"...should not be the desired end goal of ethical horse training. A horse zombie is one who only moves, responds, or reacts to the outside world when directed by the human. Absence of behavior is not a sign of a well trained horse, or a sign of great leadership, or a sign of a fantastic relationship between horses and human. It can be the sign of a horse who has been taught, usually through punitive, domineering methods, to simply do nothing until told otherwise - in short, be a zombie.
Many training methods unknowingly teach horse owners to suppress any and all unasked for behavior, resulting in horses that appear to be exceptionally well-trained...zombies. But the sad reality is what we are seeing are horses who are behaviorally suppressed. They have been taught that doing anything other than 'not doing' is the only right answer.
The well-trained horse should perform safely as requested AND still show signs of life and free will. Contrary to what some people might think, such training doesn't result in horses that just 'do their own thing', and are a danger to those around them. It results in horses who are both safe to handle, and are free to express how they feel, and show what they may be thinking about.
Next time you watch a horse training video, be on the lookout for Horse Zombies and think about how they may have got there. I've seen trainers who don't even allow horses to look around the arena when they are sitting on them, chatting to students. Is that the sign of a healthy relationship?" Author "Good Horsemanship".
When you bring your horse to us for training, be prepared! You, the owner or rider, will be the one receiving the first lessons. We do not believe in training the horse so much as training the handler. A horse knows how to do everything, from birth. It is just a matter of him doing those things when you want, not when he chooses. That is what we ask from the horse and in order to ask, you need to know how to pose the request.
Many training methods unknowingly teach horse owners to suppress any and all unasked for behavior, resulting in horses that appear to be exceptionally well-trained...zombies. But the sad reality is what we are seeing are horses who are behaviorally suppressed. They have been taught that doing anything other than 'not doing' is the only right answer.
The well-trained horse should perform safely as requested AND still show signs of life and free will. Contrary to what some people might think, such training doesn't result in horses that just 'do their own thing', and are a danger to those around them. It results in horses who are both safe to handle, and are free to express how they feel, and show what they may be thinking about.
Next time you watch a horse training video, be on the lookout for Horse Zombies and think about how they may have got there. I've seen trainers who don't even allow horses to look around the arena when they are sitting on them, chatting to students. Is that the sign of a healthy relationship?" Author "Good Horsemanship".
When you bring your horse to us for training, be prepared! You, the owner or rider, will be the one receiving the first lessons. We do not believe in training the horse so much as training the handler. A horse knows how to do everything, from birth. It is just a matter of him doing those things when you want, not when he chooses. That is what we ask from the horse and in order to ask, you need to know how to pose the request.
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