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Taking Personal Responsibility for Horse Training
Why Won’t My Horse Respond to Natural Horsemanship?

Rugh Mason on being responsible for horse training.

My motto is: “You must be the change you want to see in your horse©.”
I chose this motto because to me this is the essence of your success with your horse and Natural Horsemanship. By Rugh Mason

You name any given movement or exercise from elementary to advanced and ask the above question: Why Won’t My Horse Do It? Most likely your first thoughts would be to answer that it’s his age, breed, gender, former owner, or some problem with the horse. We can also think of his previous training experiences.

Then ask yourself: Where do I fit in to this answer?
Because all horses will respond to Natural Horsemanship!

Natural Horsemanship training programs work on all horses. Your horse will learn calmly and willingly. A Horse, is a horse, is a horse! We teach them correctly and at a pace they accept.

I attended a clinic in 2006 which was conducted by an elder master horseman. This clinician was admonishing several participants about their techniques of handling their horses. However, it seemed to me that these riders were unaware that he was talking to them. He actually had to use their name and work with them individually to get his point across to some of them.

These Clinic Attendees paid a fair price to participate and learn what the Trainer Clinician had to teach. Yet, I later heard to my amazement, that one of the Participants stated that she was not learning anything ! This was the same lady that was unable to get her horse to stand still for twenty seconds at any given time and forgot to turn her cell phone off!

As a Horse and People Trainer I am very aware that all horses are individuals with their unique personalities, as are their Owners.
This is where we have our difficulties because Natural Horsemanship is not for all people!
Natural Horsemanship will definitely work for all horses and this is my point.

My motto is: “You must be the change you want to see in your horse©.”
I chose this motto because to me this is the essence of your success with your horse and Natural Horsemanship.

Essentially, people can only have the horse do what is within its ability to physically perform. Yet I find that even the most basic exercise IE: leading the horse, picking up the feet, or getting the horse to stand still for mounting can be difficult for some people. I need to add that this exists even though these very same people are riding these very same horses. This is a case for making the distinction between riding instruction, and horse training.

My observations of numerous horse owners reveal some very poignant and prevalent attitudes which answer the question: Why won’t my horse respond to Natural Horsemanship? This list is contradictory to Natural Horsemanship:

First: Bad free advice! In the Information Age, I have observed that when a novice or any horse owner has a challenge with a horse the legions of experts are always quick to provide the solution. The result is total confusion on the part of the individual because of the numerous possible solutions which contradict each other. Your worst possible enemy can be your “friend” who is giving you the bad free advice!

Second: Longevity in being around horses does not always equal competency!
Continuous calm, humane, effective results would be a better guide. Regardless of his/her name or claim to fame, follow your gut feel about using his techniques and treating your horse as he recommends. Again, make the distinction between a riding instructor and a horse trainer. Sometimes one person can be both.

Third: Desire for quick fixes! We live in a fast paced society which is mostly contradictory to producing solid performance standards from our equine friends. Don’t buy into programs that make outrageous claims, included in these are the trainer that can break a wild mustang in two hours. Oh! Yes, he can ride that horse in two hours but don’t bet your safety on the fact that this is a trained horse! It isn’t!

Fourth: Old harsh methods. Making decisions based on economic factors verses a long term relationship with an equine friend. This means using old harsh methods because low cost! There are many clichés that go along with the dollars which are invested in training. Think of the quality of your relationship with your horse over many years. The first red flag is the statement from the “trainer” that you don’t have to be around for the first couple of weeks! You can suspect old harsh methods are being used on your equine friend.

Fifth: Showing. Accepting advice from a person just because that person participates in “showing” horses and getting “points”. These activities are not always in the best interest of the animals involved. Are these show experiences producing a horse which is light, responsive, and pleasurable to ride? Much resistance can come from starting a colt which is not physically developed.

Sixth: Using force, pain, or threats to accomplish results with horses. We do not tie horse’s heads back to the saddle, over flex their necks, tie them down, or tie them up in anyway. Much resistance comes from using the above mentioned techniques. There are many “riding instructors” and “trainers” in all disciplines telling students to “yank the horses’ face off” as a means to turn the horse in a different direction. Instead of force, I recommend training the horse to be light, soft, and responsive with the rein.

Seventh: Wrong conclusions. An example is a series of articles which I read from a self proclaimed expert over the internet that started out in line with my training beliefs and ended up with contradictions, and diversions of the original premises. An example was to use humane techniques until you can’t get the horse to cross the creek then you resort to using your crop and spurs! Magazines have the same type of articles form these experts.
If you follow this type of advice without considering your experience level and the conitions you will face on your own horse you are certain to get yourself or your horse or both of you hurt.

Eighth: Peer pressure. Succumbing to doing things that you or your horse are not ready to do or don’t know how to do. Again, maybe the horse is not physically or emotionally developed enough for your desired activity. If you think you shouldn’t do something you are probably right.

Ninth: Using gadgets versus training the horse. Examples are using severe bits, tie downs, spurs, whips etc. The Tom Thumb bit is not a snaffle bit, it is a shank bit.
I recommend using a smooth, full cheek snaffle bit.

Tenth: Treating the horse as just a “tool”! Horses are sensitive, thinking, feeling, magnificent, living beings and should be treated as such.

Eleventh: Ego. I am talking about the person’s ego in that he or she is afraid to admit that he or she doesn’t know everything about horses. Surprise! Who does?
Even worse is the person who rides horses and wouldn’t dare backtrack to really discover the root cause of their horse’s or their problem.

Twelve: Not seeking competent, effective, professional training solutions as a high priority for safety and progressive advancement. Consider the cost of veterinary or medical expenses, pain and suffering, and rehab time verses the small expense of competent professional help for you and your horse.

Your horse’s training depends on your attitude, you must change your approach, you must change technique, you must change your beliefs, you must change what you now know, you must change your opinions, you must change your sensitivity, you must change your sense of time and timing, and you must change your awareness. I am certain that we can continue to expand this list.

My motto is: “You must be the change you want to see in your horse©.”

I was telling a lady about my approach and technique for solving a problem she was having with her horse. She said to me that it sounds like too much work for her! Again, Attitude! Again the desire for quick fixes! Again, Our self as the problem to training the horse!

We can’t forget that the horse does have options and he doesn’t just respond as stated in the book or viewed on the video. In reality the horse can and does often give us an outcome which is not our intended result. However, You still have to consider yourself as the major influence in producing the positive results of any training. We ask and our horse need to answer, condition -response.

It is interesting to note the scores on a dressage test, and the actual performance of the responsiveness of any given horse to a simple test of giving to the bit. It amazes me how resistant and heavy many horses actually are. However, these same horses are being expected to perform at a very high level. This display of resistance includes a serious lack of hip and shoulder control. Foundation training must be solid before we build our training to advanced maneuvers.

Again, Why Won’t My Horse Respond to Natural Horsemanship?

Consider that your horse and all horses will respond to Natural Horsemanship.
Using a realistic time frame to suit the needs of the individual horse and horse owner we can meet or exceed your expectations on an ongoing basis. Every session is a step forward for you and your horse. If you have a sincere desire to advance your competency for yourself and your horse we will work to eliminate the many reasons why your horse won’t do it. In a safe and calm mode your horse will do all the activities required of him. You are a huge part of this equation to produce successful results.

Be assured that no given article, single book, or video could even begin to approach every aspect of answering the question of why your horse won’t do whatever it is you want him to do. You must remember that for any single activity requested of the horse there are other necessary preparatory requirements. You must prepare yourself then you can get your horse to do “it”.

I would like to say that I am available for phone consultations at 724-663-2692, private sessions, clinics and any format to accommodate your needs.
Rugh Mason My Guarantee is that we can take any horse and begin my humane, logical, organized, safe approach to horse training and you will be delighted with the results from the very first session! Your horse and you will respond to Natural Horsemanship!
Remember: You must be the change you want to see in your horse©
Rugh Mason, January 2007©
rughmason@yahoo.com
Phone 724-663-2692

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