Approach and Retreat

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The words “approach and retreat” refer to training confidence in a horse.

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Example : If I notice my horse is scared of a saddle, I wouldn’t just throw it on his back and hope he gets over the fear of the object. Instead, I’d throw it toward his back, then take it away to give him a chance to relax about what’s happening. Then I’d do it again, and again. Slowly, I’d swing the saddle a little closer, backing away each time until he relaxed. Ultimately I could place the saddle on his back with him staying in a relaxed and calm state of mind.

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Pressure and Release

 

Pressure and release are simple enough to explain, a little harder to apply in every situation that arises, but here it is in laymen terms.

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Example : If my horse really doesn't want to load into the trailer or lorry, I wouldn’t just force him in. Instead, I’d hold tight on the rope and as soon as he took one single step in the right direction I would release my grip on the rope to acknowledge his effort. Then I’d repeat the process. Tighten the rope, wait for a small positive response then loosen the rope when he starts heading the right direction. Timing is everything. Release at the wrong moment and he might learn the wrong thing. Release at the right moment and he should begin to learn the right thing.

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Rewards and Consequences

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What motivates a horse? The carrot or the whip? Each moment is different for every horse at any given time. That means that one moment you have to use a carrot to encourage and reward a horse and the next moment you have to use a whip to push, prod, or drive a horse. In natural horsemanship, both strategies are employed.

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Example : If a horse steps on your foot, you push him away fast enough to make him feel that was a bad idea, but on the other end of the scale, if a horse shows good effort to perform a task, a reward will be applied to show you appreciate the effort.

 

Trainers should be slightly more reward-oriented in their training styles, which isn’t always the case in natural horsemanship or many traditional methods.

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Desensitisation

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Desensitising a horse means training him not to react in negative ways to challenging stimuli, such as scary or loud objects. In other words, building your horse’s confidence.

 

Example : If I notice my horse doesn’t like birds flying out of the tall grass while we’re riding down in the field, as a natural trainer, I would begin a specific program to take away his reactivity related to the experience. I might start riding with a dog, for instance, to simulate the coming and going of things at random in the tall grass. Or perhaps I’ll work with a flag or plastic bag, flashing it past his vision randomly, integrating rewards throughout the process. Also, only carefully involving consequences if he puts one, or both of us in harm’s way by moving in the wrong direction.

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The point is that horses benefit from desensitisation of scary things. They need to be confident to carry a rider safely. Using approach and retreat techniques a natural horse trainer can build confidence quickly, for a horse who shows signs of fear.

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Foundation Training

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The Natural Horsemanship industry has most certainly cornered the market on the word foundation. Foundation means, the beginning or start. It also means a building block for success. It’s like nursery for children. Horses desperately need a foundation before they are asked for higher levels of performance.