Natural Horsemanship Training: Natural Horsemanship - Groundwork, Horse training and much more

By Edwin Van Der Vaag

Do you wish you could really understand your horse and communicate with him without misunderstandings? Or do you have a horse that has problems trusting humans? Then Natural Horsemanship is exactly the right thing for you!

Natural Horsemanship is the term used to describe a natural, horse-friendly way of dealing with horses, something that has often been forgotten in our modern times. Yet we all dream of a truly harmonious relationship between people and horses. Through well-structured, easy-to-learn exercises, Natural Horsemanship helps you communicate perfectly with your horse, creating a unique, close partnership. Everything is based on mutual respect, trust and fairness.

In this book you will learn:
- What Natural Horsemanship is exactly.
- What equipment you need for it.
- How your horse really " works".
- How your riding can benefit from Natural Horsemanship.
- and much more with over 15 illustrations!

Natural Horsemanship is suitable as a training method for everyone who deals with horses - from beginners to advanced riders. Riders of all riding styles also benefit from this natural form of communication, as it is a crucial foundation for reliable horses and fine riding.

Natural Horsemanship is the right way for you if you want a unique, harmonious partnership with your horse. The book explains the most important basics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9783986469580

Book preview

Table of contents

Table of contents

List of Figures

Introduction

PART I: The Basics

Chapter 1: Horsemanship

Natural Horsemanship according to Parelli

The equipment - part 1

Chapter 2: Horse behavior - what makes your horse tick

Behavioral view of the horse

How horses learn

Walking in the hooves of the horse

The different horse personalities

The "Partnership Contract

PART II: The ground work

The equipment - part 2

Chapter 3: The classic basic exercises

At the tether

On the road

The first joint steps

Preliminary exercises

Short or long? The lead rope

The correct guide position

The leading

Stop

Basics at the grooming station

Lower the head

Chapter 4: The 7 Games

The zones of the horse

Step technology

The break

The games

Chapter 5: For advanced users

Challenges and patterns

Liberty

PART III: Freestyle & Finesse

Chapter 6: Freestyle

The procedure

Patterns for freestyle riding

Chapter 7: Riding with finesse

Epilogue: Fine communication or hidden dominance?

Bibliography

Acknowledgement

List of Figures

Figure 1: Horses galloping in the wild

Figure 2: The development of man

Figure 3: The three body parts of the horse (separated by a line).

Figure 4: Position: On the horse's forehand.

Figure 5: Position: Middle hand of the horse (approximately at girth height).

Figure 6: Position: hindquarters of the horse.

Figure 7: Effective braking aid: The crop in front of the chest stops the horse. If necessary, it can also be touched on the chest as a reminder.

Figure 8: If the horse is reluctant to back, it helps to press the fist lightly into the hollow at the base of the neck above the chest. Immediately let up when the horse gives way.

Figure 9: Total relaxation: The horse treats itself to a small snack in between.

Figure 10: Often the lead rope is clearly too short (like here). At least two hand widths of space should be left to the carabiner/ panic hook.

Figure 11: Good leadership. The human is relaxed and focused. The horse is also relaxed. The shoulder is always at the shoulder height of the partner.

Figure 12: Here again from another perspective: The leader leans against her horse to stop it. At the same time, she wants to pull the horse away from her with the rope.

Figure 13: Putting on the guide chain according to LTJ. Step 1: Threading the carabiner on the lead side. This is done from the outside through the connecting ring of the halter.

Figure 14: Putting on the lead chain according to LTJ. Step 2: The lead chain is placed crosswise from top to bottom over the nosepiece and passed through the connecting ring of the halter on the other side from the inside.

Figure 15: Putting on the guide chain according to LTJ. Step 3: The carabiner is pulled through slightly and hooked into the upper connecting ring. In this way, an impulse also acts on the neck.

Figure 16: Head lowering. The Haflinger willingly follows a little tug on the lead chain.

Figure 17: The five horse zones

Figure 18: Horses in the group also show affection

Introduction

The fascination that horses exert on humans is enormous. We admire their strength and speed as much as their gentleness and friendliness. And yet, in our everyday dealings with them, communication problems occur time and again. Typical situations that tend to occur when communication between man and horse does not work and there is a lack of mutual trust are, for example, problems with loading, overall great jumpiness or other so-called bad habits of the horse.

Often, fellow riders say that you should finally assert yourself or show the buck what a rake is. But can violence be the solution to communication problems and lack of trust? Of course not!

If you desire a relationship with your horse that is borne of both trust and obedience, then horsemanship is the ideal path for you. Horsemanship helps you build a fair, clear, yet sensitive connection with your four-legged partner by taking your shared communication to a new level.

The methods described in this book will help you to really make yourself understood to your partner horse. And if it understands you and your wishes, this is the decisive basis for real trust. On the other hand, it will make it easier for you to respond to and respect the horse's needs. Good horsemanship is not only about following clear rules when dealing with each other. It is also another important rule to follow as a human being: fairness. If you adhere to this, you can also expect mindful and attentive behavior from your horse and it will suddenly show this as a matter of course.

This often results in exactly the close relationship with our horse that all horse people ultimately dream of. The horse complies with our wishes at the slightest hint, it is almost as if we only need to think and it will willingly implement our thoughts. In the end, this is also the basis of perfect free work, in which horses without halters or leashes implement invisible aids of their humans and seem to literally dance with them - in large show arenas as well as on huge pastures.

Personally, the idea of such a particularly intimate connection with the horse has fascinated me since my childhood. Back then, I was always told stories about my grandfather, who had been a cavalry captain. He had a mare that really followed him everywhere like a dog and that he loved above everything. The relationship of the two was even so intimate that the mare jumped for him without hesitation in freight cars or even served him at night as a pillow when both lay down to sleep.

However, building such a relationship is rather difficult in this day and age. Often this fails simply due to a lack of time. In addition, the basic knowledge about the nature of the horse and how it communicates is usually missing. This is exactly where horsemanship comes in.

This book will show you how to deepen your partnership with your horse and get along with him much better. You will learn the system of horsemanship that really works for everyone and in every situation - regardless of your riding style. It also doesn't matter if it's a firecracker, an average horse or a mini-shetty bought as a lawnmower. This book will help you finally have the relationship you've always wanted.

You will also learn how to optimize your powers of observation and your consistency - with the help of simple instructions. In this way, you will quickly succeed in becoming a real leader personality for your horse. If your horse finally sees you as a lead horse, for example, a great nervousness will quickly become a thing of the past. After this training, your horse will finally focus its attention completely on you and will trust you completely after just a few hours. By the way, this also works with naughty horses. From now on, they will perceive you as a sovereign leader and treat you with respect.

In short: You will learn how to have a relaxed, safe and well-balanced horse at your side in the future and how to spend an all-around joyful time together with him. Yes, you will achieve things you never dreamed of before!

I have been fortunate enough to experience several such goosebump moments over the course of my time as a rider, horse owner and trainer. When horses do things that you know exactly they are doing it for you right now. This was especially intense with my Fjord Horse mare. I met her when she was 8 years old in our stable at the time. A picture perfect pony, but she had no desire to cooperate with humans at all. She could not be caught in the pasture or in the paddock, then human chains were necessary, whereby the little one also ran over 2-meter-men on a bad day. She could not be handled at all on the lunge and riding was also difficult, because the pony ran off immediately after mounting and could not be regulated at all. It was so bad that one of the western trainers even tried to use loop reins at some point and failed magnificently. In the end, 46 people consistently avoided the indoor arena when the pony was to be moved there again.

I came to it when 5 trainers had already advised the owner to take the pony to the slaughterhouse because the mare would not be rideable. What can I say? In the meantime the Fjord horse is a real dream and quite fine to ride. She just needed a human being who understands her and who - fairly - shows her limits. The day I won the dressage test against big horses called for fun with the unrideable pony was absolutely incredible. And I know: she did it for me because she trusts me.

This book is suitable for beginners as well as for advanced riders and horse owners. You will learn how to find a natural approach to your horse, interpret his body language and henceforth make yourself more understandable to him. Thanks to better communication, the results of your work together will not only be better, but you will finally take a natural leadership position. This, in turn, will foster your mutual trust and you will finally arrive at the respectful partnership that makes both free work and problem-free loading possible.

Good horsemanship is the be-all and end-all for any successful human-horse partnership. This magical bond, in turn, will also significantly improve your riding, no matter which riding style you have chosen. Because only when there is mutual trust is truly fine riding possible.

Have fun on your way to a new, inspiring relationship with your equine partner!

PART I: The basics

Dealing with horses can be a real challenge: One is skittish and shies away in the hall or on a ride at even the slightest movement. Others are absolutely disrespectful and knock people down because they want to get their food or simply tear themselves away on the way to the pasture because they can't wait. Another classic is loading; there are countless horses that only go onto the trailer with difficulty or only after hours.

I myself