06/18/2026
The problem isn't the philosophy. The problem is what's being left out.
Something that can be kind of controversial came up at the clinic last weekend.
But then the horses went out and proved the point for us. As they always do.
A lot of people have heard the saying, "light hands make light horses." And while there's truth in that, I think it's one of the most misunderstood ideas in horsemanship.
You'll notice that people who preach never using more than a couple ounces of pressure, never pulling, never getting heavy handed, always seem to have horses that can do certain things... but they rarely have much try. And they tend to fall apart under pressure.
Sure, the horse can lope around slow. He looks sleepy. He looks relaxed.
But that life, that effort, that willingness to really reach and give you something? The kind of thing you saw in Ray Hunt's horses? It's usually missing.
What is often referred to as a ‘natural horsemanship clinician horse’ can be a good example of this. And I feel like I can say that without being too offensive because I am one. I'm an advocate for that philosophy.
The problem isn't the philosophy.
The problem is what's getting left out.
And I think that's why so many horses in that world never really get beyond fourth or fifth grade.
Here's the missing piece:
The horse is never going to learn to handle some pressure or put in more effort if you don't:
Let him know more effort is required.
Give him a reason to offer it.
Let him experience a little arousal from time to time in a balanced way.
That simple fact is why a good three or four year old performance horse can often outperform a fifteen year old clinician horse.
Generally, the clinician world talks down about the performance world.
The performance world talks down about the clinician world.
I think what made Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt so special is that they understood both. They knew when to lean a little more toward one side and when to lean toward the other.
They understood that softness and effort are not opposites.
They also knew how to get a horse to hunt for a better answer.
A few quotes come to mind:
"First you get it operating. You get your horse real sure and knowing about these things. Then you start tapering off how much you're using while still getting the same response. Then it gets to where it doesn't weigh much more than a thought."
"It becomes his idea eventually. It doesn't start out that way."
"I took the softest feel humanly possible, and then pulled with everything I had."
"If your horse is weighing four pounds and you're at three pounds, it'll never work."
What I see happen all the time is riders sacrifice try and effort in the name of lightness.
We want so badly for the horse to feel weightless that we miss the fact he's becoming lifeless.
I'd much rather use one pound of pressure and have a horse back up with energy, purpose, and effort than use two ounces and have him back up like a c**t with five rides for the rest of his life.
The goal isn't to see how little you can use.
The goal is to get the response you want, then gradually use less and less while keeping that same quality.
Real lightness isn't the absence of pressure. It's the presence of try.
