About
Natural Horsemanship and our Approach
With the Wild Horses of AlbertA,Canada
Horses
Mutual trust and respect is the essential in the relationship between human and horse.
When will a horse fully trust and respect?
To understand that, one needs to understand how a horse thinks and feels, how horses interact between each other in a herd. In general, horses won't differ, if you are horse or human. If you make them feel good, if they feel safe around you and comfortable, they will stay with you, regardless of who or what species you are.
Horses use foremost body language to communicate. And that's what we work with, which doesn't exclude verbal cues.
Through repetition, patience and a right timed reward, horses learn quickly. It is important to remember that the clearer your message is, the easier the horse will understand and the faster they learn.
Horses can be quite nasty to each other. In order to establish respect and their pecking order, they will kick, bite and vigorously fight each other. What becomes dangerous to a human is that horses don't care if you make out only 15-20 % of their body and muscle weight, they will treat you no differently then their fellow mates.
Meaning, you will get kicked, bitten and stamped (also bucked off) by a horse that disrespects you.
Trust and respect are connected.
If a horse respects you, it will trust you. No horse will follow you, if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe with you.
For thousands of years, horses have survived in the wild, where they were and still are, exposed to death through predators and natural disasters.
A horses brain has evolved to function in a way that differs from a human brain.
Horses are herd animals.
It is crucial for horses to have a herd leader. A leader they trust and respect. They know, a strong leader will protect and lead them to safety, food and water. Nothing else matters. That's the way the horses brain is wired. In order to insure the best possible leader, horses constantly test.
They test 24 hours a day, every day, who is stronger, smarter.
And that's what they do to us, too.
Mission
The method we use, is built on one key stone: understanding & communication.
Miscommunication is the biggest enemy to a healthy relationship. It is crucial to pick up everything that your horse communicates. And horses communicate all the time, they actually share their emotions constantly.
It is like learning a foreign language.
And our aim is to teach you this language so that you can ultimately acquire the "feel".
Having the feel for horses is what makes you one of them. This is what makes you a confident and safe horseman/ horsewoman.
No matter your discipline, your horse breed, your age or experience
- when you understand horses, you can communicate and reach full body control in a natural way. You will have a trusting and successful partnership, that will lead you anywhere you decide and dream of.
Exercises, easy to follow for horse and rider, from ground and from the saddle, are the tools we give you to establish trust and respect.
There can be countless different situations you can find yourself in with a horse, but with a trusting and respecting partner and the tools to keep your relationship healthy, you won't have to worry anymore.
That is our mission.
With the TarpanS, Wild Horses of Bulgaria
Nadia Reid
Chris Shalliev
As a teenager, I made my first serious contact with horses in a riding club in Sofia, where I practiced jumping and dressage.
After my certification as a trainer and instructor, I began my professional career in an equestrian center specializing in Western Riding and Natural Horsemanship, teaching clients and training horses at all levels for seven years.
Having gained experience, I became the first mobile horse trainer by the methods of Natural Horsemanship in Bulgaria, who aims to help and train as many people and horses as possible for their mutual and safe understanding.
- Chris
I grew up behind the scenes of the Berlin State Opera, where both of my parents were soloists of the ballet ensemble. After a successful career as a ballerina myself at the Vienna State Opera, I devoted myself to travel, photography and horseback riding. I studied horseback riding in the classical disciplines in Germany. Moving to New Zealand, I began horse riding and training with a local family of trainers and horsemen, who were rehabilitating the local Kaimanawa's (wild horses). Upon my return to Bulgaria, I completed a course in natural horsemanship and was hired to work as a riding instructor and horse trainer.
in 2019 Chris and I founded Horsenook.
Further on, I have been training , as well as competing in dressage, winning in 2022 4th and 3rd place in the national championship and silver and gold in the international competition - Balkan League - amateur category.
After a 3 year education I am now fully certified by the German State as an equine assisted therapist.
- Nadia
In 2019 Horsenook Stables was born. A dreamed of place - for horses and humans to be educated through the methods of Natural Horsemanship.