Scientific Horsemanship

Round Pen work

In developing Scientific Horsemanship I’ve taken what I’ve been able to learn from Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Bud Williams and some of the other great masters of horsemanship and stockmanship, applied lessons passed down through generations of my family and added in my own direct experience of 40 years of working with animals each and every day. The result of that concoction is the growth of something I call Scientific Horsemanship and Low-Stress Stockmanship which are my terms for a holistic way of learning from and teaching to animals. Scientific horsemanship applies the cutting edge principles of animal behavior to the time-tested vaquero tradition. This method combines working with the horses mind and body as developed by Tom Dorrance with techniques developed by various classical riding schools. Our understanding of how animals think, work and play is a constant work in progress as is my own knowledge. Fifty years ago it was common practice to say a wild mustang  or  a domestic horse would be “broken” which would mean literally that; it’s spirit would be broken in order for the animal to be subjugated by its master. Today, we know that such harsh techniques are no longer necessary and we can get much more from our animals by first understanding what makes them give of their best. Fifty years from now it may be that what seems to me the sum of our knowledge will be redundant and these techniques will be replaced by something entirely new. But for now, this is what I teach in my clinics and schools on Low-Stress Stockmanship and Scientific Horsemanship.. Part of what I will try to convey is a greater clarification of the teachings of those folks I believe to be the masters. These masters include both the masters of Western horsemanship and those of the centuries old classical riding traditions of Europe. Some of these teachings date back to 400 BC starting with the writings of Simon and later Xenophon. These ancient masters stressed that a horse must not be considered a tool , but instead a sentient being who must be understood, loved, and above all revered. This coupled with my experience with and insights into these methods, combined with the methods I have developed will open a whole new world for you. I believe this is the most highly effective training system yet to be developed.

I call this Scientific Horsemanship for lack of a better term for it is based at least in part on the scientific findings of animal behaviorists. It is both a science and an art. Some of it has yet to be proven scientifically yet I know from personal experience, and from the experience of such great horsemen as Tom Dorrance, Bill Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Nuno Oliveria, and others who employ these techniques that the principles are true and correct. This is not exclusively a take on their methods. They have written their thoughts and techniques down in their own wonderful books and I won’t pretend to be able to speak for them. I highly recommend you seek out their writings and read them for yourself. If possible attend one of their clinics or contact those that are still with us yourself for their thoughts on the subject. I hesitate to call it “Natural Horsemanship” because it doesn’t come natural for most people, you really have to work at it. What Scientific Horsemanship equates to is True Horsemanship and I hope my description can do it justice. It’s an ethereal thing, hard to define but you’ll know it when you’ve got it. While it is scientific in the purest sense of the word it is in no way linear in nature. It is in and of the moment, it flows and takes on a life of it’s own, it is all encompassing and life altering for horse and rider alike. It varies from moment to moment and from horse to horse. As Tom Dorrance is fond of replying “It depends...” Perhaps Bill Dorrance described it most adequately when he called it “True Horsemanship Through Feel”.We’ll talk more about what  feel entails later. What Scientific Horsemanship entails is a way of being with horses. A way of working with the biomechanics, the mind, and the spirit of the horse simultaneously while at the same time working with the mind, feel, timing, and balance of the rider. It is a beginning without end for as soon as you master one layer a whole new, deeper layer opens up for you. It is a continual and exciting growth process. It is a relationship with one’s horse in the truest sense. Always developing, always growing deeper, always life transforming. Deeper knowledge, higher levels of skill, greater understanding, and more whole relationships with your horse, yourself, and others are it’s rewards. When you merely think and your horse reacts as you envisioned with perfection and grace then you know you’ve truly arrived. Willing partnerships, true unity, harmony, true horsemanship through feel, reciprocal altruism, equestrian art in it’s highest form are all adjectives that may be used to describe it.

 
Starting Colts