KateWooten said:
oooh - I just thought - I rarely post in this section because I think I don't know what natural horsemanship is - it all just seems to me variations on 'common-sense, emotion-free, relationship-building by pressure-release and by moving his feet' so forgive me if Clinton Anderson doesn't count a NH trainer - I think he does, but not sure.
Kate
dont worry, I have "done" a few youngsters, so that angle isn't so much the problem, I totally understand what you mean about the above, its always been a common sense thing to me too, my very 1st youngster, I was left to it as parents thought since they had paid £15 (yes fifteen pounds) for him, it didn't matter, I was 12 years old and he was a pony stallion, but when he was done to ride and drive and I (very quickly) outgrew him I got a couple of hundred for him, I didn't realise at the time but obviously something clicked in my Step Fathers head
and I was quickly bought another unbroken horse, this time my SF wanted to "help", I had endless arguments with him as my view was if the horse wanted to do it for me then half the work was done, my SF believed they will do it no matter if they want to or not, so its the mind set of partnership I was after on the basis of the books,
As 20 odd years have passed since then and there is alot more ideas and coverage of them, and once again I have a youngster I want to base things on something, and since I have had a bad couple of years I just want the back up of books for ideas and my instinct, (if that makes any sense at all?)
I get moaned at for the size of my book collection, I have birth to backing and think its great, its keeping Bexs' brain occupied too that I am after, he is a smarty pants, so if I can teach him specific things inhand to specific clues, while we are walking out in hand etc and he decides he is bored (this is when he gets a bit restless), we can "do" things as we go along so that it livens things up for his brain, kind of an insurence policy against a tantrum out on the road etc, sorry its really hard to explain typeing it, its funny as I had exactly the same issues with my son when he was the same age, so when out and he got bored we would speak sign language or count things in different languages, then he wouldn't throw a wobbly in Sainsburys, you may not believe me but Bex already knows the British sign language signs for food/eat, no, naughty and stop/wait, to name a few but it is only like understanding words such as stand, walk on etc, it just seems the more little things he learns the more eager he is, I am having to further my own education to keep up with him, I am just wondering how far I can take things with him but at the same time I want it all to benefit him in his ridden aspect, he certainly makes life fun,
I am looking into the books that have been mentioned, thanks everyone for your suggestions so far,