In my early teens I was lucky enough to own a horse, I learnt to ride at a riding school and attended my local pony club. I would say my tutelage was pretty standard and I didn’t question the way I was taught to ride or care for my horse.
I saw a recent episode of Country Calendar that challenged what I had been taught and it all seems so obvious now. I only wish I had known.
The program visited a riding school in Keri Keri which takes a holistic approach to horsemanship. The idea behind this is to develop a culture in which horse and rider build a relationship based on trust and utilises the natural instincts of the horse.
This natural approach includes
- Teaching and competing using bit-less bridles (although competing in dressage without a bit is against the rules, eventing and showjumping is allowed)
- Giving the horse a longer rein during competition to allow freer natural movement
- No shoeing even while competing
- No covers, using a cover inhibits the growth of natural coat protection.
- Starting a horse (breaking in) using holistic methods.
- The 80 horses on the farm are kept in herds as they would be in the wild and are also exercised together in a herd. This improves the relationship between the horses resulting in less fighting.
I have noticed there are a lot of sites promoting natural horsemanship these days which is fantastic. It has been a real revelation for me – I was one of those who was taught I had to make my horse do what I wanted, and I regret that I didn’t have the understanding or knowledge to be able to develop a better relationship with him using natural horsemanship.
