Out of the Woods Horsemanship’s philosophy revolves around one thing, relating and living in horse time…or mule or donkey time too! "Horse Time" means disconnecting from our human agendas and progressing with your horse when they are ready.  It is easy in our high-tech world to let what others are accomplishing affect our expectations. This can result in pushing our horses into unrealistic expectations. When we are in the state of mind of “pushing” and “forcing” we often miss the subtle cues that our equine are exchanging with us. By slowing down and operating on horse time, we are able to become more aware of equine body language allowing us to build a relationship that is both respectful and rewarding. Have you ever been riding, and whatever your goal was, you both synced up in a perfect moment to nail it? Whether that’s roping a calf out of the pasture, performing the perfect horsemanship pattern, or simply having your horse come right up to you to be haltered. The moments where communication is so clear between you and your horse that everything happens effortlessly. These are the moments that we strive for; it’s our horses that are wondering why we don’t communicate clear and honest all the time. It would make their life a lot easier if they didn’t have to receive human’s mixed messages of… “I need you to move your hip…Oops I need to put the laundry in the dryer…I said move your hip…the winds going to lift that bag over there and scare my horse…” Its constant and human nature to think too much, the goal is to let go of those thought patterns and engage presently with your equine. My goal as a trainer and instructor is to guide you to seeing the big picture with your horse, and learning to read their body language so in turn communication becomes clear and riding is blissful for both of you.

 

Just as humans have strengths and weaknesses, so do our equine. I believe in training horses to be an all around horse, and not just specialized to one job/event. Imagine how boring our lives would be if we woke up everyday and had to do the same task all the time…oh wait that’s called a job isn’t it? We grow to resent it. We need the breaks in between like visiting with friends, getting a massage, going skiing and flying down the mountain. Whatever it may be we all look forward to that release. I want my horse to look forward to their job and relationship with me. I believe in turning my horses out to pasture and letting them have a little herd therapy, as well as letting them work a cow to rein in their focus, and yet I still would like them to have a nice western pleasure jog but be able to extend out on the trail all day. I give horses a chance to grow and expand into an all around horse, where as an owner you know just where your horses strengths and weaknesses lie.

 

Becoming more aware of what your horse is trying to communicate with you may bring your attention to things that have been causing your horse problems for a long time.  Like I said before horses are very clear and honest, so I am dedicated to giving them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to training problems. I’ve had so much experience working with horses that have been to trainers for behavioral problems, and when they show up to my place I can see immediately that they are physically uncomfortable. I personally will not train a horse through physical discomfort and attribute it to behavior. I need to know that the equine I take on for training are comfortable and therefore the mind is in the right place to learn and grow. When it comes to emotional discomfort/trauma, I specialize in helping the horse to heal and get their confidence back before the real training can begin. This is severely different than taking a horse that has a perfectly blank slate and turning them around in 30 days. I strive to provide horses that need space and chance to heal a productive learning environment that happens in the right timing…horse time.

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Happy riding,

Kendra Werner

Owner of Out of the Woods Horsemanship & Cattle

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