LindseyForkunEquestrian@hotmail.com

416-571-5914

Helping You Do Better

Lindsey Forkun Equestrian

Natural Horsemanship
Text Box: Want to learn and talk about Natural Horsemanship? Come out and try our get together, held once a month on a Sunday from 1pm-4pm. It is a great opportunity to meet with other horsey people ranging in experience from those just starting out to others who have been doing this for years. Ask questions, come socialize, eat some goodies, learn about caring for your horse, and watch some inspiring dvd clips. The group is held at different homes in the Uxbridge area, if you would like to know more or come to our next get together please email Lindsey– LindseyForkunEquestrian@hotmail.com new people are always welcome! What is Natural Horsemanship? It’s all about learning to understand horses so you can recognize behaviour, and also so that you can mimic cues or actions that the horse will understand. Its kind of like learning a type of sign language with your horse so you understand each other and can build a relationship. You learn to be a leader for your horse, and your horse learns to trust and respect you. If you take the time to build the relationship you are more likely to have horse that will jump any fence you ask or go on a safe trail ride. You can fix/prevent biting, kicking, rearing, stopping, girthiness, and so much more! Learn to trailer your horse without hassle, have them stand while you put on the saddle and do up the girth, teach your horse to come to you, ride without a bridle, and the best part of all, your horse learns to want to be with you, so you can take off the halter and play with your horse while they stay by your side. After all, once there are no strings attached, all you are left with is the truth. Some basic pointers to get you started: Teach your horse you aren’t going to hurt them, rub them all over, and take time after they have done something ‘right’ to stop, reflect, and enjoy your comfort. You want to teach your horse that there is comfort with you and when they do the right thing, but discomfort when they are away from you or do something undesirable. Have your horse respect you and your space. Horses see personal space as a 10ft bubble around them. Make sure if your horse walks up to you that you let them, and don’t let them ‘push you around’ by making you move out of your space. Do this by asking them to back up out of your space, instead of moving you away. Use the slightest pressure to move them around– move the haunches, forehand, and backwards, being as gentle as possible but as firm as required. This is because it is natural for horses to recognize the leader based on who moves who. If you move your horse around, then you teach them you are the leader. Be sure to reward your horse when they move correctly by rubbing them gently or pausing for a minute, but do not stop asking until you get them to move. Be fair. Give your horse a chance to do something with the slightest cue, and increase the pressure/intensity of the cue until they respond. Be sure to stop asking once they have done what you wanted, and if they are new to the task, be sure to reward with a friendly rub to tell them they did it right. Also be consistent– if you ask softly for 5 seconds and then increase pressure, try to do the same every time. Know when to quit. Don’t go work your horse with the attitude ‘I am going to do X today’. Have a goal, but have a plan B. If you come across a problem or difficult spot then work through it and end on a good note. Likewise, if you are teaching something new, after your horse has done it a couple times, end on a good note and let them think about it. Patience is so important with horses. If you have any questions at all, please contact me at LindseyForkunEquestrian@hotmail.com or you can call 416-571-5914 If you are at all interested in Natural Horsemanship, I highly recommend that you come out to a free get together to talk, learn and share experiences with natural horsemanship. (Please see above- ‘Want to learn and talk about Natural Horsemanship?’) What is Parelli? Pat and Linda Parelli are experienced in the art of natural horsemanship. They have developed an easy to follow learning guide to help you learn natural horsemanship in steps. The steps make it easy to learn and give you a path to follow. They address problems you may face and they explain everything about natural horsemanship. They also do trouble shooting tips. They have established the Parelli university in Colorado because their program is shown to work. They offer dvds and information packages to help you do natural horsemanship. Please feel free to go to www.Parrelli.com to learn more