The horse, like the deer, is a prey animal (or flight animal). This means he is always alert to possible danger (the presence of a predator), always hypervigilant and usually fearful in new surroundings. In his mind and all his life, he carries one question: "Shall I stay here, or run away as fast as I can?"

The horse is a herd animal. There is always a natural hierarchy among the herd consisting of a dominant or lead horse, from which a ranked order descends and may flucuate frequently. Horses communicate within the herd and with one another, in a nonverbal, but equine universal language, employing body placement, body posture, and facial expression.

The horse is a grazing animal, designed to move and to forage. Interspersed with periods of rest, it is not unusual for a horse in its natural state to walk twenty miles per day, foraging pasturage, and chewing continually.

These three general elements; that he is a prey animal, a herd animal, and a grazing animal, in combination with the specifics of your horse's breeding and personal history, determine who your horse is today.

Your role in your rewarding, fun and safe relationship with your horse is established through training, which is based upon a thorough understanding of your horse's nature and responsive awareness of his perceptions.

All the information you need, the skils you require on the ground and in the riding endeavors you wish to undertake, as well as the solutions to all your training questions, reside within a system of readily learnable techniques, which we teach here at Chestnut Tree Farm.

Welcome!

No hour of life is lost that is spent in the saddle. -- Winston Churchill