The Art, Science and Common Sense of Horsemanship

I am frequently queried about my approach to equine behavioural problems and training methods. Because I don’t adhere to one particular method or another it is not always easy to explain what I do actually do. Saying that I simply mix and match is only a part explanation, it would be more accurate to say that my intention when I work with any horse and owner is to look at the whole partnership. I determine what exactly motivates that horse and owner, tailor a training and management programme based on fundamental first principles, and then educate the owner in their use in their specific case. This is the combination of the art, science and common sense of horsemanship.

This approach is loosely similar to the means by which a work of art such as a painting is created. There are basic principles of how to make different colours, use of perspective and light, and set up an aesthetically appealing composition. And although that’s the case, how come one painting is never exactly the same as another, even if they’re by the same artist? That’s where art uses basic principles that can be understood through scientific analysis, but the art is in wittingly or unwittingly applying first principles to create something unique. I look at horsemanship in this way.

There are basic principles to do with the way in which horses function and respond to their environment. Understanding how the horse works is fundamental to understanding how ‘methods’ work. Most horsemanship instruction is precisely that, instruction on how to apply methods whether it’s on how to muck out a stable or teach a horse to lunge. Most instruction, especially at basic levels is not about why to or why not to. Obedience is often deemed important at this stage for health and safety reasons, but continuing an obedient mentality is likely to lead to thoughtlessness. One of my first lessons in horsemanship was the statement that I should never stop learning about horses. It was not indicated to me at this time that I should question established practise but to accept it as best practise and get on with it. A lesson I learned later on, from a somewhat maverick horsewoman who worked locally was that I should question how and why things are done the way they are. A year later, embarkation on an equine science degree provided me with ample opportunity to do just that, and I’ve been finding those opportunities ever since!

Take our tradition of doing almost everything to a horse from its left side. As beginner horsemen we are instructed to halter, tack up, lead and mount horses from the left side. This becomes habitual for us in our future equestrian careers. A result of this is that horses become more used to us handling them from that side, and so we handle them even more from that side because it is where they and we are more comfortable. A cycle of behaviour is formed and we then come to extrapolate this habit to the introduction of new and potentially frightening stimuli to the horse. But why?

The tradition of doing things from the left most likely springs from the horse’s military history. Taking the military example as a suggestion, the sword is carried on the left side of the soldier so that it may be easily drawn from its scabbard and used in the right hand. In this case, handling and mounting from the right hand side of the horse would result in the sword getting in the way. It makes sense to get on from the left where the sword will be less likely to hit the horse’s rear as the rider swings his leg over its back, possibly causing the horse to move inconveniently. Another question that leads on from this is: is this the best course of action with my horse today?

In re-examining the tradition of mostly doing things from the left hand side of my horses, I am first of all aware that I am not a cavalryman and I am not carrying a sword. Therefore this liberates me to choose whichever side I want to lead or mount my horses from, or to introduce new stimuli to them. I could look to see if there is any science on the matter from which to further help me make an objective decision on how to introduce novel things into the life of a foal or inexperienced horse. In fact there is some science on this matter. Horses have an eye on each side of their head giving them a very wide field of view that is best adapted for spotting the kind of movements predators make when attacking horses. It has been suggested that what they see in their left eye is processed by the right, more emotional, brain hemisphere. Information from the right eye is processed by the more logical left brain hemisphere. When Australian scientists tested this idea they subjected horses to novel stimulus on their left and right sides. Horses responded more fearfully when the stimulus was first presented on the left side as the more emotional right brain hemisphere reacted with fear, communicating to the legs to move faster! So now which side am I going to introduce the hosepipe to my yearling for the first time?

This example is just the tip of the iceberg when considering the horse and our intentions for him. It’s the part of horsemanship I love best and is just as relevant to everyday training and management of a horse without ‘problems’ as it is to one with a ‘behaviour problem’. My goal in life is two-fold, to learn as much fact about horses and owners as I can, and secondly to integrate that knowledge into the best management and training practises for all who wish to seek some help from me.
So what method do I practise? Today it might be the loose schooling with food reinforcements signalled by a clicker for trotting with a lower head position for the injured Thoroughbred I’m rehabilitating, and the carefully timed release of rein pressure to inform the nice young cob about how good it is to slow, stop or turn as I progress through the process of breaking in (by the way I still use this term even though other, probably more accurate terms are available because most horse people still understand this term to mean early training of the horse to accept a rider). I will always assess, diagnose and tailor to fit individual horses and owners, so there will never be an explicit ‘Jenni Nellist’ method of horsemanship. I hope I will always continue to empower owners with knowledge so that they can work through their own logical thought processes and apply their own method as they become more skilled equestrians.