Our Natural Horsemanship Courses are great for beginner and more advanced riders who want to get more knowledge, learn to read their horse and increase their confidence on the ground and in the saddle. Our main focus is a clear and honest communication between horse and rider.
Learning new communication / body language skills, enjoy a ride on our scenic trails, listen to the river, relax at the Saloon / Games-room, sleep like a baby in one of the bedrooms of the private homestead. Pair all of that with Bernadette’s passion and patient natural horsemanship instructions, and you’ll be sure to go home with skills that you can use for the rest of your life!
For small groups of up to four students max.
4 night Horse Communication Package: $ 1,250 p.p. excl taxes & gratuities
The Horse Communication Course is offered from June 6 -10 2022 and October 3 – 7 2022. (Adults Only)
Communication:
To make a natural connection with the horse it is obvious that we need to communicate with him on his level. For this to be possible we need to raise our awareness especially of our unconscious actions as we are continually giving him signals whether we mean to or not. The horse reads our body language and emotions which of course are both related to our thoughts. As we become more in touch with all our senses we can react with appropriate sensitivity and timing. So often problems arise in training horses just because we are doing too much. Natural Horsemanship is about the horse teaching you about yourself!
Connection and Awareness become knowledge:
Knowledge Leads to Confidence! If we are not aware of ourselves we cannot expect the horse to understand us or feel good being in our company.
While learning to connect with a horse, who is a purely intuitive being, we will learn to be quiet and still in the present moment and authentic in our communication. Luckily for us horses are extremely tolerant of our human clumsiness which allows us to learn from him along the way if we pay attention to the feedback.
The horse has no hidden agenda and asks us to become more natural and take total responsibility and grow confident around them!
Itinerary:
Every morning: Natural Horsemanship in ranch arena and play area, where we go over Communication, Energy use, Lightness, Rapport and Connection. Simulations with other students, groundwork /games with horses (how to interpret body language).
Every afternoon: we ride in the arena and practice what we have learned! One River trail ride included.
Services / Amenities:
- 4 night stay, Accommodations: Room in the private homestead
- Wireless Internet at the ranch
- Fully equipped Games room (Pool table, Darts & Fusball Table)
- Pick up/Drop off fee: $160 per ride to and from Airport or E bus station or Hotel in Kamloops (per vehicle max. 4 guests)
- Daily choice of Packed Lunch, Fruits, Coffee and Tea
- Check-in between 3pm and 6pm, Check-out before 2pm
- saddle fitting & questions on Departure day.
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Natural horsemanship- communication course
After arriving at Campbell hills guest ranch I was keen to expand my knowledge in Natural horsemanship, something I previously knew very little about. As part of this journey Bernadette hosted a four day communications course at the ranch. The course focused on building our knowledge of how to work with your horse, using clear communication that the horse is able to read and understand based on his natural instincts. During the course we learnt the theory behind the Natural horsemanship philosophy, and were then supported to put this into practice with the horse we had been paired with in the arena.
Prior to the course I didn’t appreciate that natural horsemanship is not a way of handling your horse, but a whole shift in the mindset of the human that allows you to build a level of communication that is clear for your horse to understand. The course really opened my eyes to the small nuances in human behaviour, a step back, a look, or a shift in weight that your horse will interpret and respond to. Despite many years spending time with horses, I had never really considered the impact of my actions on the horse, instead placing more focus on his behaviour. I was paired with Thor for the course, and to begin with I didn’t realise that subconsciously I would step back and yield to him when he came into my space. As a result he did not see me as a leader. Bernadette helped me to see the importance of this in gaining Thor’s trust and confidence in me. I found it amazing to see as the course progressed that once I was able to tune in to focusing on my behaviour and how this affects him, a more respectful realationship formed between me and my horse and he became lighter and more responsive to me. I also loved learning about different horsenalities, and how raising your awareness of this can help you to be more in tune with your horse.
After grasping the basics of this philosophy by playing games on the ground using obstacles in the arena, we were then able to translate these concepts into riding our horses both in the arena and out on property. I particularly enjoyed seeing how we could apply exercises that we had learnt in the arena out on a trail ride. Not only did this allow us to take in some of the amazing scenery in which the ranch is set, but also learn how to maintain a good connection with your horse whilst keeping things fun and engaging out on the trails. I can’t wait to try some of these exercises out on rides with my horse at home.
Overall I feel that the course has increased my confidence on working with horses both on the ground and in the saddle, and has really opened my eyes to how much more there is you can do with you horse rather than riding round the arena in mindless circles. Although I still have so much to learn I now understand the importance of clear communication with your horse using feel, timing, energy, and clear intention. I was really able to see how this can be applied with any horse in any circumstance once the philosophy is embedded in your way of working and can’t wait to continue along my path in natural horsemanship. Thanks Bernadette for an amazing course!!
Thanks Jessie for taking the time to write about the NHS Course. It was a pleasure watching you becoming more aware and settled in over the 4 days. I believe you and Thor (Fjord gelding 8 yrs) turned out to be the right match for one and other. Loved the fact you were soaking in all the new learned horse-knowledge and was able to practice it with flair. Your passion will help you to become a wise Horsewoman. Good luck and all the best in your Natural Horsemanship Journey.
Warmest, Bernadette
“Riding has always been one of my greatest passions, but due to lack of time, it wasn‘t possible for me to stay in contact with the incredible four-legged friends for a long time. After graduating from school, I decided to pursue my passion again, but riding lessons in a commercial and traditional english stable was no longer an option for me. I started researching and finally found the Campbell Hills Guest Ranch in British Columbia. A Guest Ranch that works according to the Natural Horsemanship philosophy. Half a year later I found myself in the middle of my Natural Horsemanship Journey. The first day of the Natural Horsesmanship course started with a basic explanation of what Natural Horsemanship is. Bernadette helped us to get into the role of a horse with the help of simulations to feel and understand what a horse needs. Based on this, I realized that my relationship with my horse could never work if I continued to act as a ,,predator” because my horse will react permanently out of fear. The goal is to be a ,,leader” for my horse, so that it doesn´t react out of fear but can respond to me. In our first training session we basically dealt with basic exercises such as Hind Quarters, Front Quarters, Sideways etc. to internalize and become familiar with the horse. Bernadette showed us the exercises several times with her horse and afterwards we had enough time to implement the exercises. Bernadette supports us at all times and draws our attention to any ambiguity regarding our communication with the horse. I was more than satisfied after the first day and I didn’t know at that point that my progress would multiply over the 4 days. On the second day we refined our exercises and finally in the afternoon we lined them up in a park course. It was not only our task to complete the package but also to watch the other participants and learn from each other. After the second day I felt much more confident in dealing with my horse and that in turn helped my horse to trust me and to see me as a leader. At this point I became aware of the meaning of the phrase ,,The horse as a mirror of man”. Never before have I learned so much about myself and my body language. On the third day there was no more room for anger, frustration or sadness. I was aware at that time that all these emotions would only get in the way of me, my horse and the whole learning process. The key is the good intention with which I meet my horse at all times. Horses want to live in harmony with us, horses want to cooperate and do things for us, but they can only do that if we can understand them and answer them correctly. By the third day at latest, Rocky, my course horse, and I were a mini herd. I had no longer the feeling of manoeuvring him through the Parcours, we were a team. Our work was based on ,,suggestion”; and ,,answer”. After a ground work session in the arena, we went off-road in the afternoon. The last day of the course began with a ground work session and finally we finished it off with a bareback ride in the arena. The goal of the bareback training session was to improve our ,,independent seat”. In summary, I can say that this course was an eye opener for me. I got to rediscover my horse all over again, learned to read and understand him. I may not have learned the entire horse language in this short time, but I have understood the first letters. And much more I have learned about myself. I am so much more aware of my own body language, my thoughts and my feelings. Thanks Bernadette for this incredible experience!”
Thank you Krissi for writing such a detailed review about the Communication Course. For me it was quite fascinating seeing a young woman getting out of her comfortzone and at the same time trying her very best. You proved to be very capable of becoming a well balanced horse woman in the future. Keep in touch and all the best in your Natural Horsemanship Journey. Warmest, Bernadette
“What a Brilliant few days participating in the Communications Course. Having only being introduced to the Natural Horsemanship Philosophy during my short time at the ranch so far I had a lot to learn and improve on during this course. Bernadette has a wealth of knowledge in this area and this course was a fantastic opportunity to develop our natural horsemanship skills. Bella, the horse I work with is also relatively new to many of the exercises which provided a fun and challenging experience for us both. We discussed the importance of intention in how we work with our horses and how to be an effective leader while keeping your horse’s dignity and your relationship in tact. This was something I myself particularly had to learn, as in fear of jeopardising my relationship with Bella I was often being too soft and not effective in my leadership. However, once I began to master this and became a more effective leader the improvements in our exercises were incredible and our relationship was strengthened. We played many games on the ground with our horses to incorporate the skills we had been taught and it was incredible to see how in just a few short days both horse and handler were mastering games and skills which had been new to us both. It was also amazing to see the trust build between horse and handler, with Bella managing to put both feet on the teeter totter by the final day, something which she had been incredibly scared of. We also learnt how to translate all the skills we had learnt on the ground into the saddle, working on similar exercises while riding bareback. This course was incredible and I learned a lot about how to be a firm leader while maintaining your horses dignity. I look forward to continuing my natural horsemanship journey and learning more about the psychology of the horse and how our energy affects them. This course was a brilliant introduction to Natural Horsemanship and has only deepened my interest in this way of working with horses as I believe this philosophy allows us to be much more in harmony with the animals that are so important to us.”
Thanks Claire for writing a review about the past Natural Horsemanship Course. You can be proud of yourself jumping into the world of horses and the sometimes for humans complex body language. After day 3 you had established leadership on the ground, which is not an easy task with Bella the ultimate ‘left brain introvert’. Look forward to hear about your continuation NHS Journey. You now know that knowledge leads to confidence and excellence. Wish you all the best in your future. Warmest Bernadette