What is Good Horsemanship?
I’ve been on a huge journey when it comes to my horsemanship practice. I’ve been lucky, and had some really incredible mentors who have guided and shaped my thought processes, and taught me so much. But I’m also a child of the age of the Internet and online sharing, which means I’m also pretty consistently consuming online training resources. Some of these have been INCREDIBLE and truly shifted my focus. Others… not so much. As I experiment with new concepts and try to form my own opinions, I am often left wondering, what IS Good Horsemanship, and how do I know it when I see it?
This is by no means an exhaustive discussion, but some of the questions and items I would consider important when trying to distill what is and isn’t Good Horsemanship. As with all things, this will look different for everyone.
For Yourself
Before you start down any rabbit holes of looking into trainers, I would strongly recommend that you sit down with yourself, and map out what these principles would look like for you. What does good horsemanship mean for you, in your chosen discipline and with your specific goals in mind? If you are able to clearly articulate what Good Horsemanship would look like for you, it will give you a better idea when you do go out to hire or follow a professional.
If we are in the “horsemanship” game (and I do understand that horsemanship can be a loaded word, so for the sake of this article let’s define horsemanship really quickly. Horsemanship is’ ‘the art of riding, handling, and training horses’ ‘ according to Britanica.com, and for the purposes of this article, I think this is a nice, encompassing, and appropriate definition) then we are thinking about our horses, clearly. But I do think it is relevant to think about ourselves as well. Good horsemanship will align with our values, our instincts, and help us to make progress as well.
A trainer who belittles you, makes you feel poorly, or puts your safety at risk is not practicing good horsemanship, even if they are able to achieve excellent results. The principles of animal training and doing right by the horse must extend to the human student as well.
I will be the first person to admit that my goals have shifted MASSIVELY over the years, as my education grows and changes. That’s totally ok! A good horse instructor will help you to evolve, evolve with you, or point you in the direction of someone who can help with whatever your current goals are.
For the Horse
In thinking about what is good for our horses, what is Good Horsemanship, we have to remember- we aren’t horses. We never will be, and even the most skilled and master horse(wo)man will always be communicating through a species barrier. But we can do a whole heck of a lot with the information available now, and we can continue to grow and learn.
Someone who practices Good Horsemanship will be committed to the overall welfare of their horses, and take this very seriously. The ethics of horse welfare is something we all have a duty to take seriously, and is sadly too often overlooked. I would highly recommend you look into the basics of equine welfare, as this will help you to make a more informed decision. I will link some resources down below!
In Summary:
So to summarize, Good Horsemanship includes:
* Being aligned with our personal values and goals
* Is adaptable and evolving
* Prioritizes the safety of both the equine and human student
In my opinion, it’s not so much about the TYPE of horsemanship you practice, but the quality and reasoning behind your horsemanship. Trust your instincts, often we know far more than we think and are able to sense when something is “right”!