Equine-Humanistics

We all want the ideal horse as our partner.  One that has the right conformation, temperament, gaits, manners, and connection to us.  Very few people are lucky enough to breed, buy, or acquire a perfect match.  The rest of us need to work hard to create our own right horse.

There are a myriad of equine training programs that have been developed and followed over the years looking to produce the best riding horse for all riding disciplines:  everything from classical dressage training to behavior modification through Equine Science and Natural Horsemanship to rehabilitation through neuroscience. They each have endeavored to provide structured training platforms to facilitate the creation of that “ideal horse” and modern thinking and our ever-expanding knowledge of all things equine will no doubt produce many more. 

Maree McAteer, the founder and developer of Equine-Humanistics, has spent most of her life immersed in the training, producing, and competing of riding horses and has used many of these training programs through the years.

"I have spent a lifetime studying horses and, in turn, looking inward to myself. Initially, as children, our ponies were our legs for wherever we fancied going in that moment.  As teenagers, the escape/passion became competitions – our pony’s/horse’s value was measured by what we could coerce them to do.  I learned that horses love routine and familiarity – if I was consistent in presenting physical and mental ideas and kept them at a threshold below causing high anxiety and strain, horses would become willing to perform tasks even when not 100% comfortable – the use of submission over time to familiarize their nervous systems to be tolerant of what is asked even if it is at the expense of their bodies. However, there was always a nagging question in the back of my brain…isn’t there a better way?

After 30 years I gave away the competition world to study many different training and rehabilitation systems. Most of them are developed to train horses to do a specific job or competition.  In studying these through the view of the horses’ minds and bodies I realized the majority of horses are poorly prepared for the tasks, so the fall out caused by physical harm and mental anxiety is huge.  Many horses are frantically communicating their anxiety and discomfort but because the horse and rider do not have an evolved enough mutually shared communication system, this almost always falls on deaf ears.               

This realization and my determination to create a kind, effective solution to effectively communicate has led to the development of Equine-Humanistics.  What is it to be an effective leader within a herd of two?  And what is a willing, as opposed to subservient partner?  When we take this with us into the saddle, it is much clearer to the horses what our thoughts and body actions mean."

-Maree

The Four Exercises, that are the body of Equine-Humanistics, when practiced with great attention to being in the moment and built on over time to a greater degree of proficiency, will create the following:

1. Establishes a place of peace for the horse where they can have a calm and available mind to work from, irrespective of the environmental stimuli around them,
2. Builds neuro-muscular memory and the strength required for the horse to be in balance, have symmetry in his body, and be engaged in self-carriage without the need for rider micro-management,
3. Creates the ideal horse for the rider by the creation of seamless understanding and responsiveness,   where the aids/ideas are effectively communicated by thoughts/visualization and mirroring before action.  This building of trust and connection serves you well in the challenging moments.

The Equine-Humanistics program is suitable for all ages and stages of riders and horses. This ‘stand-alone’ system builds quality basics between horses and riders with the priority being calmness and balance, thus preparing them for any discipline.   Initial training equips the learner with the knowledge and skill for task application.  The more practice you do and the more skillful observer you become, the more refined your applications become.  Connect more with your horse and get better results.