These days the term 'horseman' is one that seems to be loosely applied to just about anyone who owns a horse and over recent years to have lost much of its meaning.  Whilst there are still many good horsemen around the world, in modern times with the advent of cars and other machinery, our dependence on horses for work and transport has diminished along with a lot of the skills that in bygone years many took for granted.  We now live in a time of convenience, mass production, instant gratification with a much faster pace of living and many horse owners are part time riders at most.  All these factors combined have resulted in the present horse industry often seeking quick fixes, short-term solutions and with a desire for miracle remedies.

The simple truth is that while there are still many, many horse owners and horse lovers around the world, most of us no longer have the time or the patience to learn the skills and develop the understanding necessary in order to be successful with horses.  Whilst horse sports have become more readily available and accessible with coaching, information and instruction aplenty, the fundamentals of horsemanship are in many cases overlooked and sadly becoming a lost art.

Often the idea of obtaining true horsemanship skill is not even considered as we pursue our chosen sport or discipline.  For many horse owners, the journey begins with the purchase of the horse, tack and accessories. Some owners will opt for riding lessons, many then embarking on the sport or discipline that takes their fancy.  Understanding the horse and how to communicate with him successfully rarely enters the equation.

By comparison, this would be something like buying a car, taking a few driving lessons then heading straight for the racetrack.  Riding is really just a matter of not falling off; horsemanship and understanding how to effectively relate to horses is a whole different set of skills.

Most people when they start out have some idea or dream in their heart of hearts, of what they'd like to be able to do with their horse. For many horse owners however the reality of what they actually have and what they'd like to be able to do with their horse, appear so far removed that they seem destined to remain just that...dreams.

If we think back far enough, or search deep enough inside, we may find that dream, that goal.  Galloping across an open field with the wind in our hair, riding bareback along the beach, jumping that huge log, winning the blue ribbon at the show or just lazing in the grass as our horse happily grazes nearby without even a halter or lead -rope  on.   For  each  of  us  it  is  an  individual  and personal vision, but some where  in   there  lies  the idea  that   started  it   all. Riding  lessons will  only take you  so far,  so  what then    is   the answer  to achieving   success   with horses?    Many    people come to Quantum Savvy because  they  have  seen something at one of our demonstrations or video presentations that attracted their interest, something that stirred those dreams and visions once more or that made sense of  their own experiences with their horse.  They want to know how they can do it too.  How can they get the same results with their horse?  This is where the question of horsemanship comes up and where a lot of frustration for many horse lovers can be avoided.  The good news is that obtaining horsemanship is almost always the answer.

So what is a horseman?  Sounds like an easy question……what does it mean to you? When really considering the question, we tend to search our minds for people we have known, or images that we have seen, that have meant something to us in regard to skills or success with horses.

A list starts to take shape of qualities and abilities as we see that it is generally what someone knows and understands more than what tasks they can do,  that makes them a horseman. 

A horseman is someone who:

• Can help a horse be calm and confident and emanates trust from the horse.
• Can bring out the best in any horse.
• Someone a horse is happy to be around and will chose to do so.
• Understands the needs and motivations of a horse.
• Creates rapport and communication with a horse and can do this with any horse.
• Who considers the horses point of view.
• Who takes the time to meet the horses needs and doesn't just inflict himself / herself upon the horse.
• Who can work with a horse equally well on the ground and in the saddle and who doesn't need a halter and lead rope to cause the horse to do as he wishes.
• Has excellent timing and feel.
• Someone who is an excellent rider with a truly independent seat, who doesn't need to use the reins for balance and understands that a bit is for refinement of communication, not for control.

Being a horseman is so much more than just being able to perform a task or manoeuvre.  Jumping that big log, doing that spin, perfecting piaffe; these are all fantastic things to be able to do with a horse, however they are not necessarily a reflection of horsemanship ability.  While certainly they require many hours of training to achieve, horses are extremely trainable and learn very quickly.  Many a school-master has been a good teacher for his rider.  Equally there are many horses who do well in the show arena just as long as his owner can get him in the trailer to get to the event!

In our pursuit of achieving these things, whether it be on a small scale at the local show or on the Grand Prix circuit, from 'simple' trail riding to next years futurity, it seems an easy thing to confuse sportsmanship with horsemanship...and in this lies the answer to why many horse owners find frustration and confusion and do not achieve their dreams and goals. 

Often we are asked, "What does natural horsemanship have to do with dressage / jumping / racing / cutting?"  The answer?  Nothing...and everything!  Horsemanship has nothing to do with the sport of dressage, / jumping etc however it has everything to do your understanding of the horse and your preparation for the sport.  It can mean all the difference in how successful you and your horse will be at it. 

What do Bathurst, Formula 1, stock car racing, drag racing and mum driving the kids to school have to do with each other?  Again nothing, and yet as diverse as all these pursuits are, they do have one thing in common.  To be successful, you need to be able to drive a car!  Can you imagine what would happen if we put someone who'd never driven before, behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car and said "go for it"!  And yet, this is what happens with many horse owners.  They buy the horse and 'just go for it' and then wonder why things don't go so well.  Riding lessons only cover what happens once you get on the horse and yet much of our success in riding depends greatly on the kind of relationship we have built with the horse and our ability to understand and communicate with them.  Issues like catching, leading, picking up feet, trailer-loading and staying safe around horses, are all clear indicators of horsemanship or lack thereof.  Horses that belong to a horseman become very calm, confident, relaxed in any environment, can be taken anywhere at any time and consistently perform well. 

All too often, horse owners try to start at the top; they buy the horse and straight away tackle their chosen sport or discipline, bypassing the most important step...that of becoming a horseman first. Compare it to the F1's again.  First you must learn the skill of driving and how to get the best from the vehicle, then you can go off and learn how to take on the big guns.

The first part of the Quantum Savvy educational system is the Foundation Programme, the place where everybody begins.    We  teach  all  the  fundamentals  and foundations of good horsemanship upon which you will then add your sport.  Trying to tackle your chosen equine pursuit without first obtaining horsemanship is just a recipe for frustration and lack of success.  You'll probably find your goals elude you and the same problems keep recurring over and over again.

Natural horsemanship is about learning the language of the horse, about understanding his needs and motivations and how to communicate with him effectively.  Overlooking horsemanship is like having a relationship that is one-sided and only takes care of the needs and desires of one member of it.  All too often we think that what we want is more important that what our horse needs.  Sooner or later the horse is going to have their say, and with many horses, to whom survival is paramount, this often means that someone will get hurt. 

If you want a happy and safe relationship with your horse, learning to ride is one part of it.  If you want to be successful at your chosen discipline, learning the sport is another part. Learning to understand and communicate with horses is a completely different subject and the one that is most often left out.  This is where rapport, safety, communication, partnership, softness, willingness, soundness and consistency come from. 

Good horsemanship is good horsemanship, by whatever name you call it.  The term 'natural' just means working with the horse, understanding his motivations, his needs and working with him rather than imparting our wants and desires on him. All good horsemen, whether they go by the term natural or not, consider the horses point of view and share the qualities we talked of earlier.  They know, that only this will lead to enhancing and augmenting the true heart and desire, the willingness of the horse.

Copyright 2005©  This article is part of a series of horsemanship educational articles written by Meredith Ransley for Quantum Savvy