Listening is the beginning of Natural Horsemanship, according to Nadine Roth, who aims to make these methods of training, riding and generally communicating with horses, more accessible through one-on-one tuition and one day workshops.

Nadine Roth proving receptive to an alert horse. Photo supplied.

The reason Nadine prefers not to use the term ‘Horse Whisperer,’ she said, is that “listening to your horse and observing its behaviour is the basis of communicating.”

“It is natural horsemanship because we base the training on awareness of the natural instincts and reactions of the horse.”

“Once we understand the herd dynamics and body language of horses,” Nadine continued, “we can begin to establish a relationship based on this understanding.”

“The key is realising that horses do not communicate the way humans do,” she said.

“Humans are very verbal, whereas horses respond almost entirely to body language and posturing. When we don’t appreciate this, we may confuse the horse – who is usually willing to co-operate.

“We send the horse contradicting signals through our own unconscious body language and imprecise commands.”

In a herd of wild horses it is not the stallion that is the herd leader, but a dominant mare. The stallion’s role is primarily to produce offspring and fend off other stallions.

“The aim is to become the ‘head mare’ in the eyes of your horse,” Nadine explained, “so that they can trust you to be their leader.”

“We achieve this by utilising the way horses communicate with each other and how they establish hierarchy among themselves.”

“Once you have established that you are higher in rank, your horse will take its cues from you,” Nadine said.

“However this dominant rank has to be earned through competence, not through force. Otherwise your horse will look for opportunities to challenge you, or simply become frightened and withdraw.”

“Many of the behaviours that horse owners describe as bad behaviour,” she added, “can become clear when seen from the perspective of the basic instincts of the horse. There are some simple to grasp basics, that anyone can learn and which make a huge difference to how you get on with a horse.”

 “You will only achieve truly rewarding experiences when you come from what is best and highest in yourself.

“That and many hours of practice with your horse will bring a wonderful sense of joy and togetherness. The essence of this time spent with these magnificent creatures, is the profound state of simply being with horses.”