Exercises for an Independent Seat
July 10, 2021
An independent seat is a most prised possession! The ability to stick to your horse like glue, zig when he zigs, zag when he zags, stay in tune with his motion, up and down hills, over jumps…and not ever accidentally pull on the reins or bump him with your leg no matter what is what
Identifying tendencies via the 7 Games
July 8, 2021
There’s a lot you can tell about a horse before you ever choose to fork a leg over him! Friendly Game. #1 A horse that you have trouble playing the Friendly Game with is apt to shy and be scared of sudden noises or movements, even like moving your arms when riding him. Don’t be
Equine Psychology
July 6, 2021
The body Language of the Horse Reading the horses’s body to understand his mind Do you remember what it was like when you first got into horses? You were told to watch out if the horse put his ears back because that was a sign that he was going to bite or kick you. But
The Concept of “Feel”
June 18, 2021
It’s one thing to learn new techniques, but the thing to really learn is “feel”. The quality of your feel is what is going to mean the most to your horse and your advancement in all Four Savvys is heavily reliant on this aspect. What is “feel”? Its the way you touch a horse, the
The Eight Responsibilities
June 9, 2021
There are eight responsibilities in a partnership: four for the human and four for the horse. So many people aren’t aware of these responsibilities and this is what gives rise to artificial aids such as harsher bits, martingales and tie downs, etc. because people are always having to hold horses back from going faster, or
Impulsion
June 8, 2021
What is it? What is it not? How do you get it? Ask 10 different people what impulsion is and you will probably get 10 different answers. Probably many of them will be very vague. In dressage terms, it often refers to the driving and unlimited power of the hindquarters. Many riders don’t seem to
But how does all this relate to…?
June 3, 2021
…dressage, cutting, jumping, reining, cow working, camp drafting, polo, gymkhana, roping, barrel racing, eventing, driving etc. This is one of the most common questions we get now that natural horsemanship is starting to attract people involved in competitive endeavours with horses. Natural horsemanship is not something you do instead of a horse sport, it’s just
Lateral thinking & Reverse psychology
April 13, 2021
Lateral thinking means thinking around the problem or situation and not directly about it. Horses (prey animals) are not direct line thinkers, they think laterally. That’s why they out fox people all the time. People (predators) are direct line thinkers, they go for what they want in a direct line. This is what makes them
The Eight Principles of Natural Horsemanship
March 23, 2021
Here they are again to help you get more and more in touch with what they really mean. I find they really help me to keep in touch with what Natural Horsemanship is all about. Get to know them in order and by number. Principle #1 Horsemanship is natural Man and horse were made to
The 6 Keys of Success
March 11, 2021
1. Attitude “you can buy Pat’s knowledge, tools, techniques and time… but you cannot buy his attitude or imagination”. Attitude is an indefinable thing, yet it’s the most obvious thing about a person. Positive, negative, respectful, disrespectful, aggressive, a push over, assertive, fair, unfair, caring, uncaring, fearful, brave, unconfident, confident… its all attitude. In becoming
