Thoughtful Horsemanship Principles Versus Natural Horsemanship Methods

Taking care of a horses thoughts and emotions allows him to be with us in a way that creates an immersive experience. When a horse does something because it’s his idea, the relationship between the human and horse can change.

Disclaimer** This series of posts is not meant to shame anyone who is on the search for a method of working horses. Wherever you’re at, I support you. I also don’t claim to know everything. I do however feel obligated to share the truths of the things I’ve observed, and come to learn as a horse trainer.

After attending a variety of horsemanship clinics over the last 12 years, I want to write some posts comparing natural horsemanship methods to thoughtful horsemanship principles. These posts are meant to help people distinguish the difference between physical engagement versus mental engagement in a horse. I hope to help people shift from a means of getting things done, to a mindset for how to approach different horses.

During the process of learning, it is important to recognize what we’re actually observing and how it relates to the way a horse operates mentally, emotionally and physically. People ask me a lot about what it really means to get a change of thought. My goal with these upcoming posts is to outline some examples. The subtleties in horse training can be hard to distinguish, but are extremely important in relation to how a horse performs.

The difference between natural horsemanship methods and working with a horses thoughts:

Natural horsemanship trainers: drive the hindquarters, and quickly keep it coming through to drive the forehand over. Make sure the legs are crossing over and the weight shifts back.

Thoughtful horsemanship principles: Get his mind coming around strong enough that his body rearranges itself. When he is thinking strong enough to the left, his weight will shift back and the forehand will step over to the left. This isn’t something that needs to be made to happen, he will do it on his own when his thought engages

Photo: This photo was taken at a Ross Jacobs clinic in California where I got to experience the joys of working a sensitive mustang pony under his instruction.