Trainer helps get into horses’ heads
Approach breaks from tradition
Equine enthusiasts in Saskatoon got a chance this past weekend to learn from a man who will soon represent Canada on the international stage.
Abbotsford, B.C.’s Jonathan Field, who will travel to Kentucky in March for his second go at the World Championship of Colt Starting, led five public training sessions at the Saskatchewan Equine Expo, which ran Friday to Sunday at Prairieland Park.
Field specializes in what he calls “natural horsemanship.”
“The idea is you try to develop more harmony with the horse, rather than break the spirit,” he said before taking the arena floor Saturday.
He contends that by taking a more psychological approach with the animals, a rider can get much more from a steed.
“If you can get the heart and desire out of that horse, they can do amazing things. If they’re scared of you or don’t trust you, you just don’t get as far,” Field said.
His method builds on the work of many others that he said have revolutionized horse training over the past few decades.
At its most basic, it’s about recognizing the instinctual differences between horses and humans.
“Horses live in the moment. They don’t have an ego. They’re not there on some agenda. If they do something for you, they do it because it’s real. So you have to earn it. They don’t care that there’s a crowd, or if I have a career at stake, or somebody wants a ribbon,” Field said.
He was careful about not sounding too new-agey in his approach.
“You still need to be a leader. You can’t be pushed over. It’s not all peppermint bubble-baths and incense. But it’s also about understanding the nature of the animal,” he said.
You can’t question his popularity, whatever you think of his methods. Saturday’s first session was so full that organizers allowed attendants who couldn’t find bleacher space to set up folding chairs on the dirt floor of the arena.
The first arena session was entirely about groundwork, with his students leading their horses around without mounting up. He stressed the need to build a foundation with the animal before getting on, comparing it to finding solid ground on which to build a house.
“I’ve taken lots of different clinics, and he’s one of the best,” said Katie Byers of Dalmenie, who took part in the live demonstration along with her horse Molly.
“(He teaches) little things that you don’t even realize, like body language. The way that you’re standing can put your horse away, or invite them in,” she said.
Working with so many people, and in front of such large crowds, is still surreal at times for Field. He dropped out of high school to become a cowboy, but gave it up at age 19 to work on the oil rigs.
“I wasn’t a good enough cowboy to make any money,” he said.
It was only after an injury that almost cost him his hand that he got back into horsemanship and started to develop his training style. Although horrible at the time, that accident led to the career of his dreams.
“It’s very rewarding to see someone who has the dream of having this relationship with their horse, and being able to facilitate that,” he said.