There are people from different walks of life who prefer the “natural” aspect better due to their personal limitations. Some of these limitations are wheel chair bound, height and other limitations due to age. People who are in their eighties are still training horses using this method.
As the relationship builds, the horse begins to understand the human’s limitations and tries to make life easier. There are blind riders whose horses will protect them from other horses. As you can see, trust is one of the major keys. A horse will understand his rider’s shift of weight to change directions or change gait. It is less likely that someone is going to be injured.
If, however, the “traditional” method is used, someone is more likely to be injured. If a horse bolts out of fear because the trainer whipped him, the trainer may get run over, kicked or be hurt likewise. The horse is more bound to run into a fence or cause some type of accident. If a horse becomes scared and the trainer does not continue the pressure or punish the horse, the horse will slow down and realize that no one is after him.
Horses are not dumb beasts of burden. It is only the DNA that kept them alive for so long that controls their behaviour. By understanding how to redirect their fear into something that they will grasp, the training will be more effective.
The “traditional” methods derive from misunderstanding and haste. It is important to be fair to those who practiced the “traditional” methods. Horses, before motorized transportation, were needed. The training needed to be quick during this time frame. However, there is no reason to mistreat horses today because they are not as necessary as they were a century ago (Lamb 10-11). |