| Natural horsemanship is the philosophy of training a | | | | traversing such country is able to remain calm |
| horse using its natural body language and movements. | | | | throughout the journey. It is also essential for the rider |
| Practitioners use a wide variety of techniques to yield | | | | to be able to read subtle signals from their horse in |
| the same result: a bond of trust between the horse | | | | order to avert danger. Animals can most often sense |
| and its trainer or rider. The trust that develops | | | | a change in conditions before people can. Only the |
| between the horse and rider during natural | | | | rider best in-tune with their horse will be able to pick up |
| horsemanship training techniques is applicable across all | | | | on cues from the horse. |
| disciplines: eventing, working, dressage, and riding for | | | | Pleasure Riding |
| pleasure. | | | | The goal of most horse owners is to have fun with |
| Eventing | | | | their horses. Fun happens most when there is no fear. |
| Horses trained for eventing, which includes show | | | | Horses are large in size with powerful teeth and legs. |
| jumping, dressage and a strenuous cross-country | | | | For horses, humans can seem abrupt and |
| course, are pushed to the limit of their physical and | | | | unpredictable. Together those characteristics can |
| mental ability each time they compete. The horse must | | | | create a culture of worry and fear. Natural |
| be 100% sound, and is tested at each step of the | | | | horsemanship training helps absolve the fear and build |
| competition. The cross-country course is the most | | | | communication bridges between horse and rider and |
| dangerous portion of the competition, as it is a course | | | | horse and trainer. When humans learn to speak |
| composed of miles of terrain traversed at fast | | | | "horse," they will find that they can do almost anything |
| speeds, and dozens of extremely solidly build jumps. | | | | with their horses. |
| Only a horse that has full trust in its rider can be highly | | | | Dressage |
| successful at eventing. That is where natural | | | | Dressage training builds muscle and balance in horses |
| horsemanship training comes in. Natural horsemanship | | | | and riders. Some consider classical dressage to be the |
| techniques build the bond of trust between horse and | | | | original source of natural horsemanship. Whether riding |
| rider so that when the rider asks the horse to do | | | | for pleasure or competition, balance and |
| something new, challenging and potentially frightening, | | | | communication established through natural |
| the horse trusts the rider enough to take the risk. | | | | horsemanship techniques helps the dressage horse |
| Working Horses | | | | and rider achieve a higher level of precision and grace. |
| Working horses still play a large part in ranching and | | | | Natural Horsemanship for All |
| farming operations. While some heard cattle, sheep | | | | Whatever a horse's primary occupation, natural |
| and other animals with ATVs or other vehicles, a | | | | horsemanship techniques take the horse to the next |
| horse is still the only method of safe transportation to | | | | level. The trust, stamina, strength and communication |
| the most remote areas. Out in the wide open spaces | | | | horses and riders achieve by practicing natural |
| of pastureland, and mountainous areas, hazards | | | | horsemanship translate from the ranch to the show |
| abound. Holes, snakes, other animals, rockslides, and | | | | ring, and every situation in between. |
| unstable terrain lurk. It is essential that a horse | | | | |