Principles of natural horsemanship encourage reward and positive reinforcement based training method
Relationship building through trust and consistency
"Derived from observation of the natural behaviour of free-roaming horses and rejecting abusive training methods"
Pain detection, pain prevention by conditioning your athlete with preventative relief.
Ground action maneuvers that promote
uicker recovery, improved responses, gentler temperaments and enhanced learning.
Covered in Equine First Aid courses.
Working through fears by building trust.
"to make him familiar with all sorts of sights and noises; and if the colt shows sign of apprehension at them, (9) he must teach him—not by cruel, but by gentle handling—that they are not really formidable". (Xenophone II)
Horses have three main ethological needs:
1. to live socially as part of a herd
2. to graze freely
3. to travel great distances
We may replicate these behaviours and fulfill these needs for our equine partners, but understanding the natural behaviour of a horse is paramount in engaging in their partnership.