# Aspiring Natural Horsemanship Trainer looking for career advice



## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I would suggest before doing any training that you learn to ride- in lessons. Start with easy, forgiving horses then work your way to tougher ones. You need to learn how & why a horse does something as it relates to what you do.
Be open to different ways of doing things because what may work with one horse may not with another.


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

You could start by volunteering at a horse rescue or sanctuary to get some hands on experience with horses. 

You have a lot of book knowledge so that is good for learning theory and behavior but cannot replace hands on experience. You might try just putting yourself out there on Facebook, and other training forums in your area saying your looking to gain experience with horses, be willing to work for free for now and see who bites. Most likely nobody is going to want to pay you until you have proven yourself. Once you have had some success word of mouth travels fast.

I am curious as to the reason behind wanting to use "Natural Horsemanship" (aka negative reinforcement) over Positive reinforcement. Surely your experience at the zoos and marine centers has given you a stronger background with the use of positive reinforcement vs negative reinforcement, why not use those skills and that knowledge with horses.

I know several people who have backgrounds in animal training using positive reinforcement, to train horses, learning theory is the same across all species.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

I am afraid that you don't know what you don't know. You need to start with lessons and with 'hands on' experience around horses that does not include training them -- since you can't do what you don't know how to do. Trying to actually train horses now would be like applying for a job as a pilot when you do not know how to fly a plane. 

You need to find someone that will teach you how to handle horses, groom them, saddle them clean up behind them, etc. Make yourself useful to an actual horseman or to a stable or any other facility in exchange for lessons. You will learn more by 'osmosis' just being around good horsemen and women. 

Never apply for a job claiming to be something you are not. It is only going to result in spoiled horses and you getting hurt or disillusioned.


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

First, become a student. Your goal is admirable, however, from what you've told, your experience with horses isn't nearly enough to be ready to train professionally. Good luck! Others here have advised basically what I would have.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Before you can correct OTHER horse's and people's problems, you must experience them for yourself. The timing of horsemanship is not a skill learned from a book, or a video. And TIMING in training , is what it is ALL about. 

Some humans are born with it, it seems. Others NEVER get it. The only way for most to GET it is to DO it. 

Best wishes!


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

You certainly have some qualifications and a variety of experience, unfortunately not a lot of it is going to be any good in training horses.

I agree that you need to get hands on experience just with day to day handling and being around horses and learn to rode.

Personally I have found that people Ho have studied and learned through college and university have a very poor idea of what real life with horses is all about.

In my reasoning there is no such thing as 'natural' horsemanship, riding horses is not natural! 

Watch videos of trainers like Clinton Anderson and Warwick Schiller and you will see that the horses they are dealing with are not particularly 'nice' and not saying that clicker training would not work, just that it takes way to long and does not deal with the root of the problem.

Good luck to you.


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## Horselover30 (Oct 7, 2015)

Thank you for all of your help and advice. I really appreciate everything that you are all saying. I have posted an ad on all of the horse classified sites I could find, Craigslist and some Facebook groups looking for a natural horsemanship trainer that would be willing to teach me. I also contacted a number of trainers directly as well and responded to few job posts. I have not had much luck. The few responses I did get that were willing to pay me, were too far from me to commute once winter comes and I would not be making enough money to pay for housing. I have not found any natural horsemanship trainers close by to me and I can not afford to move and not make money, unless housing is provided. 

I realize that I need to work for free first and prove myself, before I can hope to be paid and I completely understand. I was hoping that I would be able to find a trainer where I could apprentice, intern or be a working student where I could work my way into an entry level paid position.

I want to learn everything, riding, all aspects of working with horses and natural horsemanship.

I know many people that want to work with horses start at a young age and that I am much older and that makes it harder as a beginner.
I did not start pursuing working with horses until a few years ago and have not had any luck finding a working student situation that worked out. My career goal has always been to have a career as a dolphin training, which just like horses, requires doing many hours of volunteering and many unpaid internships before I can get a paid position. I started pursuing horses during that time, because I wanted to have a back-up if marine mammals did not work out as it is extremely competitive to get a job as a marine mammal trainer.

I realize that it often takes years before you can get paid to work with horses and I am trying to find the fastest way to get there and gain the experience I need, since I am 32 and do not yet have a career.

If anyone has any advice on how best to put myself out there to get an apprentice position, so that I can start learning and eventually get paid I am open to suggestions as I am not sure what else to do at this point.

I would be happy to pm my resume, cover letter and ad to anyone that wants to look at it and make suggestions.

gssw5, from everything that I have read about natural horsemanship and the trainers that I have looked into that live close enough, it does not sound like it is all negative reinforcement. It sounds like positive and negative reinforcement or operant conditioning. I feel like positive reinforcement trainers are a type of natural horsemanship trainer since their goal is the same to form a bond between the horse and the trainer by observing the horse's behavior and learning to think like a horse. From all the information I have read, that is the key thing that they all say. I see the same thing when I look at trainers that us natural horsemanship and other methods to train horses and holistic trainers. It is all a form of natural horsemanship from what it sounds like. Even clicker training which is positive reinforcement is a type of natural horsemanship.

Thank you again for all of the advice.


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## Overread (Mar 7, 2015)

Your situation sounds a little like my own - that is hunting for work/career at 30ish (still got a year before I'm there). So I know some of how you feel, especially the whole part of wanting to get ahead whilst respecting that it takes time (and the sneaky feeling that one wishes one had started it all 10+years back - but many times we weren't the same person back then that we are now so - heck - we might not have been any better off or even would have walked away from such opportunities as we seek out now). 


As for advice it sounds like you're doing all the right things. You've certainly got a theoretical background which is quite extensive. You might have to sacrifice your desire for a natural horsemanship mentor for the now and work with "regular" horse trainers. However you already readily admit that many regular methods are going to be along similar lines so chances are it will not be time wasted. Furthermore already having a workplacement might give you that foot on the ladder to push you forward when you do find a place that would suit your specific desires better. 


The only other thing I can suggest is to network like crazy within the right circles. MANY times in life it boils down to not always what you know but who you know. So the more you network the more chance you have of being a known name; that when a job opens up someone tells you about it or the person offering already knows you. It's little things like that which can make the difference and the wider you network the better. 

The internet is a great place to do this, but can be very hit and miss. People often don't identify with an "internet" persona so readily; plus its easy to invest lots of time networking and end up with a great network - in the wrong country, heck even the wrong hemisphere. Do make use of it; but get your face out there as much as you can too. 


You might also contact local colleges; if you can talk to members of staff in charge of departments you might be able to find some who could recommend you certain apprentice schemes or other avenues which might be of great benefit to yourself. Even if you're not a student of the institution its still another potential avenue and it never hurts to ask.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

What is holistic training?


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

If someone offered to train my horses using holistic natural horsemanship, I'd run away. Most natural horsemanship is just pressure and release, packaged for sale. I like pressure and release, but I don't like trainers who pretend they are doing something they are not.

You cannot learn what is natural with a horse without spending time around them and riding them. Why? Because they view things differently when you are on their back than when you are on the ground beside them. They also vary greatly. Imagine trying to be a psychiatrist if you had only known 2 people in your whole life.

Find a job to pay the bills. Learn to ride. Maybe take lessons at a variety of places, so you can be exposed to a variety of horses.

And training is not bonding. I had a mare named Mia. We had a great bond. Darn little control, and she could lose her mind with fear and bolt and spin ad nauseum - but she liked me. And I liked her. We spent 7 years trying to find a middle ground. She eventually had enough training to qualify as an OK but spooky trail horse. I traded her for Bandit last spring.

I have a gelding named Trooper. He and I have no bond, even after 7 years. We just don't like each other. But he's a Steady Eddie horse. I can ride him fine. So can others. He has limited training, but what he knows, he knows. He's a darn good trail horse. Works OK for me too, although we have no bond.

Bonding and training are totally different. If you DID train a horse via "bonding", you'd have a horse only you could ride - and no one will ever pay you to train their horse so only you can ride him! Humane training is great, but it is also unrelated to some form of bonding.


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

I agree with the other advice about getting in with a trainer as an apprentice and getting some networking going. 

The other thing I think you will find helpful, is that once you can read the horse’s body language, many things you already know from past experience and study will fall into place. 

 There are several ethograms out there, on line and in a form more useful for the field. Pack a lunch and take some time to sit and observe a herd of horses; ethograms are useful, but don’t do it justice until you see it all in action.
 
Enjoy!


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