Present-day proponents of establishing cooperative relationships between humans and horses
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Non-violent horse-breaking begins in a way resembling natural maintenance of social order in a feral herd, as the human attempts to attain the position of "alpha mare" relative to the horse being broken, while offering it no cause to believe its life is in danger.
The activity will take place in a pen, usually a round pen, large enough to permit free movement of trainer and horse, but too small to require the trainer to walk or run long distances to interact with the horse. The trainer will lead the animal into the center of the pen and release it, driving it away with motions of a visual "threatener" such as a hat, whip, coiled rope or other visually obvious object. A coiled rope is often preferred as the trainer can hold one end of it and throw the coil in the direction of the horse. The trainer will keep the horse in motion by continuing to manipulate the rope, and will start, stop, and control the pace of the horse's movement by altering his body position, body language, and the motion of the threatener. He may accompany these motions with verbal commands to begin to build an association in the horse's mind between the command and the movement.
At no time will the trainer use eye contact, as this is a challenge to a horse. A rounded silhouette on the part of the trainer, a sign of safety to the horse, may be maintained. (Contested assertions. In nature the dominant mare will send an erring colt away by direct contact, by threatening body language (staring, etc.), and will only change that message after the colt exhibits submissive behavior.)
From time to time, the trainer will allow the horse to stop. If it faces away, it is still rejecting the trainer. If it faces inward with head high, it is defiant or at best cautious or curious. It has not accepted trainer as boss. Eventually, the horse faces inward when it stops, head lowered, making chewing motions. It is submitting. The trainer is advised at this point to present his shoulder to the horse, and to create a markedly rounded silhouette, eyes averted (all of which withdraw other elements of threat). This is an invitation. If the horse approaches and stands at the trainer's shoulder, head still down, he has submitted. The trainer may stroke the horse's withers, another horse-to-horse comforting gesture. If the trainer moves off and the horse stays right on his shoulder, "hooking on" has occurred.
When the horse is in the habit of submitting to the trainer, blanket and saddle will be introduced gradually. The horse will be offered these items to see, sniff, and feel, and may have them rubbed on the sides of his barrel. Eventually, when the saddle can be put on and cinched without objection from the horse, more round pen work will be done with the saddle on until the horse is accustomed to it. At this point, the trainer may grab a handful of mane as a safety precaution, and stand in first one stirrup and then the other until the horse accepts him in a position that is higher than the horse's head. This is important, as predatory cats may attack from above, and horses are sensitive to living creatures being above and behind their heads. Having been accepted while standing in each stirrup, the trainer may then support himself belly-down across the saddle, eventually to rotate into a sitting position, facing forward, with both feet in the stirrups. If the horse accepts this move, which must be performed very smoothly to avoid alarming it, and responds to urgings to move forward without resorting to flight, he is "broken". A horse "broken" in this fashion tends to develop a lifelong cooperative working relationships with its handlers.
John Lyons
Lyons is a proponent of "round pen reasoning." Publication of the Lyons method predates publication of Roberts' book.
Information on John Lyons and his methods may be found at this website: [1] (http://www.johnlyons.com/index.php)
More information on humane training methods can be found at this website: [2] (http://www.annettewinter.com/)
Pat Parelli
Pat Parelli, creator of the "Parelli Natural Horsemanship", published books and videos that predated Robert's book and to which Roberts' book is alleged to owe some content.
Information on Pat and Linda Parelli and their methods can be found at: [3] (http://parelli.parellinet.net/).
Monty Roberts
One advocate of the use of "horse language" as a training tool would be Monty Roberts, known as a "horse whisperer" (although the book and movie by that name were not based on Roberts but on John Solomon Rarey). Roberts cures horse fear and flight behaviors with knowledge which he allegedly gained from observing herds of horses in the wild.
Richard Shrake
Shrake advocated "resistance-free training" in books and/or videos that predated those of Roberts and to which, it is alleged, Roberts' book owes some ideas.
Jessica Jahiel
Jessica Jahiel's on-line archive of her answers to correspondents' questions can be found at [4] (http://www.horse-sense.org/).
Ray Hunt
Information regarding Ray Hunt and his methods may be found at: [5] (http://www.rayhunt.com/)
Buck Brannaman
Information regard Buck Brannaman may be found at: [6] (http://www.brannaman.com/index.htm).
Tom Dorrance (now deceased)
An article on Tom Dorrance is available at: [7] (http://www.ranchandcountry.com/RC-FEA-DORRANCE.html).
Mark Rashid
Information on Mark Rashid and his teaching can be found at: [8] (http://www.markrashid.com/).
Sources on the WWW
A list of many other teachers and trainers, with links, is available at [9] (http://www.hippotherapy.be/adresses/auteurs.htm).
Those favoring the use of force to gain control over horses
(Account of bronco riding from the original "horse-breaking" article)
One reads historical accounts and sees movie depictions of a horseman pursuing a feral horse, capturing it by force, and penning it. He then utilizes the restraint of a halter, which is tied to a snubbing post, in order to wear the animal down until, sweating, trembling, and blowing, it can be saddled. Once the saddle is in place, the horseman will climb aboard and signal a helper to release the restraint tying the horse's head to the snubbing post and will try to stay in the saddle while the animal frantically attempts to dislodge him. To remain aboard a gyrating horse requires a good deal of athleticism and skill, not to mention a disregard for one's own bodily safety bordering on contempt. The attending commotion can be quite entertaining, and may attract the rapt attention of a number of standers-by, who may cheer the horseman in his efforts to subdue the wild beast. This, generally, is the origin of the sport of rodeo.
Further breaking techniques through hobbling a horse, tying up one or more legs, throwing the animal to the ground and preventing it from rising, beating it until it falls, and other inflictions of overwhelming force have been known to be employed. (Contested: Note that restraining a traumatized horse and causing it to lie down, when done in a gentle, non-abusive, way is part of the methodology of John Solomon Rarey that was dramatized in The Horse Whisperer. When misunderstood and used abusively, the technique of "throwing the animal to the ground" is of course abusive and counter-productive.)
When the horse is finally "broken" it will, to greater or lesser degree, suffer the attentions of humans without making a determined attempt to resist. (Note that this view assumes that a horse will naturally resist a human being unless its will is broken. At the same time it admits that resistance may be present after the horse is broken. It has often been observed that the more intelligent the horse the more likely it is to subvert attempts to dominate it by force.) It may then be trained further into one or a number of different disciplines.