I agree that most NH is BS. While I respect the likes of Buck, and would actually audit a clinic if he ever came down here, it isn’t useful to me personally because I do not desire a trained vaquero horse.
My horse will be limited to my own riding abilities and tendencies as well as the resources I have where I live. If I lived in Montana, it might be different, but I don’t. I live in the hangy down state near a very large horse community with plenty of resources (NO, I am NOT talking about Parelli, LOL!). There are two local trainers that I have used in the past, who are excellent riders and use gentle techniques to train. It’s fun to watch other methods, but when it’s just me and the horse, I have to follow my own instincts, which say, very clearly, that the “magical” round pen has it’s limits. I follow the basic good rules of common sense, which include:
1). Don’t overwork your horse.
2). Never lose your temper.
3). Only physically correct a horse for dangerous behavior (biting, striking, kicking).
4). When physically correcting a horse, the first smack is training, the second is revenge.
5). Always end on a positive note.
6). And, what I learned so far from Gus, I decide when the training is done, rather than letting him decide.