Monty Roberts. Pat Parelli. Bruce Logan.
Ask 100 riders who are the greatest horsemen in the world. Chances are all three will either be the top three or, at least, in the top five.

Monty Roberts because he seems to be recognised as the original horse whisperer, the man who invented “join-up” and the whole idea of equine  body language.

Pat Parelli because of his emphasis on bonding with horses and understanding their patterns of behaviour.

Bruce Logan because he believes in blending psychology with riding techniques to give the horse the freedom to be itself, to calmly utilise its own mind, body and feet.
“I would like to teach the world to ride horses the way horses want to be ridden,” he says.

Bruce, who like Monty Roberts and Pat Parelli is a regular visitor to the UK, was recently running one of his famous courses at Isfield, East Sussex.

There he spoke exclusively to Horseytalk.net about his background, his life and his philosophy about horses.

“I was virtually born in the saddle,” he says. “My family had a 7,000 acre ranch in Colorado.
“My father was famous for training cutting horses, the horses that cut into a herd of cattle, take one out and keep it out.
“I didn’t have a chance to not love horses. It was in my blood.
“I probably sat on my first horse when I was three or four years-old. By the time I was 12 I was winning competitions for riding cutting horses. At 13, I broke in my first cutting horse. I seemed to have the knack for it. After that, that was my job on the ranch.”

Since then Bruce reckons he’s broken in or started , as they say in the States, thousands of colts, developed an equal number of Performance horses and taken part in thousands of shows in the US specialising in Cutting and Reining Cow Horse disciplines.

At the same time, he has travelled the world with his wife, Storm organising and running workshops and training sessions promoting his unique philosophy of horsemanship:
Allowing the horse to figure out the correct way to efficiently and calmly utilize ‘his’ mind, body and feet.

A fundamental difference, Bruce says, between ‘Developing Foundation’ and ‘Training Foundation’ is that development gives the horse responsibilities to maintain and choices to make. The horses’ attention and mind is, therefore, always connected to the rest of his body, and connected back to the rider. It is a two way communication where the horse stays mentally engaged and is allowed to get smarter; just like any of us do when we are allowed to figure things out or think for ourselves!

Bruce also works with challenging horses and restarts, helping horses find responses as opposed to reactions. His aim is to remove problem patterns and behaviors from the horse’s vocabulary! Whether bucking, biting or bolting, a challenging horse is offered a horsemanship with feel with Bruce, and a consistent time, experience and education before returning home. Owners are welcomed to his family ranch for one to one guidance by Bruce as to the specific needs of their own horse.

Bruce’s favourite horse at the moment is called Joker. He is a quarter horse. A stallion. Five-years-old. So far he has won over US $20,000 in prize money & Bruce reckons he is worth currently over $150,000. But the more he wins, the higher his price will soar.

“What I want to do is to teach people to understand their horse – from the horse’s perspective. Today there are more recreational riders than there have ever been before. That also means there are more people who do not understand horses than there have ever been before.

“The big problem is lack of information. People get a horse and they say, Now what do |I do? It should be the other way round. People should say, What do I do if I want to get a horse and then get the horse.

“People can be cruel without ever knowing it. They don’t know how to communicate with their horse. But they want to ride their horse. That can lead to all kinds of problems. What I want to do is to get riders to communicate with their horses. I want the horse and rider to be safe. I want the horse to want to do what the rider wants it to do. I want the horse and the rider to be consistent.

“Other people say, Ride the horse. I say, Ride the horse the way the horse wants to be ridden.

“It’s like a teenager. He wants a car. He gets a Ferrari. He doesn’t know how to handle it. It creates all kinds of problems. First, he should be given old, reliable car. He should learn on that. Then he should be allowed to drive a Ferrari.

“It’s the same with riders. There are more recreational riders today than there has ever been. In the old days people thought of horses as a means of transport or simply as some kind of work horse.

“Today there are more and more people who come from a non-horsey environment. They know nothing about horses. They think they know. But they don’t. And they want to develop a special relationship with their horse. It’s not possible.

“Some riders can be cruel and not know anything about it. I want to teach them how to truly communicate with their horse. To show them how they can be safe with their horse. How they can get their horse to do what they want to do. How they can both be safe together.

“There are, unfortunately, some horses that are completely untrainable. I’ve never come across one in England. But they do exist. I reckon that as a general rule, say, one in 5,000 horses is untrainable. With most untrainable horses they are a danger both to themselves and to their riders. I’m afraid I cannot do much for them or for their owners.”

 Storm  has  also brought her experiences to the table as a teacher. Gaining softness in body and mind of both horse and rider is the core of her work, and she has developed exercises to help riders and horses feel and move together; effectively, efficiently and with balance. Storm helps the rider understand how to shape their horse for  Foundation development and importantly how to ride that shape, without constricting or blocking the horse’s movement and ability. Her work in ‘Foundation with Body Softness’ has culminated in individual centered clinics, where horses and students benefit from a one on one experience, even in the group dynamic.

 'Every horse and human are  unique. Therefore  in horsemanship there cannot be a one size fits all methodology.

I believe in individual education that is centered upon each horse’s specific requirements and in an understanding that takes into consideration the individual needs and abilities of the rider,” she says.

Stormy personally supports ‘students of the horse’ on their  Pure Horse discussion Forum and is currently writing a book on Foundation with Body Softness. She is also developing exercises for ‘Performance with Body Softness’, while she continues to study performance development and is working toward showing in the fields of Cutting and Reining Cow Horse, on ‘home grown’ developed horses.

The amazing thing is that Storm was   - Wait for it. - born and brought up in Crowborough, East Sussex

So who does Bruce think are good riders?

John Wayne?

“I love John Wayne. I have all his films and DVD’s, But is he a good rider? No.”

Clint Eastwood?

“He’s alright. He’s an actor.”

Nicole Kidman.

“I went to see her in that film, Australia. She was riding as an English woman rides.
 It was in context.”

Tom  Sellick.
 “He’s a good rider. But he works at it. He wants to be a good rider. For him it’s not acting.”