Natural Horsemanship
Natural horsemanship is the 'horse whispers' approach to creating the natural balance and harmony between horse and human. Defining leadership while putting the horse in a comfortable and content mind space.
I don't like the words 'natural horsemanship'. What is natural about riding or stabling a horse? Even a horse who lives out day and night is still restricted by fences and drinks from water troughs. We feed intermittent meals. Feed is often rich in calories, bucket fed as part of a routine and often overfed because we follow guidelines and meet expectations we think are correct, set out by others. Fields are normally divided into small areas, grass is rich and lush, plus hay nets used for additional feeding. Our horses fulfillment both physically and mentally can be compromised by certain management process. Many of the horses natural behaviors are forgotten in order for them to do this. This is where our problems start.
If we can get an even balance which works for both horse and owner, both sides are content. A balance between the relationship of love and friendship we as humans look for in our horses and the relationship a horse needs of leadership boundaries, the basic psychology most horses require to live a happy, balanced, worry-free life.
In the wild, only one mare in a herd of 20 to 30 is born with slightly more dominant, alpha mare genes. Most horses are more comfortable when someone else is leading and making the decisions. It is only when a horse is forced to be the pack leader because there is no other that problems arise and the horse is put under stress.
A horse shouldn't be 'spooky' if it's rider or handler is leader. It should see you as a comfort zone. Your horse might still have a look at the scary plastic in the hedge or the scary drain cover on the noisy roadworks but if you are leader and aren't worried about it, then it can't be as spooky as first thought.
A horse will have less reasons to be scared of going in a trailer if the handler walks up the ramp with confidence.
A horse won't be as reactive when that first saddle is placed on his back if there is already a strong relationship of trust and leadership in place.
Birgit no longer trains horses for the public.
Birgit most often gets called in when someone has a horse that is not responding to typical training. Sometimes she gets called in if a performance horse has declined in his performance without an obvious reason. “I sometimes feel like a detective, as we assess the horse and look for the unobvious”, says Birgit. Quite often, she is the “last resort” before a horse risks a trip to the packers.
The beauty of horse whispering is that it doesn’t require that the owner send the horse away from home. Birgit come to you. Most “problems” are resolved in one session, which lasts around an hour or so. It entirely depends upon the horse. The session is not over until it is “over.” The owner is taught how to continue with the training, and how to speak “horse.”
"Some folks define horse whisperer training as something wonderful,
where communication between horse and human is so effective and soft
it feels like the wind whispering in your hear. While others feel the term is
overused and at times full of charlatans. Both positions are valid yet since
I am not offended by the term when I see it as the first definition, I would like
to share with you some insight into this horse whisperer training that I use."
Liberty Training
•Liberty training is a type of communication and body language you teach your horses,
through leading and positioning you can teach them how to move with you in a creative and bonding way.
The equine learns where they need to stay (leading and positioning) in order to follow your shoulder and move with you.
How do you teach Liberty?
The animals learn without being pushed prodded or shoved in to a position.
We teach the animals to stay in a position on our right side or left side, while reassuring them when they do the correct move.. .