I am sure everyone was expecting part II of Conventional Gone Natural, but after reading the following article: Science takes on the man who listens to horses. I felt clarification was needed for those pursuing natural horsemanship. Both the scientist and the reporter forgot to mention a few key facts about horse behavior.
Equine scientist Cath Henshall hypothesized that a remote controlled car could simulate the role of a human performing the Join-Up technique (developed by Monty Roberts) and the outcome with a horse would be the same.
To start, here are the key facts about horse behavior that were not mentioned in the article or the video.
1. Horses are prey animals who rely on a Fight or Flight instinct to get out of "scary" situations
2. If an untrained/young horse becomes scared and is given the choice to run away or stay and fight, he will usually run away. (I am speaking mainly of mares and geldings who have not become aggressive due to human handling.)
3. Horses will not fight unless there is no other way out. I am sure you have seen a horse explode because they were scared and could not get away from what was scaring them. "Fighting" could be what the scientist was referring to when she said, "more people are killed by horses than any other animal in Australia." I am sure most of the deaths were accidents due to exploding horses.
4. Unconfident horses look for safety (i.e. running away from what is frightening them until they don't feel the pressure)
5. Confident horses look for leadership (i.e. are you dominant enough to apply enough pressure to chase me away?)
6. Pressure can be physical or mental. Some horses only need a "look" while other horses need a physical touch. The same goes for running away or staying and fighting. Some horses run away from a plastic bag other horses need a bear to chase them away.
That said, the Join-Up technique encourages "flight" in a horse so "fight" is never an option a horse has to consider. A horse is brought into a round-pen and allowed to move as he pleases. A human is in the center reading the horse's behavior and deciding whether to "chase" as a dominant horse in a herd would do or "release all pressure" and allow the horse to come in and Join-up (i.e. become the human's partner).
I encourage you to watch this video of horses being dominant with each other:
Equine scientist Cath Henshall hypothesized that a remote controlled car could simulate the role of a human performing the Join-Up technique (developed by Monty Roberts) and the outcome with a horse would be the same.
To start, here are the key facts about horse behavior that were not mentioned in the article or the video.
1. Horses are prey animals who rely on a Fight or Flight instinct to get out of "scary" situations
2. If an untrained/young horse becomes scared and is given the choice to run away or stay and fight, he will usually run away. (I am speaking mainly of mares and geldings who have not become aggressive due to human handling.)
3. Horses will not fight unless there is no other way out. I am sure you have seen a horse explode because they were scared and could not get away from what was scaring them. "Fighting" could be what the scientist was referring to when she said, "more people are killed by horses than any other animal in Australia." I am sure most of the deaths were accidents due to exploding horses.
4. Unconfident horses look for safety (i.e. running away from what is frightening them until they don't feel the pressure)
5. Confident horses look for leadership (i.e. are you dominant enough to apply enough pressure to chase me away?)
6. Pressure can be physical or mental. Some horses only need a "look" while other horses need a physical touch. The same goes for running away or staying and fighting. Some horses run away from a plastic bag other horses need a bear to chase them away.
That said, the Join-Up technique encourages "flight" in a horse so "fight" is never an option a horse has to consider. A horse is brought into a round-pen and allowed to move as he pleases. A human is in the center reading the horse's behavior and deciding whether to "chase" as a dominant horse in a herd would do or "release all pressure" and allow the horse to come in and Join-up (i.e. become the human's partner).
I encourage you to watch this video of horses being dominant with each other:
Now, all the Join-Up technique asks is that you "chase" your horse until they accept your leadership. You don't have to buck and rear like the horses above, but the more extreme (i.e. unconfident or confident) the more you will have to work (i.e. "chase") for a horse to follow you as their leader. When done CORRECTLY the Join-Up technique is great to use when becoming a partner with your horse.
Here is a great video of the Join-Up technique being CORRECTLY done:
I am sad that Monty Roberts was targeted for this "scientific experiment". I am looking forward to Cath's publication so I can better understand her conclusion. If she is concerned about the humane treatment of horses why didn't she do a study on jineteada gaucha?
For more information on Natural Horsemanship or Monty Roberts please visit:
NaturalHorseRider.com
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