Category Archives: Horsemanship

Topics on general care, training and welfare of horses

The Madness Continues!

Posted on January 27, 2017 by liascott

I once made the mistake of buying a piece of equipment from the website of a world renowned “Natural” Horsemanship ‘guru’. I say mistake because once they have your information, they won’t stop trying to convert you. I choose not … Continue reading →

Posted in Horsemanship, Thinking Out Loud | Tagged "Natural" Horsemanship, bad training practices, cruelty, Horse training, horse welfare, lunging | 2 Comments

The noble horse …

Posted on September 13, 2016 by liascott

My latest reading venture is Gustav Steinbrecht’s The Gymnasium of the Horse. It is often cited by those who follow classical training methods, but this is my first dive into it. Written before the turn of the twentieth century, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Horsemanship, Just For Fun | Tagged Gustav Steinbrecht, Gymnasium of the Horse, history, horsemanship, horses, nature, riding as art, science | 2 Comments

Pedro and Oxidado

Posted on September 25, 2015 by liascott

I previously shared video of Pedro Torres and the stallion Oxidado doing Working Equitation. Their partnership, to me, is obvious and inspiring. Recently I ran across an interview with Pedro, where he talked about his inspirations and philosophies. Within the interview … Continue reading →

Posted in Horsemanship, My Journey | Tagged communication, Dani, horsemanship, learning, listening, Oxidado, partnership, Pedro Torres, personality, strength, training, trust, video | Leave a comment

Crime and punishment

Posted on August 15, 2015 by liascott

I often start several drafts of posts at one time – sometimes they make it in, sometimes I go back and have lost the original inspiration. This one was drafted several months ago … and I had forgotten just how … Continue reading →

Posted in Horsemanship, Thinking Out Loud | Tagged bad behavior, crime, horsemanship, negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement, punishment, reward | Leave a comment

What is “cruel”?

Posted on August 8, 2015 by liascott

I’ve been pondering the question of cruelty a lot lately. There certainly is more than enough cruelty in the world. But if you go by the internet, you would be hard pressed to find anything that we do with horses that … Continue reading →

Posted in Horsemanship, Thinking Out Loud | Tagged art exhibit, bits, clipped whiskers, clipping, competition, cruelty, double bridle, Dressage, FEI, horses as art, internet, judgment, pain, riding horses, shaved ears, spurs, suffering, what is natural?, whips | 2 Comments

Horse-based Religion

Posted on July 25, 2015 by liascott

“Barefoot go’s very nicely with, bitless bridles, treeless saddles and natural horsemanship! A natural market ripe for clever con men to pick!” Horsemanship – nothing natural about it post on Facebook The passage above was part of a recent “rant” … Continue reading →

Posted in Horsemanship, My Journey, Thinking Out Loud | Tagged "Natural" Horsemanship, barefoot, bitless, blind followers, faith, intolerance, religion, treeless saddles | Leave a comment

Control the feet

Posted on June 3, 2015 by liascott

You’ve probably heard it: “Control the feet and you control the horse.” It’s popular with the Natural Horsemanship folks. An even better variation is “Control the feet and you control the mind.” Trouble is, if your definition of controlling the … Continue reading →

Posted in Classical Training and Philosophy, Horsemanship | Tagged "Natural" Horsemanship, Anders Lindgren, avoiding resistance, balance, careful steps, Coffee, control the feet, control the horse, have fun, Horse training, Jeff Moore, Kyra Kyrklund, lightness, mobility, Nash, Sparrowgrass, traffic cones | 2 Comments