ARTICLES
Natural Horsemanship
Willing Cooperation
By Herman E. Detering
January 2007 The Cattleman
Why is it for the past two or three decades the hot topic in horsemanship has been a low-stress approach to training commonly referred to as “natural horsemanship?” Is there anything fundamentally new in the way we train horses?...
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Of Horses and Humans:
My Recent Experience in Colombia.
By Herman Detering
March 2009 Horseback Magazine
The crowd of over one hundred people seemed small in the vast stadium that surrounded the horse pen. That afternoon I was scheduled to work with several wild horses as part of two demonstrations I was putting on for the Colombian Zebu Association, formally known as the Asociacion Colombiana de Criadores de Ganado Cebu. ...
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Natural Horsemanship and the
Art of Mediation
By Herman Detering
July 2008
When Ellen asked me to talk on Natural Horsemanship and mediation, I was somewhat puzzled as to what I could say. As you know, in mediation there are opposing but willingly parties and an independent facilitator, whereas in Natural Horsemanship, there are only two parties: One is the horse, who is there, whether or not he wants to, and the other the mediator, who has a vested interest in the outcome and is the authority over all disputes. ...
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Letter To: The New York Times.
On Talking to the Animals: Horses, Cattle, and Buffalo.
By Herman Detering
Bernd Heinrich’s recent Op-Ed column “Talking to the Animals” caused me to reflect more broadly on the work I have been doing in Texas for the past ten years. My work has been with veritable American icons: horses, cattle, and buffalo. My goal has been to build bridges of trust, respect, and communication that span not only species differences but the natural opposition between prey and predator. ...
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No. 1987: THE ANIMALS LAUGH
By John H. Lienhard, The Engines of Our Ingenuity, Copyright © 1988–2005 by John H. Lienhard.
My last two days have been all about animals. This morning, I found a Science Magazine article about animal laughter. I might've read right past it, but we'd just been off in central Texas. First, we'd ridden a hay wagon through the quiet stately herds on a buffalo ranch. We heard no laughter among the buffalo...
Listen to the radio broadcast or read the online article. Engines of Our Ingenuity
Cattle Handling
Low-Stress Handling Pays
By Herman Detering
February 2010 The Cattleman
Help your cattle generate more income by using low-stress handling technigues. The results may be more pounds of calf, more productive mothers and fewer injuries to you.
Download the complete article in pdf, English and Español.
Working Cattle The Natural Way
By Herman Detering
October 2005 Savvy Times
Today, the cattle industry is becoming increasingly aware of the serious need to change the forceful way in which cattle are routinely handled. Practical experience and research now confirm that forceful handling results in elevated levels of stress that adversely affect not only the immune system of cattle but also ...
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Low Stress Cattle Handling
By Herman Detering
Based on a talk given in Monteria-Cordoba, Colombia, to the Asociacion Colombiana de Criadores de Ganado Cebuon
February 19, 2008.
Interest in low stress cattle handling is rapidly growing in the United States. If you want a detailed idea of this, look on the internet, and you will find close to 100,000 sites listed under “Low Stress Cattle Handling.” ...
Download the complete talk in pdf.
Help First-calf Heifers Establish a Maternal Bond
By Herman E. Detering
November 2007 The Cattleman
When I first took responsibility for the management of 40 young Brahman cattle, one of the most upsetting and costly things that happened to me was the occasional rejection by a young heifer of her first calf.
When this happens, if someone is not there at the time of birth,...
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Ranch Safety through Low-Stress Cattle Handling
By Herman E. Detering
January 2007 The Cattleman
Ranch safety through reducing stress on cattle is a major reason for the increased focus on handling in the industry today. Low-stress demonstrations and workshops can be found on the agenda of cattle raisers ’ associations, in college programs and in presentation by an increasing number of independent rancher-clinicians.
The primary rationale offered for using lowstress handling is...
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Working Cattle the Natural Way: “The Weaning Process”
By Herman Detering
May 2006 The Brahman Journal
Most ranchers would agree that weaning is one of the most stressful times in working with cattle. Not only is it a shock to the cow and the calf, but it adds stress to the rancher who often has to deal with distraught calves that won’t eat or drink, who are prone to become sick, or at least lose significant amounts of weight. ..
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Surviving in Today’s Marketplace
By Herman Detering
February 2009, The Cattleman
Ranchers I have spoken with lately are becoming increasingly alarmed over production factors that are beyond their control: high prices for feed, fuel, fertilizer and, of course, the need for rain. In addition, there is growing public concern about handling methods used in the production of cattle and about the impact of cattle on the environment...
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QUESTIONS In Response To The Brahman Journal Article
1. Question: I found your article very interesting but couldn’t help wondering whether your method of handling cattle is something anyone can learn or does it require some special ability?
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Report on the 2004 TSCRA Annual School for Successful Ranching Program:
Bud Williams on Stress Management.
By Herman Detering
May 2004 The Brahman Journal
In line with current interest in stress and cattle management, (see The Brahman Journal, Oct. ’03, Gulf Coast Cattleman, Feb. 04), the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association invited Bud Williams, internationally respected expert on cattle handling, to address their 2004 School of Successful Ranching. ... Download the complete article in pdf.