If you’ve been in the equestrian world for long enough, particularly if you live in the Western Continental US, you may have come across the term “natural horsemanship.” Often times people roll their eyes, imagining groundwork obsessed trainers who have a fluffy, impractical view of how to train the horse. While there are certainly these sorts of extremists out there, this perception as a whole is entirely inaccurate. So, what is natural horsemanship then you ask? Well at its core, it is simply working with the horse in a way that makes sense to him.
Tom and Bill Dorrance are widely recognized as the first trainers to develop and use the natural horsemanship method, a kinder approach in training than previously seen in most parts of the equestrian world, particularly amongst the American cowboy tradition. Ultimately, the horse is the best teacher, and the Dorrance brothers spent a great deal of time watching how horses interact with each other.
“The part that has meant the most to the horse and me is the communication between us. This is the part where I really had to devote a lot of thought. I have watched horses when they are loose by themselves or loose in a group; gentle raised or wild range raised, their naturalness will show. And by studying their actions and reactions I have been helped to understand how to present myself in such a way that the horses will respond to what I may ask of them.” – Tom Dorrance
The Dorrance brother’s methods have greatly influenced a plethora of other well-known horsemen over the years, such as: Monty Roberts, Ronny Willis, Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman, Martin Black, John Lyons, and Pat Parelli, to name just a few. Parelli in fact, is often attributed with coining the term natural horsemanship, by using it in the title of his first book, Natural Horse-Man-Ship.
Amongst the trainers who hold true to the founding principles, there is a great deal to be learned. This movement encourages education in how horses think and learn which is of course a crucial element in being able to effectively train. The relationship with the horse is key, establishing a healthy balance of trust and respect. You are creating a herd of two with your horse, and knowing how to introduce and institute yourself as the leader is a must. Many of the round pen exercises you may have seen or used before, such as join up, are unique to natural horsemanship and very effective ways for communicating and building connection.
Natural horsemanship focuses on groundwork because we believe a strong ground game will transfer into the saddle. This, by no stretch of the imagination means we do not ride; it means we set our horses up to have as successful of a riding career as possible, avoiding possible trauma that could cause a horse to feel the need to act out in self-preservation. The goal is for the horse to respond to our training and not react. Reaction is born out of fear, while a response must be thought through.
As this style of training has exploded in popularity in recent years, it has also become an umbrella label for many contradictory training methods. Some trainers will use a round pen to do nothing more than terrorize the horse. Similarly, others will attempt to beat and whip the horse into submission, under the guise of fairness. These people have in fact missed the point of this style of horsemanship, a kinder way. So, don’t let an educator with poor training practices scare you away from the real natural horsemanship method. While unfortunately, there are trainers and events across the country that all but disgrace the principles and techniques that Tom and Bill Dorrance taught, there are still individuals and organizations who honor them and most importantly honor the horse, in their methods and conduct. These are the sorts of people you should look to learn from, and consider to be true natural horsemen (and women).
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