'Good Horsemanship Resources -"If is isn't good, it isn't horsemanship".Welcome to the good horsemanship resource section of our site. This site is maintained by Rick Roll, a former administrator of the Horseman Mail List (an entity of interesting but now ancient history). Times change and so do our views about horsemanship. As those things change, so does the content of this web site. To see where we are now in the journey to good horsemanship, read on!The intent of this site is to direct folks to sources of information about horsemanship. Some of these sources we know, from personal experience, to be reliable. Other information sources are included for you to investigate and evaluate. As always, use your own judgment. Just because this or some other web site advocates something or links to another site, there is no guarantee that any of the information is "correct". As your views change, your ideas of what is "correct" may change also. The essence of good horsemanship is a horse-human relationship based on reason and understanding, rather than fear and intimidation. Good horsemanship is not a technique. There are many right ways (techniques) to practice good horsemanship. Good horsemanship is a philosophy and a way of life. Good horsemanship is presented by many teachers and represented in the philosophies of many horsemen and horsewomen. We have personal experience with the following practitioners of good horsemanship: Mark Rashid, Harry Whitney, Ray Hunt, Dr. Deb Bennett, Peggy Cummings, Dave Genadek, Jessica Jahiel, Buck Brannaman, Barb Apple and Lee Smith. There are others who are not mentioned, either because they don\'t want to be mentioned, or because we just haven\'t discovered them yet. No slight is intended. Some of the information you will find here will include links to web sites maintained by other good horsemanship practitioners.
IS IT TIME FOR A DIFFERENT HORSEMANSHIP PARADIGMWe have heard it all before - alpha mare, respect, dominance etc. It seems like a lot of folks have jumped on that bandwagon. But others have found, based on what their horses were telling them, that a relationship based on "dominance and respect" was not what the horses wanted or needed. Some folks were troubled by what they saw going on with their horses. In case you are questioning the "alpha" bet, we have linked to an article written by Mark Rashid,. If you are at all uneasy with the "alpha horse" type of approach, or consequences of applying that method, we offer this article to you as food for thought. By adopting a little different philosophy about our role in the herd, some of us have found different and valuable perspective that has markedly improved our horsemanship. In my case, I know my horse appreciates it and I am now able to look at that man in the mirror again. Take a look at: Is it Really Necessary the We Become the Head HorseGood Horsemanship Resources Good horsemanship resources are the mainstay of this site. They are offered as possible options for people who are interested in horses, how they learn, and what motivates horses to establish and maintain a good relationship with humans. You will find all kinds of information on this site - from behavioral science, to philosophy, to hands-on horsemanship. Check out the list below and other articles published on this section of the site! As always, use your own judgment in deciding whether and when to use this information. One of the best thing about Mark Rashid's books is that the stories make learning about training a fun process. Mark's web site gives you even more insight into his "Passive Leadership" approach. Mr. Rashid is one of the few clinician who gives direct instruction about how to find that elusive "feel". He is one who truly reaches the inside of the horse.His web site also describes his unique "one on one" approach to teaching horses and their humans in the clinic setting. Mark emphasizes the individuality of both horse and rider by working with one horse and rider at a time, because he believes this approach has the deepest impact on learning. And it does. We highly recommend riding or auditing with Mark. You will find articles on horsemanship and Mark's clinic schedule. HARRY WHITNEYMr. Whitney has put up a site which will give you insight into his approach and also let you know about his clinic schedule. Mr. Whitney, like Mark Rashid, is able to see into the heart and soul of a horse and is willing to show the rest of us how to begin that journey.<A href="http://www.equinestudies.org/">EQUINE STUDIES</A> INSTITUTE and its great web site are put together by Dr. Deb Bennett.So, you ask, <A href="http://www.conquistador.com/author.html"> Who is Dr.Deb? Take a look at her credentials and see what you think.After you have learned a little about Dr. Deb, additional information on E.S.I. is set forth below.ESI presents information about many good horsemanship instructors, including Harry Whitney, Dr. Deb, Mark Rashid, Brian Neubert and others. Once you visit this site we know where your "birdie" will be.E.S.I offers many clinics and seminars, including horsemanship, equine anatomy, biomechanics and discussions about straightness. It is a critical site for those who want to really understand the "why" of horsemanship principles and techniques.E.S.I publishes a unique newsletter on CD rom which is always informative and interesting. The CD is always packed full of horse information.The ESI site contains a Q and A forum and other useful items. This is a great book which traces horsemanship from old Spain to the New World. If you love history and mystery, you will love this book. Reading doesn't get any better than this.Barb is one of the nicest people you will meet on the good horsemanship trail. She is truly as effective with people as she is with horses. An excellent teacher and horsewoman, Barb can help you improve just about any aspect of your horsemanship. Barb's background ranges from ranch work to dressage. Please review Barb's articles in this section of the website and consider attending one of her horsemanship retreats. Retreats are held each summer and run about 5 days in length. The purpose of the retreat is to give each horse and rider an in-depth study of horsemanship, tailored to the individual horse and rider. There is no crowd or hectic group clinic agenda. Good food, good people and good horsemanship. Barb also gives private lessons or group clinics, at your request. Ms. Desmond is a practitioner and teacher of good horsemanship methods. Ms. Desmond's web site is one of the most informative sites on the net. It gets Horseman's "Best of the Net" award for good stuff and no fluff. Ms. Desmond also helped prepare the Bill Dorrance book "True Horsemanship Through Feel", a book discussed thoroughly on her website. She also maintains an internet mail list "Bill's Book" to discuss book. Ms. Desmond's web site also contains her clinic schedule. This site discusses Mr. Hunt's clinic schedule, videos and invites you to join a mailing list. Ms. Ivey is one of our favorite people. She is a wonderful writer and has a charming way of presenting to us her penetrating insight into horses and horsemanship. The Runningwalk FAQ is apparently no longer on the web. We are leaving this section up just in case someone knows where it went. It had good horsemanship training tips and other information of concern to TWH owners, including the Ross Jacob posts on round pen approach.indicating how to tailor round pen methods to the needs of each horse you meet in the pen.Ms. Smith is a fabulous horsewoman. Check out her clinic schedule and take her up on her offer to spend some time at her ranch and learn horsemanship. In addition to her group clinic work, Lee also offers week long courses at her ranch. You can read about the details of this great opportunity on her site. Master Saddle Maker Dave Genadek's web site is more than a saddle sale site. When this site is finished you will be able to find out about the biomechanics of saddle fit and what to aim for when you buy a saddle. Mr. Genadek holds saddle fit clinics around the country and is unique in his drive to make saddle fit "about the horse". His clinics are a must for those who want understand how to fit a saddle to the horse and human. Until his site is complete, he has authorized the Horseman site to publish notes taken by us at several of his saddle clinics. Thanks, Dave!This web site is one of the best places to go for a moderated mail list which provides accurate and common sense answers about riding and horsemanship. Dr. Jahiel applies her common sense approach to all riding styles with exceptional results. We have attended her classes and the results are amazing.This site is the location for specifics on Mr. Brannaman's latest videos, equipment and clinic schedule. This location discusses Ms. Cummings "Connected Riding" activities, her clinic schedules and offers some products for sale. If you want to know more about how to stay out of your horse's way when you ride, check this site out. This site is relatively new, but when it is complete, it will be a valuable resource for self-improvement. Ms. Cummings comes to riding from a different perspective than many of the above referenced clinicians. She has a substantial dressage background and is an Olympic riding coach. She also has the ability to get to the heart and soul of a horse and rider to the great benefit of both. If you can ride or audit her clinics, you owe it to your horse and yourself to do so.THE HORSEMAN MAIL LIST was a focused group discussion about the day-to-day practice of good horsemanship, as well as discussion of its theories and philosophy. Unfortunately, it seems to have disappeared. The Horseman list was not a forum for any single good horsemanship guru or method. Practitioners from all the good horsemanship schools met there to discuss the training of humans and horses using good horsemanship techniques.You did not have to be a horse "specialist" to join and contribute. If you had a horse, or, if you had an interest in horses, you could join them and learn a bunch. The 300+ list members came from all over the world to ask questions and give help.Post to the horseman list must address ONLY issues of the training of humans and horses using good horsemanship methods. WARNING: NO COMMERCIAL USE OF POSTS, NAMES OR MATERIAL FROM HORSEMAN IS ALLOWED, WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR OR OWNER. ANY UNAUTHORIZED COMMERCIAL USE OF THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS WILL RESULT IN EXPULSION FROM THE LIST.If you want to join the Horseman mail list send an e-mail message toDo not type anything in the "Subject" line.In the body of the message type: subscribe HorsemanA subscription package will follow shortly. You must reply to confirm your subscription.NOTE - Even though the infallible search engines say otherwise, the "berkeley.edu" list site was closed long ago. If you are going to subscribe to the Horseman mail list, you must subscribe to the "oregonVOS.net" list, identified above.The Horseman FAQIn our FAQ you will find a collection of information concerning terms commonly used to explain good horsemanship.The references materials have been provided by members of the Horseman mail list. The list of references is international in scope. There will be something here for anyone interested in horses. Please have a look! Thank you for visiting this section of our web site. Take a look around at the rest of the site. There is a wealth of information here and links to the best of the horsemanship web. We hope you will take advantage of our services and join us on our journey toward good horsemanship.Questions or comments about this site should be directed to Rick via this site. |
