One example of what you presents, I was taught to start horses under saddle by teaching them the standard series of tricks, stretch, bow, knee, lay down, sit up and stand up, along with the spanish walk.
Teaching and doing that was fun for us and the horses, that would offer at times some of those behaviors when it was time to be put up to keep us working, not end the fun.
Those were taught not for the tricks, but because it was one more way to readily show the trainer what kind of horse it was working with and how to approach training better for that horse and taught the horses that humans were working with them with purpose.
That helped their focus on the tasks at hand, not to just react to humans strange ways by rote.
Those tricks also taught horses the very important body awareness type horses donāt pay much attention to naturally, to manage in the human world with purpose, not just wander around and bang into things or other beings around them.
We also taught them thru the traditional English discipline training scales, dressage basics of long and low and stretching into hand, cavalletti and jumping gymnastics and to trail ride and eventually some training for endurance rides.
Then I went to a different riding center that was mostly performance directed in the traditional English riding disciplines with way more emphasis in the technical parts.
There first colt I started and was teaching spanish walk I was told summarily that was not acceptable, as it was a disuniting movement and contrary to the dressage goal of ultimate collection.
I followed their wishes and learned so much there, but in a different way.
That was over half a century ago and today, surprise, to ādisuniteā a horse is to teach them to be aware of all the parts, be able to use themselves in many ways other than just towards one ultimate single goal, now the spanish walk is not evil disruptor, but one more cross training tool.
Now, it still holds that you donāt want to promote the wrong muscle and nerve memory for a special task, it would make it harder for the horse to perform correctly if it is not properly trained and fit for job at hand.
When we teach something we need to be aware of what else we want to ask of the horse later and adjust that knowledge to how we build to it.
You donāt take a dressage or western pleasure well trained horse to a competitive endurance ride, or a race horse right off its last race to a three day event.
My point, depends on our goals what and how we will do this or that with our horses.
It is important when we see what others do, to give them a break, if we like what they do or not, to LEARN more about what they do and why and understand how that fits in todayās world, not deride them offhand because is not what we do.
In that vein, what this fellow under discussion here does, well, what he does with horses evidently fit what some get out of their involvement with horses and why not?
The disagreement is when he, as told repeatedly, insist his way is the only, the best, the most unique, correct, perfect way, all else wrong.
That is ā¦ unimaginative is the nicest adjective I can think. 
