Training Philosophy

Wild American mustangs and performance horses at Mustang Leadership Partners benefit from dedicated trainers who are influenced by the Natural Horsemanship philosophies of renowned trainers Ed Dabney and John Lyons.

Ed Dabney was taught to train horses through gentle discipline and is internationally known for his Natural Horsemanship philosophy based on “Care, Communication and Consistency.” He teaches trainers and riders to maintain equilibrium as leaders, to set rules for respectful behavior, to enforce those rules, to have high expectations for every horse, and to do everything to help the horse achieve those goals.

This development of mutual respect and communication is central to John Lyons’ widely-recognized methods of conditioned response, developed over 29 years. He teaches the horse to “look for the right answer.” Instead of overstimulating the horse and risking blow-ups or shut-downs, this method of Natural Horsemanship asks the horse a question and provides a reward for the correct answer. The horse and rider develop a language and have two-way conversations; the interaction is fun and rewarding.

Natural Horsemanship considers the horse as a near equal partner. By sharing the responsibilities of work and play, the horse offers ideas and exuberance with the lightest of cues. Most horsemanship goals are about getting horses to perform with humans as they do alone. Communication that uses the horse’s language puts the trainer/rider closer to positive learning from the onset.

To learn more about the trainers who have influenced Mustang Leadership Partners, visit:

    http://www.eddabney.com
    http://www.johnlyons.com