Which Horse Trainer Should I
Emulate?
By Jeffrey Rolo
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Selecting the right horse trainer to emulate can be a
daunting task for newcomers to the world of horse training. As
with nearly any occupation or hobby, there are many authorities
within the field willing to offer advice, some good, some not so
good. Before spending an investment in time and money newcomers
will often ask… which trainer should I follow? The answer may
surprise you:
No one and everyone.
Let's look at this seemingly oxymoron a bit closer. You
should not attempt to duplicate the style of any one particular
horse trainer, yet you should try to study as many different
horse trainers as possible during your horse career. I realize a
far more convenient answer would be to point out one supreme
trainer in the horse world and suggest focusing on him or her,
but the fact of the matter such a magic bullet just doesn't
exist for two reasons:
- There are many talented horse trainers, each with their
different styles and advice. Judging one as being better
than all others is simply not possible or reasonable.
- Whereas one trainer may practice a style that is perfect
for me, you may find the style to be somewhat incompatible
to you – or vice versa!
An old adage states that "all roads lead to Rome" and a
similar context can be applied towards horse training. Whereas
there are false paths that will lead to an unproductive or
miserable relationship with a horse, the fact of the matter is
many paths lead to success. As long as the trainer believes in
understanding a horse and his language rather than dominating a
horse through violence or fear, chances are his path is one of
those that will lead to success.
Training is not an exact science or emulation – it's a
natural flow that should bring out the highest level of comfort
and confidence between you and your horse. Back about 50 years
ago left-handed writing was deemed improper, so some schools
would require left-handed students to write with their right
hand, regardless of the fact that it's not a natural instinct or
comfort zone for left-handers. Could such students learn to go
against their instincts? Absolutely. Left-handed people have
always been forced to live in a right-handed world. Was it an
ideal scenario for them? No – it disregarded their inherent
skills and instincts and forced them to adopt someone else's
natural ways.
You should look upon horse training in the same context.
Although you can follow one trainer's style to the letter, you
may later find that had you tweaked a few things here or there
you would have been even more efficient or confident. A horse
trainer should possess confidence in his own actions and ability
before attempting to guide an untrained horse, for an integral
part of the training process is lending that confidence to the
horse to reassure the horse that the foreign stimuli and
behaviors introduced to him are nothing to worry about. If
you're uncomfortable with your requests, you can bet your horse
will probably pick up on your hesitation or awkwardness.
Any master of any trade becomes a master only because
they realize that life is a constant learning experience
– one should never rest on their laurels or be
complacent with what they currently know. The same
should hold true for all of us who enjoy and work with
horses. Each time you read about or witness techniques
from various natural horsemen you will often pick up an
intriguing idea or two to try out yourself. Experiment!
See how they work for you. At the same time you should
not attempt to clone any specific horse trainer no
matter how skilled he or she may be. Use the knowledge
you are gathering and combine it with your natural
instincts and flow. Create your own overall technique
that blends the best of all worlds and you will be well
on your way to success.
The above article originally appeared on
AlphaHorse, a website dedicated to
horses and the owners who love them. You will find many other informational articles dealing with
horse training,
horse care and more on their site.
