pay attention. Make sure you place your full attention on the horse and what they are doing, don’t allow distractions to get in the way. You need to be in a situation where you can concentrate and focus. If you can’t do this for long periods, then start in small increments and work your way up, but try to start with at least 10 minutes.
As you pay attention to your horse, you want to consider the feedback they are providing. What are the ear and eye signals? What is their breathing like? What are his reactions and how do they compare to the last time you worked with him? This will help you to find what helps your horse to pay attention to you so you can use the same trigger to get your horse to do what you want willingly.
The key to natural horse training is rhythm and relaxation. Make sure you start making rhythmic movements the moment you are near your horse. Your approach to the stall and the horse should be relaxed. Your breathing is key and you want to pay careful attention to it. Horse pay careful attention to your action and a tense muscle can be sensed by them. This rhythm and relaxation is critical should something unusual and unplanned happen later.
By following these two simple steps, you can move towards mastering natural horse training. However, don’t be surprised if things don’t go exactly perfect within the first day or week. Sometimes it can even take up to several months of natural horse training before horses learn a non-predatory system. Even though it is called natural horse training, it doesn’t come natural to all people.
You will need to develop the appropriate mental self-control in order to control a horse naturally and this will take a lot of hard work on your part. Remember that many horse trainers practicing natural horse training have been doing it for years. So if you don’t have success right away, don’t become discouraged. Just remember you need to take your time and be as patient with yourself as you want your horse to be with you. By doing this you will soon enjoy the benefits of natural horse training.
[...] Sheryll Walker is a horse enthusiast, helping numbers of people to learn secrets of Natural Horse Training. [...]