[taydajumper93]

I do the same thing, especially when they rub their head on you!! I HATE that!!! But still like some of the methods, some of them work.

[tightpaycheck]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one to whack a horse with the lead for not backing up. Hmmm.. and my colt went through a nippy stage that no correction could fix until I accidentally whacked him upside the head with a sweatscraper.( I swear it was an accident)

[zorse]

I agree.
I think playing rough and playing nice both have their places.

[Jess!]

Another one who's whacked a horse for not backing up. For a long time, Diva would fight fight fight you on backing up. My trainer would try to be nice, then she'd just whack her really, really hard on her chest, scream "BACK UP" and Diva would fly backwards, going..."Oh, okay...I guess you mean it."

[ChaseroftheCans]

JBandRio is right with this one. Many people who practice NH are very good at it. But there are tons of people out there who think they know-it-all and anything but NH is some sort of sin. They're pushing their views on you.

My peeve is how "new" it is. I do not follow these 'name brands'. I knew about NH before these guys ever thought about selling it as a product. I do not follow Parelli (I don't like him or his ways), but before he ever had a name - I used some of "his" techniques. Many of these natural horsemen don't like people who use even another form of NH! At my last barn, a woman who strictly believed in Parelli-is-a-god would not only come after me (saying how bad barrel racing is and that my horses hate it and I force them to run so hard and I'm the devil), but she would go after two girls there who followed John Lyons. They'd get in fights about who's leader was better. Grrr, they drove me crazy!

I am all for hitting my horse. I'm not going to play around with a bunch of games to see if my horse will respect me, I'm going to lunge them and get it. Some of the forms are very "nice" and all about friendship. As bad as it sounds, I am the "alpha" - not the "friend". I will hit, kick, and bite just as the alpha horse would.

But like JB said, don't let the few know-it-alls kill it for you. NH is a good thing, I just don't like to label it with brand names and famous people. You could easily learn it by reading up on horse-like articles from decades ago. I personally think the 'old' NH ways are better (they are still "alpha-horse" related, where as a lot of new NH ways are "let's be best friends forever").

Sorry you've had to deal with that. Simply tell her you don't practice her method and your horse may not specifically like NH. Some horses don't work well with NH (I know that first hand, too). Thank her for her help, and then walk away. Good luck.

[PaintedPNH]

I am all for NH. It's my thing but have you seen me come through as blatantly as the woman you are talking about? I hope not.

I have been taught to offer advice, not push it. I do a lot of "Well it might work better if you try..."
I tried SO many different things with Ringo and nothing worked until we sent him to Parelli and he is now a different horse. Like JB said...its not NH you dont like its the people who see one show on cable and think they know EVERYTHING. This is my biggest pet peeve.

I however know where to draw the line. I do practice some "non-NH" methods such as martingales and what not but only when I need them. I'm not a fan of gadgets and I will not use them to cover up a problem. When explaining things to new horse owners listening to Pat has gotten me into the habit of comparing what the horse is thinking to a human situation which really seems to help.

They arent ALL bad. It's just that some people make NH look sissy...and its not.

And FYI it's not "just wiggling a lead rope" I HATE HATE HATE when people say that it drives me UP the walls.

[Jennie'sPassion]

I think it is about balance and whatever works for you and your horse. I use NH but I also use my grandpa/dad's method of stop means stop!!! Every horse is different and every person is different. I may not work with my horse the way JB does but it works for me and vice versa. Keep up the good work TrickPony.

[ThisIsMe]

Have to agree with JB here. The wannabe fanatics in all types of training/discipline will drive anyone insane with their way is correct and no other way is. Any trainer that has half a brain will know that not everything will work with one horse.

That's the beauty of having so many ideas to bounce around. You can take what you want and leave the rest alone.

I'm not a NH person by far, but I do believe in common sense for training. For ever reaction you get from the horse, there is a reaction from you. You ask to yield to pressure, they do and you take it off. They dont and you apply more pressure.

[LazyDaisy]

Great post TrickPony. I am old enough to remember when there was no "natural" horsmanship and not that the old ways are best, they're not but some of this new fangled stuff is just plain silly. I do, however, think there is a difference between discipline and a beating but when I want my horse to do what I say, he or she darned well better do it. There will be no "games" or me acting like a horse when we are learning or working.

Thought some might get a kick out of this view of natural horsemanship from the horse's perspective. How many of us have a friend like Phyllis? Thought it was pretty funny

Hello my name is Flicka and my Owner's a clinic junky. Yes, it's true. She went thru her mid life crisis and came to the sale barn and bought me.
I spent my whole life misbehaving and being passed from greenhorn to greenhorn till someone finally got smart and sent me to the sale barn.
I was seriously hoping to be picked up by one of those show horse fella's so I could live in a fancy barn and stand around and look pretty, but they told me my butt's too small, my heads too big, and the crest on my neck from a bout with grass founder (thanks to owner number 2) is not desirable, and in general I was just not that capable of looking pretty, so I went home with Phyllis instead.

She pets me and loves me, and in general I had a pretty good life at first. Then she heard about those guys who whisper to horses. Life has never been the same.

First there was Pat. At Pat's clinic Phyllis learned to twirl a big stick and chase me around a round pen till I was ringing wet with sweat.
Once I had quote "calmed down" (I was never really fired up in the first place till that guy came at me with the stick like an idiot) she began learning to ride me with no bridle. Talk about giving an old spoiled horse an opportunity to have some fun! Initially I went along with it. I'd lope around the pen real nice like, and everyone would oooh and cooo over my "natural horse" abilities.

Then, just when everyone had gathered around to watch, I would see the SCARIEST!! (tehehehe) Shadow in the history of scary shadows and switch directions and take off with my rider clinging terrified to my back. Every other horse on the place was envious of me because their owners would take them out back and beat them with that overpriced stick when no one was watching, but I knew my Phyllis would not.

Eventually Philly (as I like to call her) gave up on the whole natural horse idea when Pat tried to talk her into jumping me without a bridle over some barrels.

Off we went in search of another guru. In our search we found Monty. He threw a string at a horse and talked to the horse with winks and stares. I spent some time with his clinic horses. I saw the demonstration where an unbroken 2 year old became an overnight Reiner.

Later I talked to the 2 year old. He was actually 5 and had been doing this same routine for about 5 clinics now. The first time Phyllis broke out the string I again, went along with it. Well, until she got tired of me stopping and looking at her like she was stupid. When she went to get herself a glass of water and refer to that chapter in Monty's book, I grabbed the string and chewed it to pieces. And this is how I got my Jolly ball!

Then there was the Indian fella with a name I can't pronounce. To get the full effect of his clinic Philly painted stuff on my body and put feathers in my hair. I looked like I was in a Costume class, but hey whatever floats your boat. I thought maybe at least with this guy we might get to play Indian pony games and have mock battles or something but no. More round pen work and gimmicks. This time there was a fire in the middle of the round pen and they danced around it while praying that I would become a good horse and always mind my owner. He only took her for a couple thousand pelts and a bottle of firewater.

There's been the Australian guy. Training with a Boomerang while he hopped around like a kangaroo and called me his mate... "Sorry fella, your cute and all but my mate has 4 legs. I Just don't' swing interspecies."

A horse psychic who told Phyllis my momma didn't lick me enough when I was born.

A guy who used his hands like ears to talk to me and of course the touchy feely lady.

I can't complain though I've got an owner who loves me and has devoted her time to trying to make me a better horse. I really should behave, really I should, but I think I am contributing to her youth by giving her a reason to take me to all these clinics. Maybe the next clinic will involve turning me out with the mustangs so I find my inner wild stallion.

Sincerely, Flicka

[PaintedPNH]

Funny cuz Pat really doesnt do roundpen work.