03/16/2025
If you have a horse you are called to be horseman. Yet many make excuses for not stepping up…
Everyone wants the companionship, the partnership, the abilities, the feeling, the freedom... that comes with being a horseman.
But horsemanship isn’t a feeling. It’s a responsibility.
A responsibility to put the horse’s needs first. To show up, every day, with the discipline to improve yourself so you can be better for your horse. To lead with clarity. To do what’s right and needed, not just what feels good.
Most people ‘just’ want to have fun with their horse doing what they enjoy. Most don’t want that kind of responsibility. Yet when you have horses, it is your responsibility regardless if you want to or not.
And I do believe horses are here for us to enjoy, yet the fact is, with horses and in life the way we get to enjoy things we want and desire is by first serving others.
Those who actually step up and take responsibility for the role they have taken on… Those are the real horsemen.
As a horseman…
1. The needs of the horse comes first. Always.
Not your wants, desires, goals, or timeline. Not what makes you feel comfortable or cozy. The horse’s needs dictate what needs to be done. You serve the horse first, and when you do the results, your goals, your dreams are able to follow in abundance and quality.
2. You fix yourself before you try to fix the horse.
The horse is NOT a mirror to your soul. Your horse responds to who you are- physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. If there’s a problem, the first place you look is within yourself and then to your horse.
3. You don’t avoid challenges—you welcome them.
Growth and comfort dont live in the same arena or barn. Growth only happens when there’s pressure, challenges, and sometimes even struggle. That doesn’t mean we go out creating more trouble- absolutely not- yet when it arises in the learning process a real horseman does not shy away those challenges with their horse. Instead, they guide them through it building deeper partnerships and skills.
4. Your emotions don’t run the show.
Your horse doesn’t need your frustration. They don’t need your fear, your self-doubt, or your ego. They need leadership. They need presence, clarity, vision, patience, consistency. You stay present on your horses needs and you feel whatever you need to feel after the session.
5. Pressure is not the enemy. Confusion is.
Pressure is part of learning. Nothing creates a more frustrated horse than a human driven by emotion with a lack of decisiveness, consistency and awareness of the horse. A horseman knows it’s not the amount of pressure but rather the timing and significance of the release that makes the biggest difference.
6. Boundaries create confidence.
A horse that knows the boundaries are consistent and supportive feels safe and can fully submit. Leadership means serving them, giving them structure, clarity, and trust.
7. You let the horse think.
Micromanaging creates robotic, neurotic and anxious horses. You present the question, give them the time and ability to make their own decision, let them figure it out then guide and support them as necessary.
8. You learn from every horse.
A true horseman never stops being a student. Every horse has something to teach you—if you’re humble enough to listen. When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
9. The goal is not short term gratification. The goal is setting that horse up for a lifetime of success.
What we do with our horse develops their skills. How we do it develops the partnership. A horse that is forced to perform is not the same as a horse that chooses to.
10. You reflect, you refine, you return.
After every ride, you analyze what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve. You don’t just do more, you do better.
11. You lead by example.
You don’t demand respect, you earn it. You don’t just teach the horse discipline, you live it. Your horse is always responding to who you are. The question is: are you someone worth following?
We are all called to be horsemen but many will never step up because they are too focused on themselves. For those who choose this path to do what is best for the horse, there is no deeper reward.
The world needs more real horsemen.
The world needs more real leaders.
“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.”
The same goes for our horses.
-Colton Woods
Horse training with an emphasis on ethical principles and correct biomechanics.
