Mythbusting: Horse training methods were cruel until recently

September 10, 2014

One of my original pet peeves with “Natural” horsemanship was the mythology they developed that said all horse training/breaking prior to NH had been cruel, rough and had not taken the horse into consideration. By the time these NH guys were making it into public attention, I was already in my twenties. I’d been reading everything I could about horse … More Mythbusting: Horse training methods were cruel until recently

Move over Mr. Ed …

September 7, 2014

We have a running joke around here – that I get perfectly mannerly horses and ruin them. By some people’s standards that would certainly be true … and there are days that I’ll admit to wondering about it myself. Most people – vets, trainers, farriers – tend to comment on how well behaved my horses are. So, why do we … More Move over Mr. Ed …

Following the leader?

August 31, 2014

If you are one of the thousands who bought into the “lead mare, “alpha”, “dominant/submissive” theories touted by the “Natural” horsemanship folk, then you may not like what I’m about to tell you. In a recent issue of Equus magazine (September 2014) was an item on a research study that showed the “lead mare” to be a … More Following the leader?