WHAT IS “COOPERATIVE HORSEMANSHIP?”

Recently I was told that the term “natural horsemanship” was a deal killer while trying to re-home a project horse. This really surprised me because in my experience most the training exercises found in “natural horsemanship” programs are pretty spot on. That being said there really isn’t anything “natural” about what we, as humans, do with horses. Think about it. In nature they eat, run, eat some more, poop, pee and make baby horses. What we ask them to do –wear a saddle that is made from dead animal (leather), take a bit (metal in the mouth), sit on them, use reins and so on – is NOT natural. Yet the trust us to lead them and keep them safe.

Well horsemanship may not be natural but GOOD HORSEMANSHIP  certainly is cooperative!

So we have begun to use the term “cooperative horsemanship”around the barn, at practices and in workshops. Simply put this is a training approach that works with the horse – the way it thinks, the way it interacts with the world – to achieve all the things we want in a horse/human partnership. The approach is simple (though not always easy) and helps the horse gain confidence in itself and the leadership of the human. It improves communication. It improves control. It sets the human and horse up for success.

Now, let’s be clear. This is NOT something we invented. In fact this type of horsemanship dates back to around 400 BC as Xenophon wrote about it in his treatise Cyropaedia. In his writings we find many same basic horsemanship concepts we see many “branded trainers” today use (and make money on). The horse has not changed all that much since 400 BC. Neither has effective horsemanship. In the 21^st Century we like to be able to describe and categorize everything. We want our lives and our horsemanship in neat little packages. The reality is that, like so many Arts, Horsemanship cannot be quickly learned and neatly packaged. The journey is what it is. “Cooperative Horsemanship” is just our way of helping the modern student of the horse to categorize the approach.

So…that is it in a nutshell. Cooperative Horsemanship is a term we use to describe an approach to building communication, confidence and control in the framework of partnership between horse and human. We focus on the “quiet conversation” and giving the horse the best deal when asking for an action. No fear, no intimidation, no heavy hands, bits or techniques. Just good solid horsemanship with respects the horse and the human.

Any questions?

Come and see the results!