Helping Riders Build Trust and Feel with Their Horses
What is your name and location? Ben Longwell of True West Horsemanship, LLC from Pendleton, Oregon.
What disciplines do you train/teach?
We teach horsemanship for all disciplines, helping riders build strong partnerships through clearer communication. We do ranch roping and emphasize low stress stockmanship.
What breeds are you involved with?
Quarter Horses, Paint Horses, mustangs, drafts and crosses, Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Appaloosas, Kaimanawas, Andalusians, Lusitanos, warmbloods, Haflingers, Standardbreds, Stationbreds, Morgans, Welsh Cobs, Gypsy Cobs, Akhal-Tekes, Miniatures, Connemaras, Irish Sporthorses, Paso Finos, and Cleveland Bays.
What are your business goals?
Our mission is to help people and their horses achieve more together. We do this in three ways: 1. Through practical clinics and workshops that give participants the opportunity to get out of the arena on trails and working cattle. 2.Through our exceptional online video library, and 3. By providing horses the time, consistency, proper riding and purpose that make solid saddle horses for any discipline. Horses in our program gain experience working in open country doing ranch work.
Accomplishments/Titles
We’ve been featured in equine magazines in the U.S., U.K., and New Zealand, and as a presenter on “Masterclass” on Country TV and The Horseman’s Gazette. I’ve authored multiple articles in Western Horse U.K., Eclectic Horseman, Valley Voice, and Western Ag Reporter. I’ve been a clinician/presenter at multiple expos in the U.S. and New Zealand and an invited competitor at the inaugural Wild Kaimanawa Stallion Challenge.
Philosophy of Training
We provide authentic, trust-based horse training in the tradition of the vaquero/buckaroo bridle horse, working in what is now commonly referred to as Natural Horsemanship. Developing harmony with horses involves understanding their perspective. We recognize their need for safety and comfort, which is naturally found in herd dynamics.
We focus on meeting those needs by providing leadership and communication in a way a horse naturally understands. An approach that is based on trust and leadership will produce a calmer, more reliable mount—one willing to please because it feels safe, and the rider feels safe. The emphasis of our horsemanship is always on communicating effectively through feel and building a working partnership based in trust and understanding.
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Website: truewesthorsemanship.com
Phone: 406-920-9045
Facebook: www.facebook.com/truewesthorsemanship
See this article in the May 2024 online edition:
May 2024
The Northwest Horse Source is an independently owned and operated print and online magazine for horse owners and enthusiasts of all breeds and disciplines in the Pacific Northwest. Our contemporary editorial columns are predominantly written by experts in the region, covering the care, training, keeping and enjoyment of horses, with an eye to the specific concerns in our region.
