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Tim McGaffic and the Nature of Natural team invite you to explore our introduction to Behavioral Science Principles in the 3 disciplines of Horses, Stock Dogs and Stockmanship.

As one of our mentors and selected masters, Tom Dorrance said, “Get the mind and the feet will follow”. Understanding this biological process is important as to what actions a trainer may or may not take at any given time. As Tom would have said, “You need to be able to see the whole picture and where you fit in”. We hope to help people find that understanding and for lack of a better term, connect the dots.

We have profiled well respected experts or “masters” in fields of Stockmanship, Stock Dogs and Horses to help us connect the dots of learning and understanding. Click on their picture to read a little more about them. On each page under Horses, Stock Dogs and Stockmanship you will find articles, videos and in-depth discussion to help us learn from the best of the best. The HUB is our central page for current events, services and updates.

The Nature of Natural was written to show that there are universal principles involved in behaviors and training. Those principles involved Learning. All things learn, from slime molds to human beings. Learning along with the innate framework to navigate the environment safely is what forms the mind. The mind creates motivation and motivation results in behaviors.

The Mission of the Nature of Natural is to promote the welfare, ethical care, treatment and training of horses, livestock, dogs and all animals through applied behavioral science.

In keeping with our mission statement, we have undertaken this educational project in Horses, Stock Dogs and Stockmanship. We are delighted to highlight experts or “masters” in their field that join us in our mission and whose principles adhere to a high standard of ethics.

Our Hall of Fame Masters

Click a picture to start your Nature of Natural journey of connecting the dots:

Horses

TOM DORRANCE

1910 – 2003

Perhaps the best idea of what Tom Dorrance was about is written in his own words:
The part that has meant the most to the horse and me is the communication between us. This is the part where I really had to devote a lot of thought. I have watched horses when they are loose by themselves or loose in a group; gentle raised or wild range raised, their naturalness will show. And by studying their actions and reactions I have been helped to understand how to present myself in such a way that the horses will respond to what I may ask of them. This I believe is true nature. This is something I have had to develop in myself, for myself, by myself. The True Unity and Willing Communication between the horse and me is not something that can be handed to someone, it has to be learned, it has to come from the inside of a person and inside of the horse. – TD

Tom Dorrance by Tim McGaffic

My friend John St. Ryan, asked me to write a bit about Tom. I suppose John did so because I’m forever using one of Tom’s aphorisms when we speak of horses, which is often. Tom was a keen observer and as such came up with the advice that one should “Observe, Remember and Compare” when working with horses and probably most everything. I can honestly say the first time I met and saw Tom work I had no clue as to these concepts or at least at the depths at which Tom was speaking.

I’m not too sure of the year but it was probably about 1990 or 91 when I first met Tom. He was asked to look at a gal’s horse that was hard to shoe in the hind feet. Of course, Tom approached the horse in his way that adhered to his own advice that the horse has only the approach to know your intentions. I’m not so sure those were his exact words. Of course, I missed all of this and was just waiting for the action to begin. But guess what, there was no action. Tom walked up and started touching the horse, and eventually picked up a hind foot, held it and moved it all around. After a little more work, he said let’s go shoe him, and they did. I wasn’t sure what to think and I wasn’t “observing” the horse carefully or what Tom was doing but man did he made it look so easy. I thought why can’t we all do that? When asked about that one time, Tom said, well I guess it’s not in their nature. I was hoping it was in mine but still didn’t know how much I was missing. The old saying “you don’t know what you don’t know” is more profound than one might imagine. I started reading all I could about Tom and Ray and what they had to say. However, I didn’t get to see Tom again for some time, maybe a year or so.

The next time I was at my friend Marty Martin’s. Tom came over to visit and work a horse Marty had purchased from Ray. She, the mare, had dumped Marty a few times and he wanted Tom to have a look and see what advice he may have. As Tom worked the horse in the round pen, Marty and I watched. Tom would say, see that, see that etc. And yes, as you guessed I didn’t see it, at least not at first. Finally, I said to Marty, well he’s teaching us how to see, isn’t he? Marty, I think, agreed and we continued to watch. I visited Tom several times after that and always tried to remember his philosophy when working a horse. At one point I was working for a performance horse breeder and was involved in the world of essentially a very different kind of training. But it was often successful and the horses with the trainers we used were very good. I asked myself what is the common thread to what they do and what Tom does that makes it all work.

What made it all work were those fundamental principles that Tom put forward in his many aphorisms. The principles of behavior and in this case how the horse sees the world. Tom often said he was the horse’s lawyer. He put forth how the horse may be interpreting the situation and often not as the person would. Many of those performance trainers would push thru incidents and most often the horses would adjust. They were well bred and raised in the best of circumstances with people caring for them. These horses had a positive association with people. Many of the horses Tom worked with, had at some point come to have a certain distrust for the human in particular circumstances. With those horses Tom was able to be the horse’s lawyer and reestablish trust enough to teach them a particular lesson. A lesson that was usually fundamental to living in the world of people and the confinement that results. Many years after I first met Tom I was introduced to the science of behavior. What I found was the answer to my original question. What is the common thread? The common thread is those principles set down by nature that Tom so well understood, and he was able to put them into short but accurate guidelines (aphorisms). In doing so he was able to communicate not only to the horse but to the common man. In doing so Tom helped many horses that otherwise would have been frustrated with what a human being was trying to do to it. Thank you, Tom, for being the both a philosopher, scientist and a great fellow to be around. Tom’s true gift, it seems to me, was that he could genuinely “Observe, Remember and Compare” what was happening and if different from what may have been expected he would take that as reality and adjust accordingly. To engage this quality one must lose their egos, and what they think about the horse and the situation. By doing so, one can truly practice what Tom outlined in his basic philosophy and your life with horses and theirs, will get better. Thank you, Tom, for the great gift that can be used in all aspects of life.

Tom Dorrance

John Saint Ryan

Andrew McLean

Charles de Kunffy

www.CharlesdeKunffy.com

Charles de Kunffy, a member of the Austro-Hungarian nobility, was born and raised in Hungary. His parents were eminent horse breeders with derby winning racehorses. Charles started riding as a child, always under expert supervision and instruction. His riding masters were educated during the golden age of equitation between 1900-1945. His teachers were the products of the finest riding institutions of the “inter bellum.” These included Vienna and Wienerneustadt in Austria, Hannover and Berlin in Germany, Pinerolo and Tordiquinto in Italy, and Hungary’s Orkeny. Pal Kemery, Jeno Kosa-Reznek, Imre Bodo and Geza Hazslinsky-Krull attended these institutions, competed with great successes and mentored Charles for years in an institutional setting.

Cross-country riding, jumping and dressage were melded into one comprehensive system of training, adhering to the classical tradition of riding theory and methodology. Diversification of activities, riding skills and the ability to improve any horse were emphasized in the academic training program. Charles de Kunffy was schooled with the strictest adherence to classical training traditions based on scholarship and a profound respect for the horse. He represents the unbroken heritage of classical horsemanship handed down from generation to generation without compromise.

Charles de Kunffy’s expertise and his ability to inspire and instruct his students, earned him great popularity and respect. He was welcomed in Europe, Africa, Australia, Canada and the United States by enthusiastic and appreciative audiences. He has conducted many courses, seminars and forums for instructors and judges. His work is appreciated for its scholastic depth, academic expertise, and the clarity and vigor of its delivery. Regardless of a student’s talent or accomplishments, Charles never refused help to any rider willing to learn. He believes that the honor of teaching the traditions of the great equestrian arts commands an instructor to perform with equal dedication and thoroughness whether teaching a beginner or coaching an Olympic gold medalist.

Charles de Kunffy is the author of six published books and is working on two more (one autobiographical) currently. His books are frequently quoted by other writers, referred to by colleagues, are used as college text books and in educational pamphlets. His equestrian articles are well known on many continents and were published by some of the finest equestrian magazines.

Popular for his lecture/demonstration appearances, his radio and television interviews, and Charles de Kunffy has influenced a great many riders. He has contributed substantially to the popularity of classical horsemanship. His students remain grateful for the understanding of riding principles, for the acquired riding skills and for the improvement of their and their horses’ lives.

# 1 “The Ethics and Passions of Dressage”

In this most thoughtful and thought-provoking book, the author calls for a dedication to the traditions of classical horsemanship. Mr. de Kunffy takes the reader's mind for a lesson that embraces history, philosophy, art, nature and the ethics of horsemanship.

#2 “Dressage Principles Illuminated”

In this visually beautiful book the author recalls the classical riding principles and contrasts it to mere competitive riding. He reflects on the nature and training of horses, the education and development of the rider and explains his training methods and schooling philosophy.

#3 “Training Strategies for Dressage Riders”

In this book the author promotes equestrian elegance through effectiveness. He draws attention to the outmost importance of the rider’s correct equitation as a precondition to schooling their horses correctly.

#4 “The Athletic Development of the Dressage Horse:” Manage Patterns

This exacting work concentrates on explaining the meaning and usefulness of traditional riding patterns as schooling aids for the proper athletic development of horses. A unique book devoted entirely to the explaining of the purposes and usefulness of the classical Manege patterns.

#5 "A Rider's Survival from Tyranny"

Charles de Kunffy retells the dramatic events of his privileged and turbulent young life. A European nobleman in the stormy years of World War II and the Hungarian Revolution persevered to become a prominent equestrian. During the Soviet occupation, de Kunffy finds a life-saving island of tranquility in the ancient art of classical horsemanship.

#6 The “Journals” were written by Charles de Kunffy in 2006

With the journals the author wished to inform, amuse and inspire riders. Inspired by his conviction that equestrian life must include a great variety of interests, a broadening of cultural and aesthetic experiences, a hunger for the cultural expansion of the mind and the uplifting of the spirit.

Charles de Kunffy

Stock Dogs

Bud Williams

Julie Hill

Stockmanship

Bud Williams

Dawn Hnatow

Whit Hibbard is a fourth generation Montana cattle rancher, former national park mounted ranger, editor of Stockmanship Journal (www.stockmanshipjournal.com), and writes on stockmanship for Drovers and On Pasture. He spent 38 years handling cattle conventionally, then made a paradigm shift to low-stress livestock handling (LSLH) as taught by Bud Williams, which he has studied and practiced since 2005. He believes strongly in the importance and value of LSLH and has been publishing his journal and teaching clinics and consulting on ranches and for government agencies since 2012.

Contact information:

Whit Hibbard

PO Box 224

Elliston, MT 59728

(940) 841-9591

stockmanshipjournal@gmail.com

The Five Foundations of Low-Stress Livestock Handling

Mindset: Mindset is how you think about your cattle. Traditionally, livestock handlers view working cattle as a job that has to be done, with the approach of “this is how we’ve always done it,” or “cattle are stupid and we have to fight them to get them to do what we want.” Stockmanship requires being open to change and learning, and asking why before asking how and what. A good stockman must be willing to take responsibility for how his or her cattle act, have a desire to work cattle correctly, and have a desire to succeed.
Attitude: Hibbard says Williams always said, “Low-stress livestock handling is more than just a technique of working livestock, it’s an attitude about working livestock.” Aspects of a proper attitude include being positive, determined, confident, decisive, and committed. Also, a stockman must acknowledge the great degree to which cattle are sensitive to a handler’s emotions. Scientific research has shown a direct correlation between attitude and behavior of handlers and cattle behavioral response (and subsequent production and performance).
Reading Animals: Low-stress handling is based on communication between human and animal, which is done through technique. Hibbard quotes Williams saying “Every step you take and every step the animal takes we’re communicating, so you have to learn to read the animals.” Understanding and communication are based on one thing — proper position, and proper position is determined by reading the animals and evaluating their response. Hibbard says in conventional livestock handling we tend to make two key mistakes: first, when things don’t go right we force the issue, and second, we fall into the habit of doing the same thing over and over again as a memorized routine. “There is no one way to do low-stress livestock handling; that is, there are numerous techniques and each situation is unique and the best strategy is to read the animals,” Hibbard said.
Working Animals: Just like we work with a young colt or a stock dog we’re training, Hibbard notes the importance of training and teaching our cattle. Conventionally we view cattle as animals we need to conquer – much differently than how we view our horses, dogs or other pets. Practicing maneuvering cattle by asking them to speed up, slow down, or be driven is beneficial in developing responsive and manageable livestock.
Preparing Animals: Working with animals involves establishing control and leadership, whereas preparing them involves actual “dry runs” of future events such as weighing, sorting, processing, or loading out. Hibbard recommends physically taking the cattle through a practice of the production event. For example, run the cattle across the scale or through the lead-in and open chute. Showing them what is going to happen before it is required makes for a calmer and more efficient event when it is time.

The five foundations are key to building up to principles, then techniques, and finally applications.

Hibbard says, “No matter how good we get at low-stress livestock handling we never transcend the basics and we cannot skip any steps, and that includes the five foundational layers.”