Our Philosophy

"Nobody has the right to say 'You must or I'll hurt you'" Monty Roberts

Monty Roberts

As a young man, the Californian cowboy, Monty Roberts experienced first hand the brutal methods used by his father and many other trainers at that time to literally 'break' a horse's spirit and force them to comply or get hurt. On the few occasions he dared voice his opinion that there must be a kinder way to do things he was beaten viciously by his father and told that you have to 'hurt them before they hurt you'.

Monty then undertook a silent promise, to study horses and to find a better way to communicate with them. He spent time out in the American wilderness and, from a distance, followed a group of wild Mustangs. It was through observing these horses in their natural habitat that Monty discovered they do in fact have their own 'silent' language and through the use of movements, gestures and eye contact are perfectly able to make themselves very well understood.

On returning home he decided to try out these gestures himself with his own horses, he singled out a freshly rounded up horse and separated it into a different pen. Within a very short space of time he was amazed to find that the horse responded to him in exactly the same way he'd observed in the wild. Over many years Monty has refined these techniques, using them to communicate with thousands of horses and later, also with deer (who, because they are even more sensitive, required him to get it absolutely right) and has been using them to great effect ever since to train horses and help cure remedial problems.

About us

At Courses 4 Horses, Tom & Ailsa Bowyer employ many of these same techniques to help horses and people have a better understanding of each other. We believe in listening to and learning from as many professionals in the field as possible (of all different disciplines) and adopting sensible approaches which agree with our core principle of 'First, do no harm' We offer help, assistance and advice with all manner of remedial problems including:

• Trailer loading
• Leading & ground work
• Phobias & vices
• Bucking
• Biting
• Re-starting older horses
• And starting youngsters
• Applied Equine Podiatry - Taking on clients now

Other activities (by arrangement) include: Talks, demonstrations, Pony club groups and courses for first time horse owners or we can arrange individual packages to suit your needs. 

If you require help with any of the above issues or if you are experiencing a problem which isn't listed here, please contact us.

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