What is a "natural horseman/person"?

[highlanderpony2002]

A natural horseman is someone with an affinity to horses, sensitive to their feelings and needs and a very rare creature indeed.
A person practicing natural horsemanship should be a kind and fair person who works with the nature of the horse they are training regardless of its foibles they should adapt to them
An intelligent horseman is one who thinks about the best way to get a horse to react to them within the bounds of the horses nature and in a way outwits the horse by using its intincts to achieve what they want from it.
What none should be is violent, aggresive and cruel. Nor should they be tree hugging mamby pambies that let half a ton of horse dictate the rules.
In other words Firm fair boundaries without violence

[tomrabbit]

I like Donnalex's one, but I would add 'without the use of violence' just to be crystal clear!
I hate natural horsemen, cos I'm not one myself, and have had to practise very hard at Intelligent Horsemanship!!!
Just to add, a natural horseman can be any age, with any level of horsey experience. Children can be natural horsemen, and I have met several who are.

[Amanda Seater]

See to me( without the trade marks) the words intelligent horsemanship and natural horsemanship
should be one and the same.
I practice classical horsemanship and what some call natural horsemanship and I ruddy well hope I am being intelligent about it. It all runs together and no violence or tie down gadgets
WHY OH WHY do humans HAVE to put things into convienient boxes? Yes I know human nature eh.

Do we here think that the words "Natural Horsemanship" have been poisoned?! I think they have for many and that is a shame and actually I am choosing to find it annoying that some choose to tar others for the use of a descriptive word

[mandal]

Jan 14, 2011 10:15:59 GMT 1 Amanda Seater said:

Do we here think that the words "Natural Horsemanship" have been poisoned?! I think they have for many and that is a shame and actually I am choosing to find it annoying that some choose to tar others for the use of a descriptive word

I do.
However, I cannot seperate my management from my training, to me it's all connected so I didn't feel my point of view relevant in this thread. I don't have a training box and a management box etc. I have one way I wish to be a horse person and that carries through all my decisions and thinking. To me it is all connected, management can have a huge effect on the horses attitude, ability etc.

[fircones]

I dont think there is a shared definitiion of natural horsemanship - you get these people saying they love/hate a number of people who appear to be leading practitioners of it but do things somewhat differently.
I like the idea that people have expressed of trying to learn more about how horses think and feel so that your response to them is more effective. I also like the idea of avoiding violence - having been taught riding in the era of: "If it doesnt do what you say quick enough, give it a good whack" and instinctively feeling there might be something wrong with this, it was brilliant to come back to the horse world when things had moved on and there were more approaches to learn from.
Its a bit about taking time and listening/responding, not having a closed idea of how to "fix things" I think.
But boundaries, yes, with horses and people. Absolutely agree!

[sandy]

I think theres a huge difference between a person who is naturally a horseman , they' re born with a gift which cannot be marketed or manufactured, and someone who practices or tries to practice 'natural horsemanship'.

[laurac]

Quote from the parelli website as to what natural horsemanship means

The Parelli Method of horse training teaches expertise and success with horses based on the way horses relate and communicate in their natural world – hence the term “natural horsemanship.”

I can see what they mean by 'natural horsemanship' with their explanation of it,

BUT - Dont think that includes carrot sticks, flapping roles with clips banging chins or legs being tied up thats not natural in my opinion

[rifruffian]

So there is a chance that some of these high profile 'horse training gurus' and some of their disciples are indeed natural horseman or horsewoman in terms of an instinctive empathy with the horse.....but......

when they go public in a big commercial way with this talent, financial pressures sometimes lead to poor horsemanship and a negative public profile

[arabmania]

i think 'natural' is not just about the ridden aspect and training but has to include how they are kept too. one goes totally with the other imo.
surely working with a horses natural instincts does not include stabling 24/7 or thereabouts?
i've always beleived that less is more where animals are concerned. the simpler its made the better for the horse and is proof that the horse understands.
If i can't teach the way he learns, can i learn the way he teaches.

[fircones]

I always used to think of a "natural" horseman/woman as somebody like John the groom in Black Beauty who had obviously been around horses for ever and understood their subtle signals and how to care for them in all situations.
"Natural horsemanship", (if it can ever have a definition,) has been for me a source of education at its best to help me start to develop a way of being with horses. I have certainly learned from Kellys books but also from Mark Rashid and others and now my excellent RI, all bits of the jigsaw puzzle. And obviously the journey is endless as it is with all relationships but I think anyone who is open to learning, can start to learn it.
Arab Mania - I agree the keeping of the horse is a BIG part of the puzzle. As an ignorant new owner five years ago, I was stunned as to how much changing environments to one with turnout on a lot of acres in a group, just allowed my horse to settle down and co-operate so much better with me and look so much happier. No doubt if I had been a "natural horseman/woman", I would have understood this straight away!