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RIDES
NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP
AT BOUTIQUE HORSETREKS
Natural Horsemanship is a philosophy of working with horses based on the horse's natural instincts and methods of communication, with the understanding that horses do not learn through fear or pain, but rather from pressure and the release of pressure. This philosophy has capitalised on the use of behavioural reinforcement to replace the inhumane practices used in some methods of training, the ultimate goal of which is a calmer, happier more willing partner in the horse. A horse that feels calm and safe with his handler is quick to bond with that person and results can be remarkable.
Like many other forms of horse training, operant conditioning through pressure and release are core concepts. The basic technique is to apply pressure of some kind to the horse as a "cue" for an action and then release the pressure as soon as the horse responds. Timing is everything, as horse learns not from pressure itself, but the release of that pressure.
These techniques are based on the principle of reinforcement, rather than physical force.
Natural horsemanship uses communication with the horse using body language, sometimes referred to as "Equus", a language all horses are born already knowing, and that they use with one another. It is sometimes referred to a "Whispering", but has nothing to do with actual whispering, although it's probably still a good representation as whispering connotes a "softness" approach and that is indeed what natural horsemanship is all about.
NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP
FEEDING PROGRAMME
Our horses, being equine athletes and very fit, are fed a balanced diet. In addition to the grass paddocks that they live in, we supplement their diet with organic chestnuts from our farm. Chestnuts are an extremely healthy vegetable (yes a vegetable, not a nut) and are very high in protein, rating higher than the egg. They get all A+'s across the board, with only one A. They do not contain gluten or cholesterol and are low in fat. Our horses eat them shells and all! We also eat them, peeled of course! In addition, we feed a grain product providing vitamins and minerals and top that with copra, yeast, oil, garlic, seaweed and molasses. We have salt licks in every paddock, and in the autumn, our horses are fed the additional treat of apples, as we are surrounded by hundreds of apple orchards. To top off our feeding programme, we feed our horses small qualities of lucerne hay as it provides energy, high quality protein (15 - 18%) and often much needed lysine (an essential amino acid) and calcium.
FEEDING PROGRAMME
Exclusive horsetreks for 1-4 riders
Small groups, beginners, intermediate
and advanced
Individual attention & natural horsemanship techniques training on each ride
Highly recommended by:
Experience beach, river and winery rides on well-mannered, well-trained horses using natural horsemanship techniques.
