It is important to learn how to read the horse's signals and be able to recognize when he is just starting to feel tense as well as when he is just starting to relax. Another big difference in natural horsemanship is the reward system. When you are first starting with groundwork, this might mean stopping your request instantly while backing away from the horse looking the other way, then breathing deeply and being as depleted of energy as possible for as long as a minute or so. Instead of training the horse through repetition to do a specific thing, the goal of natural horsemanship is to help the horse to be calm and relaxed, yet at the same time fully attentive and mentally prepared to respond to any request you may make at any given moment. It is an excellent foundation for any discipline and extremely therapeutic for horses from both a mental and physical point of view.
Natural horsemanship requires a lot of patience, time and commitment.
There are no miracles to it. The best advice we've heard on this subject was from Johnny Crago, a natural trainer in Australia. Even if really unpleasant things are going on around you, it's way too distracting to get all wrapped up in and upset about it. This is a VERY common situation, and it can be a very dangerous one. In order to accomplish this we usually teach you with a horse who is NOT green and already has a lot of trust.