Natural Horsemanship

Forfatter: Marie Helmersson

NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP

“Natural horsemanship is not something I invented, as a matter of fact, it’s so old, it’s new again.”

Six keys
- attitude
- knowledge
- tools
- techniques
- time
- imagination

8 principles

1) Horsemanship is natural

2) Don’t make assumptions

3) Communication is mutual

4) Horses and humans have responsibilities

5) The attitude is justice

6) Body language is universal

7) Horses teach riders and riders teach horses

8) Principles, purpose, and time are the tools of learning

10 techniques for a natural horseman

heart and desire, respect, impulsion, flexion, attitude, feel, timing, balance savvy and experience.

One rein for control

Two reins for communication

“Communication is two or more individuals sharing and understanding an idea”

Horses; reacts first thinks second

Clue; Assume is made up of three little words: Ass, U, Me

Horses; lives moment to moment

Four responsibilities of the HORSE

* Learn to act like a partner, not like a prey animal

* Don’t change gaits

* Don’t change direction

* Watch where he is going

Four responsibilities of the HUMAN

* Learn to act like a partner, not like a predator

* Develop an independent seat

* Think like a horse

* Use the natural power of focus

Horses; has three systems: respect, impulsion and flexion

Heart and desire is needed by both horse and human

Horses; can only do six things: go forward, backward, right, left, up and down.
Respect is something you get on the ground (otherwise - you don’t get it!)

Respect; hard to get, easy to loose

Impulsion is controlled forward energy that comes from behind (the hindquarters)

Impulsion is uncontrolled or wild energy that comes from the behind.

Impulsion comes from respect.

There are two types of flexion - mental and physical

Mental flexion
-comes directly from the human

There are two types of physical flexion - lateral and vertical

Lateral flexion
-is a submissive head position combined with disengagement of the hindquarters to control the horse. With lateral flexion, you use one rein at a time to bend the horse’s neck right or left and to cause the back legs to step under the hindquarters. If you bend the horse’s neck to the left, the left hind leg should step under the right side of the hindquarters and vice versa.

Vertical flexion
-is a submissive head position to engage the hindquarters for propulsion. Here two reins are used for communication.

Respect is mental collection. Impulsion is emotional collection, and flexion is physical collection.

“ good judgement comes from experiencing and your own bad judgement”

The Horse is the best teacher of fell (starts with a focus), timing and balance.
Savvy means to understand

Respect;

You get a horse’s respect by proving you’re the alpha animal (primary or superior animal, the leader) while on the ground. This is where the relationship starts. But before you get his respect, you have to get his heart and desire. You can provide many of the little niceties of life, such as grain, carrots, sugar, and a goad scratching. This relationship should be one with you as the leader and the horse, the follower. You establish this relationship through the six yields (go forward, backward, right, left, up and down)

Impulsion;

Escape is impulsicness.