"Ask not what your horse can do for you. Ask what you can do for your horse." is Chris Irwin's slogan. His training concept doesn't start with teaching horses what to do; it starts with understanding their natural behavior and with communication in horse language. This language is an unspoken one and consists of body movements and postures that are often so subtle that Chris' work looks almost like magic to the observer. He doesn't like the expression "horse whisperer" but rather calls himself a "horse listener".
Discovering his passion for horses only as a young adult, about 30 years ago, he did not like what he saw in the horse industry and created his own way of horsemanship by listening, observing and reflecting. Since then he has held numerous clinics and seminars, focusing on a natural training approach and ways to solve behavioral problems. He wrote the books "Horses don't lie" and "Dancing with your dark horse" that tell about his life and work. Currently, he lives at his own equestrian retreat, the Riversong Ranch in Alberta, Canada but still travels all across the globe to teach people how to communicate with their horses.
Upon an invitation of his former student Buddy Brewer, Chris Irwin held a clinic at the Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR) in Lenoir City on the weekend of October 23rd. Horse owners were able to attend together with their horses in private and semi-private lessons. Spectators were welcome and observing the sessions was enlightening and certainly entertaining. Chris explains his teachings in colorful metaphors. He compares the horse's language to martial arts where push, block and draw are the basic concepts: A slight bend in your body pose can draw the horse towards you while a stuck out hip or shoulder pushes it away.
It's about defining dominance by owning space. It is about leadership and mutual respect with the goal to create the mindset for schooling. Chris' theory is that horses constantly challenge our authority but we are not aware of it because we just don't "speak" horse. Who would have thought that a horse passing you on the side or in the front is teasing you and would probably get bitten by a superior in the herd. Horses naturally set limits for each other, so consequently: "You don't tell the horse where to go, you tell them where not to go"
"This is like psychology!" was heard from the audience. Horses are like mirrors; they sense emotions and reflect them. This is why they are often used in therapeutical or experiential education approaches. So in order to get the horse to do what you want, you have to learn to be aware of your own body language. Most important are confidence and inner balance; a centered "chi" as Chris calls it. Not surprisingly, a lot of his students find the training a life changing experience that results in personal growth as Buddy Brewer confirms.
Chris uses a whip for his training and he doesn't call it a carrot stick like in other natural horsemanship approaches. He uses it as body extension to mimic horse postures. Together with the arm holding it, it can bend away from the horse or towards it and the tip can be raised up in the air or pointing towards the ground. These are all vocables in the horse language.
During the riding lessons Chris often uses a car metaphor and tells his students to "find the clutch". But he also emphasizes that they are working with a living animal that can, unlike sports equipment, display different reactions depending on its mood and the person handling it.
At lunch the charismatic Canadian talks about the philosophy behind his work. If asked how long it takes to learn his way of horsemanship he just answers "It depends." and then explains, "It depends on the horse, the person and their backgrounds. For example are often the people who have been working with horses all their life, the hardest to teach because a lot of unlearning needs to be done. Surprisingly, professional dancers often seem to have a hard time, too, because they are used to a different kind of body postures."
He also talks about how the horse industry can be regarded as a microcosm of society in general and the similarity of problems it has. "There is a lot of talking about using more natural and humane training methods but in the end the actions don't match the promises as it is common in politics. Usually the horses are the victims of this inconsistency." According to Chris 400,000 horses are slaughtered every year due to behavioral issues. This number most certainly could be reduced if riders, trainers and horse owners would be patient enough to allow themselves and their animals more time for better communication.
His constant efforts to share his work are part of his mission to educate people and to change the methods currently used in the horse industry. He only sells knowledge and a lot of it he gives away for free like many training videos on horse.com
If you are interested in learning the Chris Irwin way of horsemanship locally, Buddy Brewer is offering lessons in both groundwork and riding in Greenback. He also does clinics that are customized to the needs of the participants and horses. Contact him at jbgreenback@aol.com
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