05/20/2026
Helping clients start their own c**ts is something that has always meant a lot to me.
Today, one of my students was out of town and asked me to still get her horse out and put a ride on her horse. For the past few months, we’ve been doing weekly lessons to help her start her own horse herself. This isn’t something new to me—I’ve helped quite a few people do this over the years—and every time I swing a leg over one of those horses, it makes me feel good knowing I wasn’t the one who did all the work. I simply helped guide the process.
Needless to say, I’m very happy with how this horse is coming along.
From a trainer’s point of view, helping someone start their own horse can be a challenging place to stand. You remember what it was like when you were learning. You remember the uncertainty, the mistakes, the wrecks, and the lessons that only experience can teach. The more horses you’ve started, the more understanding you gain.
So when someone says, “I want to start my own horse,” I believe it’s important to be honest about the risks involved—but you also have to do it without destroying their confidence. Because truthfully, I’m all for people starting their own horses. It’s one of those experiences in life you never forget. It teaches you things about horses, yourself, pressure, confidence, timing, and responsibility that are hard to learn any other way.
There are a lot of factors I consider before helping someone down that road. The horse’s temperament and breed matter. The preparation and homework the student has put in matters. But just as important is the personality of the person. How do they respond when things don’t go according to plan? How do they handle pressure when the “S” hits the fan?
All of those things help me figure out how to guide both the student and the horse through the process successfully.
One situation that always sticks out in my mind was a gal who reached out to me for help with a Mustang TIP horse she was gentling. I didn’t know her, and I didn’t know the horse. She filled me in on everything she had done so far, including getting dumped trying to ride the horse.
So I spent a few lessons getting to know both of them. I worked on helping her understand what the horse needed, while also helping her understand what she needed to change in herself. She got homework every week—and she did it. She was determined to get that Mustang going under saddle herself.
When it came time for the first rides, I hauled one of my seasoned horses down to ride with her. I wanted every advantage possible to help things go smoothly and safely and It worked well.
A few rides later, I climbed on her Mustang myself and rode it around a bit. What stood out to me wasn’t just the horse—it was the realization that this was another test for me as a teacher.
The horse wasn’t my direct work, but it was close enough that I could feel the similarities. It showed me what had transferred through the student. It allowed me to test my communication, my explanations, and the system I had taught.
That’s one reason I continue helping people start their own horses. It isn’t just about getting them riding—it’s also a way for me to continue learning.
I truly believe one of the most important parts of working with horses is staying open to learning. That doesn’t always mean chasing new methods or constantly searching for the next big thing. Sometimes the greatest lessons are standing right in front of you in the horse you’re already working with.
Whether you train horses professionally or simply own one horse of your own, you always have opportunities to test yourself. Test what you’ve taught. Test what you know. Double check your understanding. Cross-check your timing, your feel, and your communication.
That kind of knowledge is available every single day if you’re willing to pay attention to it.
After thousands of horses and many different personality types—both horse and human—I’ve learned that keeping an open mind is important. Different horses require different approaches. Different people learn differently. And I think we should never forget that growth often comes from being willing to keep learning from what’s already in front of us.
