An Evidence Based Horsemanship seminar will take place in Mancos on Nov. 19-20, curated by local resident Maddy Butcher
The seminar starts with an opening reception at the Mancos Public Library on Nov. 18, which is free to pre-registered people and will include presentations by horseman and neuroscientest Dr. Stephen Peters and rancher and horseman Martin Black.
Full day sessions will continue on Saturday and Sunday with morning sessions at the library and afternoon sessions at nearby Medicine Horse Center. Space is limited for both the opening reception and the Saturday and Sunday sessions.
For registration and more information about the seminar go to www.besthorsepractices.com/evidence-based-horsemanship-seminar, or contact Butcher at 207-504-7837 or info@BestHorsePractices.com. Cost for the seminar is $400.
Butcher runs websites for people wanting information about horses, such as how they think, how they act and react, and how best to care for them. Her websites are Nickernews.net and BestHorsePractices.com.
“What does our current scientific knowledge of the horse, when applied and observed, show me about getting the best outcomes possible, for both me and the horse,” Peters said.
He began exploring this idea six years ago and the result was a collaboration with Black to create a book titled “Evidence Based Horsemanship.”
Butcher moved to Mancos in 2015 and began enhancing regional educational horsemanship opportunities. She hosted a clinic by the horseman Randy Rieman and will be the host and coordinator for the Evidence Based Horsemanship Seminar this November. She is also coordinating an international conference, the Best Horse Practices Summit, to be held in October of 2017 in Durango.
As Dr. Peters stated, “This approach of Evidence Based Horsemanship is not concerned with arguing over a school of thought, or following one trainer over another. Egos, sales people, and charismatic personalities would have little relevance to Evidence Based Horsemanship.” This seminar will explore the science of understanding horses.
The seminar will feature both Peters and Black. In the morning sessions, Peters will dissect a horse brain and discuss the biological functions of the brain and how it affects horse behavior. In the afternoon sessions Black will work with horses in a pen, to show how the brain activates responses in the horse.
