Someone recently asked me how I define true horsemanship, and I had to pause. As I thought about it, I concluded that true horsemanship is like a chair: it requires four legs to be well-balanced and stable. To me, those legs are groundwork, riding, health care, and horse land management. Take one away and you have an unbalanced situation that’s likely to lead to collapse.
Groundwork is horse handling skills. We’ve all seen people who can ride but they can’t lead a horse, work a horse in a round pen, or get a horse to turn towards them. Groundwork is the ability to catch a horse in a pasture, having them come up to you willingly. It means both the horse and the handler are safe because the horse stays out of its handler’s space and doesn’t try to push them around. And to me, it means understanding equine body language and being able to “dance” with a horse when they are at liberty. You understand and respect your horse, and they do the same for you.
Riding is working in partnership with a horse under saddle or in harness. A true rider is always learning more about the nuances of their discipline, working towards a goal, and improving. This is true regardless of your chosen discipline, whether it’s trail riding, competitive sports, or team events.
Health care means doing your best to care for your horse physically, particularly if they are an athlete. While it doesn’t require you to be a vet, it does mean you know how and when to use your vet as a resource—along with your farrier, equine dentist, equine nutritionist, equine body work professional, and any other professional health care resources out there.
Lastly, there is horse land management, which includes properly managing facilities, stables, land, and any areas where horses are kept. Sadly, this is the part most often neglected by horse owners. Too often, horses are ridden and then turned out in a muddy pen or overgrazed dry lot referred to as “pasture.” Manure is stacked up behind barns or dumped into wetlands or next to neighbors. Flies, odors, and potential runoff of manure leachate each negatively impact our surface waters and neighborhoods. Mud and manure are NOT synonymous with horse keeping, and this is most definitely not a component of true horsemanship.
When I picture a true horse person, I envision someone with a manure management plan, including composting and spreading finished compost back on productive, grassy pastures. I see someone who is mindful about preventing overgrazed pastures and providing mud-free confinement areas, equine enrichment, and low-cost feeders that help reduce feed waste. I picture nest boxes nearby for natural pest control, and maybe a hedgerow along the barn to support native pollinators and wildlife. And I see a horse owner who has taken the time to prepare their property for fires and emergencies, creating defensible spaces, landscaping with native plants that naturally reduce fire risk, and planning ahead for evacuation.
Since 1997, my job has been helping people make sure that the land management leg of their horsemanship chair is sturdy and secure. Horses for Clean Water has a lot of free and premium resources available here on our website, and we’re constantly updating our materials to reflect current best practices. Let me know how I can help you on your quest to become a true horseman.
Alayne
