Monday, May 5th, 2008
Natural Horsemanship is not natural. Or horsemanship.
The true definition of Natural Horsemanship has always been:
- the philosophy of working with horses by appealing to their instincts and herd mentality.
Today, there is a whole new definition.
Natural Horsemanship
1. A fantastic label to attach to your training method to secure high profits, a large following, and unlimited branding opportunities.
2. A group or method to follow that feeds your insecurities, while giving you false security through gimmicks and hype.
3. An excuse to play games with your horse instead of riding because of your inexperience, inadequacy, and fear of failure.
4. Ignorance of true horse care, horsemanship, and horse behavior.
5. A trendy systems to follow instead of working with a horse’s true instincts and mentality.
Horses are herd animals; in a herd there is a “boss”, the boss is not playing games with the rest of the herd.
So, with that out of the way, let me first congratulate all the natural horsemanship groups, methods, and personalities out there who have struck it rich by feeding these ignorant, fear driven horse owners by telling them exactly what they want to hear. Hats off to the genius marketing and those catering to the insecure woman in the horse world, you know who you are.
Above all, when I work with a horse, I always try to communicate effectively by using what I know is instinctual for them and easy for them to learn from. With that being said, I do not play games with my horses. I do not have an orange stick that I run around with, I do not have a ball (though one horse is a big fan of the jolly ball), and most importantly, I do not beat my horses.
If one of my horses were to bite me, I would smack them. If one of my horses tried to drag me while walking them, I would put a chain over their nose and use whatever force is necessary to correct unsafe, unruly, disrespectful behavior. If one of my horses were to be scared of something (legitimate), I would encourage them to be brave by being soft, but also not allow them to over-react by being firm. All of the above examples are pieces of true natural horsemanship.
Horses are herd animals; in a herd there is a “boss”, the boss is not playing games with the rest of the herd. The boss is setting guidelines, boundaries, and rules. If one of the herd oversteps these boundaries, disobeys a rule, or doesn’t follow a guideline, that particular herd member is punished. Herd punishment comes in the form of chases (ears pinned of course), bitings, kickings, or otherwise physical reprimand. True natural horsemanship creates a relationship with you and your horse that mimics a herd relationship with you being the “boss” and your horse being one of the herd.
‘Natural Horsemanship’ is a marketing gimmick. True Natural Horsemanship doesn’t involve games, balls, or orange sticks.
They may test you, and depending on your horse, that may be once ever, or 10 times a day. It’s okay; you are not abusing your horse if you reprimand them for already set rules, guidelines, or boundaries. Now, if there are new rules, guidelines, or boundaries, you must first teach your horse to understand them before you reprimand them for not following. It’s very simple, and there are no books, equipment, kits, videos, or other marketing propaganda to spend your money on.
Natural horsemanship is not anything besides common sense through respecting your horse while commanding respect from them. Your horse will like you more if you have rules that you expect them to follow with both positive and negative reinforcements. Horses like order and clear expectations; this is natural horsemanship.
If you are afraid of your horse, find someone to help you understand horses. Don’t fall for the trendy gimmicks that will only help you play games with your horse. Learn about horses; learn about how they communicate with each other. This is practically free. Watch a heard of horses outside for a few days. You will learn who the boss is and who is the low man on the totem pole. From observation and analysis of herd behavior, you can develop a relationship with your horse and be the “boss” without buying an orange stick.
Learning about how horses operate naturally isn’t a straightforward formula. Each horse is unique, every horse behaves differently, and not every horse reacts to situations the same. But, having a basic understanding of how an average herd of horses interacts is the first step to real natural horsemanship.
Fearing horses isn’t a bad thing. They are big, but you must understand that a horse knows if you fear them, another step to real natural horsemanship. An orange stick, a big ball, or watching a million videos is NOT going to help you gain confidence with your horse or be a natural horseman. You need help from experienced people and if you can’t find an experienced person as a mentor (non natural horsemanship propaganda group), then spend as much time with as many different horses as you can to gain a true understanding of horses and how to effectively handle them and work with them.
It’s the no gimmick, old school natural horsemanship.
Tags: hoax, john lyons, monty roberts, natural, pat parelli, retards
Posted in training | 13 Comments »
Monday, April 21st, 2008
down with clicker training
A video of a horse running in the ocean “following” a person; so loyal, so majestic. Isn’t that what everyone wants from their horse, a true companion, a relationship, a bond?
Of course you want a relationship with your horse, you want your horse to respect you, trust you, and enjoy your company (both riding and on the ground). Are there “win-win” ways to create this “special” relationship with your equine through “totally positive” messages?
Well, there is a new wave of “natural” horsemanship that wants you to believe just that. You too can have a true bond with your horse, a “special” relationship - with clicker training. But in reality, what you are really creating with horse clicker training is a 1200 pound dog. Not a good dog either, a food motivated animal, who has no true respect for you, only an expectation of treats. And what else do you get with horse clicker training? BONUS! If you have a gelding, your “special” clicker training relationship may also includes erections every time you “work” with him.
Wow, now that is groundbreaking training!
No, not really. Every animal on the planet can be “trained”, or more accurately, “conditioned” with treats. You can even do this with people. Does that mean you have a trained, obedient animal? No, you have an animal that does not understand consequences (good or bad). Clicker training conditions your animal to follow food, not you. You have “bonded” your animal to treats, not you. There is nothing special, unique, or beneficial to this “training” (again, other than a giant dog with erections).
If you have a gelding, your “special” clicker training relationship may also include erections every time you “work” with him.
Now, let’s go back to that horse running in the ocean “following” a person. Not so loyal or majestic. This horse isn’t following a person; this horse is CHASING a person for FOOD. There is a huge difference between a horse following a person because of a bond, loyalty, herd status, or respect and a horse chasing a person for treats. The former can happen, but for safety of yourself and your horse, its just not a good idea. The latter is just downright stupid.
Clicker training a horse is only for that special horse. The horse you don’t want to actually do anything with besides, maybe trail ride and of course, do tricks. Don’t plan on the clicker trained horse being good for anyone else, and don’t plan on the clicker trained horse to have any respect for any kind of boundaries. If you are lucky and you don’t have a horse with any kind of brain, yes, clicker training horses with work for both retarded people and your retarded horse. With clicker training, you can absolutely create a large pet that is good for circus shows, and maybe, stupid pet tricks (”Here we come, Letterman!”)
A clicker trained horse is not going to excel in any athletic discipline. A clicker trained horse is not going to be a truly safe horse; the clicker trained horse is conditioned to do tricks for treats. The clicker trained horse is defined by its uncanny ability to distinguish humans by their food carrying (or not) presence and perform tricks (even if not asked) just to get that food.
If you have a horse that is inquisitive, perhaps even a horse who also suffers from little ADD, clicker training this horse would be suicide. With clicker training, you would wind up with a horse who will not only take your hand off, but who will also become severely aggressive with absolutely no respect for people. Because with clicker training, horses never, ever receive negative reinforcement (only “positive”, treat based reinforcement - the basis of clicker training), the “win-win relationship” coined by many clicker “trainers” would turn this once inquisitive horse into 1200 pounds of disrespect.
A clicker trained horse is not a truly safe horse; the clicker trained horse is conditioned to do tricks for treats.
Think about clicker training and why it was created. Clicker training started with dolphins in oceanariums and aquariums. The reason dolphins were clicker trained was not to build relationships with their “trainers” (or more accurately, their caretakers). Clicker “conditioning”, in its inception, was for a purpose. Clicker training was essential for dolphin husbandry. Researchers found out quickly caged dolphins needed routine vet care and daily health inspections. Putting stress on a dolphin in an already unnatural environment with uncooperative restraint, on a daily basis (just to care for them) was counterintuitive. Instead, handlers started “training” dolphins by using a clickers and treats to positively reinforce behaviors the dolphins where already performing. Conversely, clicker training also turned out to be helpful in exercise, to alleviate boredom, and to allow aquariums to increase revenue by putting on shows.
This method was not created to so trainers could enjoy a bond with the dolphin; it was created out of necessity by using already natural behaviors of the dolphins. Last time I checked, it was not natural for a horse to pose in positions, spanish walk, or sit. Horses do not need clicker training, nor is clicker training beneficial for the horse. Additionally, handlers of the clicker trained horse, outside of the clicker trainer, are not grateful of the said clicker training.
Clicker training was developed for dolphins in captivity, a proven way to help handlers manipulate these animals safely; it was not developed for horse training. If you are looking for a way to bond with your horse, create a trusting relationship, or overcome some training obstacles, there are many effective ways to do this without resorting to a treat based training system.
Please don’t treat your horse like a retard, and don’t sink to retard level yourself. Use common sense, treat your horse with respect, and always command respect from your horse. All this can be done without treats and also without cruelty; two extremes that are completely unnecessary.
Tags: clicker, clicker training, retards, treats
Posted in training | 46 Comments »
