Ross Falisi,Dawn Falisi, Subtle Horsemanship

Natural Horsemanship

The phrases “natural horsemanship”, “natural horse training”, and “horse whisperer” in the horse training world have become as common as flies in a barn. In fact, if you do an internet search on “natural horsemanship”,” natural horse training” or “horse whisperers”, you will find thousands of pages directing you to those who claim to be “natural horsemen”, “natural horse trainers”, and “horse whisperers”.

Unfortunately, some have gone too far. The original concept of a more humane and practical approach to horse training has been foregone for a meek and passive approach to handling a 1000 pound animal, ultimately leading to empowerment of the horse with accompanying aggression. Secondly, in true entrepreneur fashion, some have turned “natural horsemanship”, “natural horse training” and “horse whispering” into a cookbook of cookie cutter techniques. While these techniques may have limited success with some horses, the reality is that the success comes not from the technique being applied, but rather from the fact that finally, the horse is being handled with some consistency. Mostly though, these cookbook horse training methods have been effectively marketed to the public who have successfully misapplied them to their unsuspecting horses. Well, anyone who believes that he will be successful applying the same techniques, in the same order, in exactly the same way with every horse without understanding the horse or the reason for a technique, has surely set himself up for failure, at the very least. However, the alternative was worse:

Traditional Horse Training

Through the years, traditional horse trainers have used pain, force and compulsion under the auspices of horse training. The use of snubbing posts, hobbles, severe bits, etc., was accepted as the norm when training horses.

This approach to horse training is not only inhumane, but also ineffective, as pain, force, and compulsion result in compelled avoidance. Think about the last time you were in pain. Now, imagine trying to do simple math, never mind trigonometry, “it ain’t happenen!” Reality is, pain, force and compulsion actually inhibit learning.

Horses trained in this manner are usually easy to spot. The far away stare and the glazed eyes that are always looking for that next “whooping” are a dead give away. The horse tolerates a rider and will do as told for fear of retribution - pain. On the surface, the horse appears cooperative with the rider, but this is only while the horse fears that the rider can cause pain for disobedience. So, what happens when the horse learns that you may not be in a position to reprimand with pain or compel his response? You guessed it “There you goooooo”! This is why the horse misbehaves at the worst possible time.

So what is the answer?

Falisi Horsemanship™

An ever evolving, safe, humane effective system of communication between horse and human that is based on theories that where developed through scientific principles with one cardinal rule - be as subtle as your horse will allow while still obtaining the desired response.

A horsemanship system with theories that are based on the scientific principles of anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and psychology. A horsemanship system that results in equal effectiveness with all breeds, all genders and all disciplines. A horsemanship system that teaches you to treat the problem, NOT the symptom. A horsemanship system that teaches as long as your technique is safe, humane, effective, based on theory, and has an immediate release for a correct response, it is appropriate. A horsemanship system that teaches that your training techniques are only as limited as your imagination. A horsemanship system that is so effective, it has produced “Horsemen” who exceed in multidisciplines, rather than being one-dimensional riders that declare themselves to be reining trainers, jumper trainers, etc. A horsemanship system that has fixed countless horses that were “trained” using “Natural Horsemanship”, “Natural Horse Training”, “Horse Whispering”, and “Traditional Horse Training”.