Natural Horsemanship: What It Is and Whether UK Beginners Should Try It
If you’ve spent any time browsing equestrian forums, scrolling through riding school websites, or chatting to other horse lovers at a yard, you’ve almost certainly come across the term “natural horsemanship.” It gets praised by some riders as a life-changing approach to working with horses and dismissed by others as impractical or even misleading. For anyone just starting out with horse riding lessons in the UK, the whole thing can feel rather confusing.
This article cuts through the noise. We’ll look at what natural horsemanship actually means, where it comes from, how it fits into the broader UK equestrian landscape, and — most importantly — whether it’s something a complete beginner should be seeking out or saving for later down the line.
What Is Natural Horsemanship?
Natural horsemanship is a broad philosophy of working with horses that prioritises understanding equine behaviour, body language, and psychology over force or mechanical control. Rather than simply drilling obedience through repetition or demanding compliance through tight equipment, natural horsemanship asks riders and handlers to think like a horse — to understand why a horse reacts the way it does and to use that understanding to build a willing partnership.
The term itself is a bit of an umbrella. It covers a wide range of methods, trainers, and schools of thought, some of which differ quite significantly from one another. What they broadly share is a rejection of harsh training methods and an emphasis on clear, consistent communication between horse and human.
The Core Principles
Most approaches that fall under the natural horsemanship banner share a handful of core ideas:
- Pressure and release: Rather than constant nagging aids, the horse is asked to respond to a pressure — whether physical, such as a leg aid, or spatial, such as body position — and is immediately rewarded by the release of that pressure when it gives the correct response. The release is the reward.
- Reading body language: Horses are prey animals with a sophisticated herd communication system. Natural horsemanship encourages handlers to become fluent in that language — noticing ear position, tail carriage, muscle tension, and eye softness as indicators of a horse’s emotional state.
- Working with the horse’s instincts rather than against them: A horse that spooks at something isn’t being naughty — it’s being a horse. Natural horsemanship methodologies tend to address the root cause of behaviours rather than simply suppressing them.
- Building trust over time: These methods tend to be slower than traditional obedience-based training in the short term, but proponents argue they create a more lasting, genuine bond and a more genuinely calm horse.
Where Did It Come From?
Natural horsemanship as a modern, branded concept largely emerged from the American West during the latter half of the twentieth century. Trainers like Tom and Bill Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Pat Parelli, and Monty Roberts brought these ideas to wide public attention. Monty Roberts, who grew up in California and based much of his work on observations of wild Mustang herds, became particularly well known in the UK after demonstrating his “Join-Up” technique to the late Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor in 1989.
Roberts’ technique involves working with a horse loose in a round pen, using body language and movement to first disengage the horse and then invite it to “join up” — to choose to approach and follow the human. It became enormously popular and helped spark a much wider interest across Britain in understanding horses more deeply.
That said, it would be a mistake to think this philosophy began in America. Working with horses through understanding rather than force has roots that stretch back centuries, to the classical horsemanship traditions of Europe — the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, the work of writers like Xenophon in ancient Greece, and later the French classical school. Many experienced British horsemen and women point out, sometimes with a certain amount of eye-rolling, that the principles natural horsemanship promotes have always been part of good horsemanship. What changed was the packaging and the reach — suddenly these ideas were accessible to everyday horse owners, not just elite trainers.
Key Figures and Methods You’ll Hear About in the UK
Walking into a tack shop or attending a clinic in Britain, you’re likely to encounter several names and methods repeatedly. Here’s a brief guide to the main ones:
Monty Roberts and Join-Up
Monty Roberts remains probably the most recognisable name in natural horsemanship for UK audiences. His Monty Roberts UK organisation runs demonstrations and courses across the country. Join-Up is specifically about establishing initial communication and trust with a horse — it’s a foundation technique rather than a complete riding system.
Parelli Natural Horsemanship
Pat Parelli developed what is perhaps the most structured and commercially packaged of the natural horsemanship systems, with a series of progressive levels, specific equipment including the distinctive Parelli halter and carrot stick, and a global network of instructors. The system uses “Seven Games” as a framework for groundwork and progresses from there into ridden work. It has many dedicated followers in the UK, though it also has its critics, particularly around the pace of progress and the emphasis on proprietary equipment.
Mark Rashid
American trainer Mark Rashid takes a slightly different approach, drawing on concepts from Aikido — the Japanese martial art — to inform how he thinks about working with horses. His work emphasises being a “passive leader,” offering guidance rather than demanding submission. He visits the UK regularly and has a strong following here.
Kelly Marks and Intelligent Horsemanship
For many UK riders, Kelly Marks is the most accessible entry point into these ideas. A former jockey and student of Monty Roberts, Marks founded Intelligent Horsemanship, which is based in Oxfordshire and has trained Recommended Associates across the UK. Her books, including Perfect Manners, are well regarded and written specifically with a British audience in mind. Intelligent Horsemanship also runs problem-solving courses and works extensively with horses that have behavioural issues.
Classical Riding and Ethological Approaches
It’s worth mentioning that some UK instructors and trainers reject the “natural horsemanship” label entirely while sharing many of its values. Classical riders trained in the tradition of the Portuguese and Spanish schools, as well as researchers and trainers working from an equine ethology background — the scientific study of horse behaviour — often practise very similar principles under different names. The work of Dr Andrew McLean in Australia, whose ISES (International Society for Equitation Science) principles are increasingly influential in British equestrian education, sits in this space.
How Does Natural Horsemanship Fit Into UK Equestrian Culture?
British equestrian culture has historically been rather conservative. The British Horse Society (BHS), which is the primary governing body for equestrian education and welfare in the UK, has traditionally focused on the conventional riding school curriculum — a structured progression through walk, trot, and canter work, leading to formal qualifications. BHS approved riding schools, which you’ll find throughout England, Scotland, and Wales, teach to this curriculum and provide the safest, most structured introduction to riding for most beginners.
Natural horsemanship has gradually gained more acceptance within mainstream UK equestrianism over the past two decades. The BHS itself has updated its training philosophies to incorporate more behaviour-based thinking, and you’ll find elements of what would once have been called “natural horsemanship” woven into modern BHS Stage qualifications. The Horse & Hound magazine and British equestrian social media are full of discussions about groundwork, round pen work, and horse behaviour that would have been quite niche conversations twenty years ago.
Pony Club, which remains the bedrock of young equestrians’ education across Britain, has also shifted. Its manuals now include more content on understanding horse behaviour and the importance of the horse-human relationship, not just technical riding skills.
However, it’s fair to say there can still be tension. Some traditional riding instructors view natural horsemanship practitioners with scepticism — particularly those whose methods seem very showmanlike or whose clients appear to spend years doing groundwork without ever actually riding. Conversely, some natural horsemanship devotees can be dismissive of conventional riding school teaching. As a beginner, the best advice is to be aware of this divide without getting too caught up in it.
What About UK Animal Welfare Law?
One thing worth knowing is that UK law provides a strong framework for horse welfare, within which all training methods must operate. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 applies across England, Scotland, and Wales (Scotland has its own equivalent, the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006) and requires that horse owners and handlers take reasonable steps to meet their animals’ five welfare needs: environment, diet, ability to exhibit normal behaviour, to be housed with or apart from other animals as appropriate, and to be protected from pain, suffering, injury, and disease.
The BHS also produces welfare guidelines and codes of practice. Any training method — natural horsemanship or otherwise — that causes unnecessary distress or pain to a horse could fall foul of these protections. This is worth bearing in mind when evaluating any trainer or method: the label “natural” does not automatically mean kind or appropriate.
The Honest Pros and Cons of Natural Horsemanship for Beginners
Now to the heart of what most UK beginners actually want to know: should they pursue natural horsemanship at the start of their riding journey, or is it something to come back to later?
Moving Forward
Once you have the fundamentals in place, the possibilities open up considerably. The UK offers fantastic opportunities for anyone interested in this hobby, and with the right foundation you will be well placed to make the most of them.