Who here thinks Natural Horsemanship is a joke?
I think some people are so against it because other people are so for it – if that makes any sense. Some people follow natural horsemanship methods, especially Parelli, with such rabid devotion that it almost becomes a cult. Almost every day I see a question on here that is something like ‘my horse has this dangerous behviour that could get me and anyone else around him killed’ and at least one answer will be ‘ just do Parelli with him.’ Some people seem to think it’s the solution to all horse problems everywhere with all horses which is really oversimplifying certain issues. As the old saying goes, “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” When others read that, they actually get a negative view of natural horsemanship, since to outsiders it looks like indoctrination. I’m not against natual horsemanship or Parelli’s methods at all. What I am against is the abandonment of common sense.
