Brothers and horsemen William "Bill" Dorrance (January 19, 1906 – July 20, 1999) and Tom Dorrance (May 11, 1910 – June 11, 2003) are considered among the founders of the modern
natural horsemanship
Natural horsemanship is a collective term for a variety of horse training techniques which have seen rapid growth in popularity since the 1980s. The techniques vary in their precise tenets but generally share principles of "a kinder and gentler ...
movement. Born and raised on an Oregon cattle ranch with a background in the Great Basin "
Buckaroo" tradition, they promoted natural, gentle methods of
horse training
Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when commanded to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrian activities from horse ra ...
, emphasizing "feel" of the horse and observation of its responses to the handler.
They had a particularly strong influence on fellow horseman
Ray Hunt and Hunt's disciple,
Buck Brannaman
Dan M. "Buck" Brannaman (born January 29, 1962) is an American horse trainer and a leading clinician with a philosophy of handling horses based on classical concepts from the vaquero tradition; working with the horse's nature, using an understandin ...
, as well as
Arabian horse breeder and trainer
Sheila Varian. Many horse trainers and owners claim influence from the Dorrance brothers including Pat Parelli, famous for his video series of games to play through groundwork.
The Dorrance brothers' influence travelled widely throughout the United States, particularly amongst cattlemen, cowboys, who worked with horses every day. Having a relationship to their horses was far more important than winning awards or accolades in the show ring, and so horsemanship, the relationship between equine and human, was more important than the colour of their ribbon. The writings of the Dorrance brothers, in terms of horsemanship, is not divergent from those of other great horsemen such as Nuno Oliveira or François Robichon de La Guérinière.
It has often been said that the Dorrances could see what a horse was thinking before the horse even thought it. Tom Dorrance has frequently been quoted as positing his question "what happened, before what happened happened?". Bill Dorrance, aside from his horsemanship skills was renowned as a rawhide braider and roper. Martin Black, a world famous horseman and clinician, often cites his experiences with Tom Dorrance and his regrets at not having studied more carefully while under Tom's tutelage. Martin can be seen featured in the video "Through the Coral Fence".
See also
*
Horse whisperer
Natural horsemanship is a collective term for a variety of horse training techniques which have seen rapid growth in popularity since the 1980s. The techniques vary in their precise tenets but generally share principles of "a kinder and gentler ...
*
Horse training
Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when commanded to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrian activities from horse ra ...
*
Horse behavior
Horse behavior is best understood from the view that horses are prey animals with a well-developed fight-or-flight response. Their first reaction to a threat is often to flee, although sometimes they stand their ground and defend themselves or ...
External links
Bill Dorrance
Bill Dorrance website''True Unity Through Feel'' at Amazon.comBill Dorrance Legacy Project
Tom Dorrance
Tom Dorrance website''True Unity: Willing Communication Between Horse and Human'' at Amazon.com
Western horse trainers
Natural horsemanship
Sources
*''True Horsemanship Through Feel'' by Bill Dorrance and Leslie Desmond.
*''True Unity,'' by Tom Dorrance. First Edition, Word Dancer Press, 1987.
*''The Revolution In Horsemanship'' by Dr Robert Miller et al. {{ISBN, 1-59228-387-X
Death of a Legendary Horseman Bill Dorrance obituary, ''New York Times'', July 24, 1999