Some time ago, Christine Mayhew wrote a short but excellent article pointing out that the actual experience and knowledge of these horse whisperers is usually very limited and that they rarely, if ever, demonstrate their competency in the show ring. In fact, the horse show is where once can truly observe the training ability of a horseman due to the difficulty of getting a horse to consistently behave as one asks in an ambience filled with stress, pressure, nervousness and a hundred distractions, when the horse has to do what is asked now and not tomorrow or a month from now.

Yet an even more serious accusation which must be made against these purveyors of “natural horsemanship” is that many of them engage in dangerous practice and put their followers in even more danger, because these followers are often very inexperienced in handling horses. One needs no more evidence of this than the nation-wide episode of “Pet Rescue” where Richard Maxwell, promoted as the man with the answer to your horse’s behavioural problems, attempted to saddle a ‘difficult’ horse in the round pen without using any form of restraint and was (rather predictably) kicked and knocked to the ground. Then there is Monty Roberts, who in his famous “Join Up” procedure commits one of the most blatant examples of disregard for safety while working with horses, that of having the horse walk directly behind the person. This is extremely dangerous, as the person working with the horse cannot control sudden noises or movements which may frighten the horse and cause him to jump forward, trampling the person underfoot. This is no rare occurrence; this type of reaction is a most common one among equines, and they will intentionally choose to leap where they believe it is safest, which is precisely where you are. More of Monty Roberts’ unsafe practices can be observed in his video, where he allows the lunge line to drag on the ground, with the danger of it becoming wrapped around his legs and tripping him. These things are dangerous enough to both horse and handler when the person is experienced in working with horses, but when they are taught to and done by inexperienced persons, it is a disaster in the making.

Is this what we wish to teach people about how to train horses? Is this what we wish to subject inexperienced people to, along with the danger that they will put their horses in a situation where the horse could be injured or traumatized? As my father says, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” and never was this more true than in the case of “natural horsemanship” salesmen who have jumped on the commercial bandwagon in order to enrich themselves and convert the ‘heathens’ to their way of doing things.

Another question to be raised is: Are all these tweaks and techniques necessary? For decades and even centuries, dedicated and capable horsemen and horsewomen have been turning out horses who are quiet, safe, good-minded, willing, and very well trained. One may assert that the “natural horsemanship” gurus are making techniques available in order that the layman can perform DIY horse training without the expense of sending the horse to a trainer. I am personally in favour of every horse owner establishing a close and trusting relationship with their horse and learning to ride and enjoy the horse themselves as much as possible; I can see no point to owning a horse who is kept continually in training and ridden by the owner only during lessons and at shows. However, those who wish to carry out DIY training must be aware that, while they may be able to have fun with their horses by utilizing certain techniques imparted by “natural horsemanship” disseminators, they will not become trainers, nor will their horses be technically well trained as they would be if sent to a reputable trainer. Having a calm, friendly horse does not mean having a horse who responds immediately and correctly to the neck rein, moves off one’s leg with minimum pressure, stops immediately when asked, performs all manoeuvres requested willingly, and can move every foot or part of his body a few centimeters or one meter at a time depending on what he is asked in any particular circumstances. Above all, it does not mean having a horse who respects his owner and is safe to handle and ride at all times.

One does not learn to relate to horses and discover all there is to know about them and their behaviour in ten easy lessons. The one thing that there is no substitute for in training and truly understanding horses is long years of experience in dealing with a large number of different horses, because different techniques work on different horses and different reactions are called for in different situations at different times; yet it is just this experience that a great many “horse whisperers” are lacking in. What would be interesting is for these ‘miracle workers’ to deal with truly undomesticated and/or dangerous horses in their clinics, rather than with the almost entirely pre-selected horses that they work their ‘magic’ on. As someone who has ridden and loved and trained and studied horses since I was three years old, and as someone who has backed over 200 young, unridden horses and ridden many hundreds more (all of whom I remember), I resent the loud and clear insinuation made by “natural horsemanship” advocates-many of whom have very little experience in working with horses-that I and other trainers like me do not really understand horses, use oppressive methods to train them, and do not know nearly as much about horse psychology, behaviour and training as they do. What was Ray Hunt doing for 50 years before the “natural horsemanship” tag was applied to what he does? What he was doing was practicing good horsemanship and successful training methods, just like many other western trainers have been doing for decades and continue to do, even without calling what they do “natural horsemanship”.

As trainers, we can and must continue to learn more about horses, both by working with them and by listening to the ideas of others who do so, perhaps even certain “natural horsemanship” marketers who do have some good ideas and have sometimes helped to open the eyes of English equestrian ‘traditionalists’ to the benefits of various western training methods. But “natural horsemanship” is certainly not the only good way to relate to and train horses, and it can often be the wrong way. I categorically refute the label of “natural horsemanship” being applied to what I do, for I believe in promoting safety around horses and the use of logic, discipline, and affection in dealing with them, not games and gimmicks.