The Natural Lifemanship® Approach to Horsemanship
What makes our relationships with our equine partners unique?
Here at Natural Lifemanship, the inclusion of equine partners is integral to the work we do. Even more important is how and why we incorporate them into personal and professional development.
It is paramount to the work that we see equines as partners capable of real and authentic relationships. Sentient beings who are not to be controlled, but to be respected, trusted, and loved. Sentient beings who do not benefit from being controlled, but from being seen and valued as individuals and cared for in an attuned way.
Our specific relationship with horses and other equine partners is part of what makes our practice unique. When we speak of the power of connected relationships, this includes our relationships with horses.
The Natural Lifemanship Process
Though many models of horsemanship view the relationship as a hierarchical one, we assert that the most beneficial horse—human relationship comes from a partnership in which each partner chooses to ‘do the right thing’ for the other—because it is the right thing to do. Not out of fear, submission, compliance, or appeasement.
The foundation on which our principles are built
We acknowledge that in the horse world, training techniques have become gentler and more humane over the years. There is far more accountability on behalf of our equine partners—which is a good thing!
However, the underlying principles still reflect the assumption that horses need to be led or dominated by humans.
While much of horsemanship is based on the idea that every horse needs a leader*, we believe that horses are capable of thinking for themselves, if we interact with them in ways that specifically build the part of the brain that is responsible for thinking (the neocortex).
*Read more about the NL approach to Connected Horsemanship here.
Develop a new approach to your relationship with horses—one that transfers to your work with clients.
We would love to walk with you as you evolve your life and practice, and experience true transformation from the inside out.
Take the quiz to see where to begin.
Our blog
The latest NL News and timeless blogs about connection, transformation, healing, horses and the Natural Lifemanship approach!
Choosing Relationship Over Riding
She was standing on the mounting block. Her horse had walked right up beside her, just like they had practiced, again and again, over weeks of small invitations. This was the moment. She was one breath away from swinging her leg over and riding for the first time. And...
When the Bike Is Too Hard: What Mabel Taught Me About the Way Children Grow
The moments that teach us the most are rarely the ones we plan for. They happen on sidewalks, in living rooms, in the middle of an ordinary afternoon when something becomes harder than expected and a child looks to us to help them figure out what to do with that. This...
Finding My Way Back to Yield
Image: Saved here Beth Burgmeyer shares a reflection on the profound impact Mark Taylor’s Life on Land: Vertebral Patterns had on her life There are some experiences that are hard to explain unless you’ve felt them in your own body. This was one of those. I recently...
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