Natural horsemanship training techniques are beneficial for the horse and the rider or trainer. Natural horsemanship techniques stress intuitive communication between the horse and its trainer. Such techniques make for a less stressful and more fun experience for each in the long run.
Lowered Expense
Keeping a horse is expensive! Vet bills, food costs, boarding costs, and equipment do not come cheaply. Just as people, plants and other animals tend to have better health if they are not stressed, and worse health if they are stressed, so do horses. Natural horsemanship techniques promote training that works with the horse's natural communication patterns and instinctive behavior. This assures that the horse will be more at ease during training, less stressed, and thus will likely remain healthier.
Specific natural horsemanship care techniques such as natural hoof care can also reduce expense for vet bills, food and medication. Horses that work barefoot are more sound and less likely to develop diseases such as thrush. The benefits of natural hoof care are realized most when horses are properly fed and exercised.
Better Movement
Horses trained with natural horsemanship techniques are trained to work with their rider and trainer rather than against. The philosophy of natural horsemanship is that horse and rider are a pair and must move in harmony. The pressure and release system of training used in natural horsemanship creates a strong communication link between the horse and rider, which allows even conventionally shown horses to move with more precision, grace and soundness. This higher quality of movement ensures that horses do better at shows, and are more comfortable to work with.
More Fun for All
Horses and humans each suffer from fear if training does not foster understanding and communication. Natural horsemanship puts those fears to rest for horses and riders/trainers. Learning to work one on one with a horse and communicate in "horse language," or the horse's natural body language takes some unpredictability out of working with horses. While a person can never completely accurately predict what a horse will do at any given moment, natural horsemanship techniques allow trainers to learn each nuance of their horse's personality. Everyone knows that pinned ears mean a horse is frightened, but what does that flick of the tail mean with your horse?
Working so closely with the horse will also allow it to get to know its trainer. If the trainer keeps with predictable cues and movements, the horse will learn to trust its trainer fully. With complete trust, the duo can do anything. If a horse trusts its trainer, it will be much more likely to try new things, and remain less stressed in new situations, making riding, showing and training more fun and relaxing for everyone.
More Benefits of Natural Horsemanship
The benefits to becoming part of the natural horsemanship community are endless, for horses and their riders and trainers. To learn more about natural horsemanship, and connect with others practicing the techniques, visit http://www.aanh.net
Jeanine Lowry is the President of the American Association of Natural Horsemen. For more information, resources and a community of people practicing natural horsemanship, visit http://www.aanh.net
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