Over my seventy years of living and learning, at one time or another I’ve participated in, and often taught, just about every kind of outdoor recreational activity there is. I’ve been a hiker, biker, camper, rock climber, caver, mountain climber, canoe, kayaker, river rafter, skier, and ski mountaineer. I’ve made long treks on motorcycles, bicycles, canoes, and across the Pacific in a forty foot long sail boat. But horseback riding, especially trail riding and low-impact horse camping (traveling with my horse and dog through the wilderness without a pack horse), has proven to be the most rewarding, satisfying, inspiring, and even mystifying form of recreational pursuit I have ever pursued. As I've aged, my physical abilities have diminished, and my scope of activities have narrowed. The truth is, I used to be an athlete, but now I'm just an athletic supporter. 

For those of us who must heed the call to adventure, the relationship between man and horse cannot be duplicated: not by a man in a boat, a man on a bike, a man on skis, or a man in any mechanically powered machine can the magic of this partnership be matched. When adequately mastered, the relationship between human and equine becomes a true symbiotic partnering, a graceful dance done by two amazing, but dramatically different life forms, with the man gently leading, and the horse willingly following each request, performing the dance together, without resistance, joined in an embrace of perfect balance and harmony. To those few individuals who have perfected the art of horsemanship to this level, riding is more than a sport.... it moves into the realm of an elating out-of- body experience, elevating the rider’s spirit to heights of transcendent ecstasy. It is Nirvana. It is Heaven on Earth! I call it "synergistic-synchronistic riding".

Many of you who are reading this are familiar with the quote: “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” Easy enough to say, but just what does it really mean? Our artificial society has not only given us a fragile false sense of security from the inescapable impermanence of our fleeting temporary existence, it has insulated us from the reality of our interdependence and inner-connectedness with all our fellow living creatures. Bound together, as we actually are, as a complex living organism, and stranded here on the surface of this little speck of dust we call “Mother Earth”, drifting on an uncharted course in an unimaginably large, and mostly empty and lifeless universe, today, many people feel the shallow emptiness of the artificial manmade environment we humans have created for ourselves. Deep down inside we feel the need for reconnecting with our true nature. We need recreation, or more accurately re-creation. For some of us, the vehicle that carries us to this reunion with our genuine selves is “equis”…the horse.

At West Gait Equine Learning Center, nestled close-by the towering  rim rock walls of the West entrance to the Colorado National Monument, I am offering an unusual opportunity for those kindred spirits who feel the need to get their hands on horses. Over the past twenty years, many have come here to fulfill their fantasy and experience the happiness and healing that comes with handling and riding horses. With my “beautiful to behold, smooth to ride, and easy to handle”, home bred and raised, Paso Pleasure Horses being the teachers, and me, a professional horseman and teacher acting as “equine success coach”, my students learn hands-on what I call “Horse Handling-Horse Sense”, “Sit-Down Equitation”, and “Synergistic-Synchronistic Riding”.

 Acquiring the necessary knowledge required to ride a horse is no harder than knowing how to drive a stick shift car. But mastering those skills to a level that allows you to safely head out on the trail takes time and commitment. Repetition is the Mother of skill, but only if it’s right repetition! And, because horses are big, strong, and easily frightened, without the proper instruction and the watchful guidance of someone who has already mastered those skills, horseback riding can be dangerous, even deadly. I have three main rules that I follow, and enforce on my students while they are working with me and my horses:

1.  We don’t get hurt. 2.  My horses don’t get hurt, and  3.  We’re having fun!

If you are one of those special people who have always loved horses, and felt yourself drawn to horses, but haven’t had the time or opportunity to fulfill that desire, or if you rode horses when you were young, but haven’t been able to ride for quite a while, don’t give up on your dream. You were “Born to Ride”. Whether you have come to realize this or not, now is the only time you’ve got! So don’t wait.  Just do it!  Make up your mind, pump up your courage, claim your power, and overcome your fears, take appropriate action, and walk you’re talk! (I guess I should have actually said “ride your ride”). But, by all means, do it the right way. Don’t just go out and buy a horse, jump on it, and start to ride. That’s a sure-fired recipe for a quick trip to the hospital…and your horse day dream will have become an overnight night mare.

Just like us, horses are living, breathing mammals. Humans, of course, are predators, hunters… killers. Anyone who watches the news knows that! Horses, on the other hand, are herd animals. They like to hang out together and look out for each other. But, they aren’t as smart as humans. That’s why they carry us instead of the other way around. They are, and have always been, prey (food) for various carnivorous, like us, for example. Consequently, it’s wired into their genes to run away from anything that seems frightening or suspicious to them. Horses, living in a herd, depend on the herd leaders to let them know when they can relax, or when they should run. In order to be safe when working with horses we must first convince them that we don’t want to eat them (win their trust), and then, we must convince them that we are above them on the pecking order and will tell them when they should be scared, and when they should run.

Unfortunately, these days there aren’t many folks left around who know enough about horses to understand the fact that we can learn how to think like a horse, but a horse can’t learn to think like us. In this relationship, if it is going to work right, we have to be the brains, and let the horse be the brawn. It just doesn’t work the other way around. Most horses that end up labeled “bad horses” are the unfortunate results of bad horse trainers; horse mechanics that have no “horse handling-horse sense”. After all, horse sense is just common sense, but these days not many folks have much common sense! Using my straight forward, easy to understand methods, my students learn to use patience and perseverance instead of pain and punishment, and finesse instead of force to train the horse. Applying my methods, they can experience the joy that comes from feeling that the horse, their dance partner, is enjoying the experience as much as they, the rider, are.

Take my advice. You don’t have to learn in the school of hard knocks, through the seat of your pants, like I did when I was a kid. You’re (probably) no kid now, anyway!? And that learning method’s not the easiest on your body either. Right? So do it the right way…the smart way.  Take lessons from someone who can teach you step by step, moving you toward mastery as you’re ready, following the rules I’ve just given you above. Remember, knowledge and mastery are not the same thing. So acquire your knowledge and perfect your skills under the guidance of a riding master…me. Old Chinese saying: “When the student is ready, the master appears. When the master is ready, the students appear". Well, I’ve retired myself from traveling to Horse Fairs and Expos as a speaker/clinician, and from doing Weekend Workshops here and there around the country. Now I’m focusing my time and energy working with “learners” here at West Gait Equine Learning Center. Want to learn? I’m ready to teach you. But, I’m not gettin' any younger, so don’t wait too long! Just remember, spending money on riding lessons with me is much cheaper, and a lot more fun, than spending money on Doctors and Hospitals. Savvy?

We are blessed to live in a part of the World that is surrounded by an unbelievable array of spectacularly scenic beauty, land that lends it’s self perfectly to being observed from horseback. Experiencing close up and personal our interconnectedness with the natural environment that comes from immersing yourself in the surroundings from the back of your horse is an experience without equal. But only when you have acquired the knowledge and mastered the necessary skills required to communicate directly and clearly with your horse, so that your horse understands that you are in charge, the benevolent master, and he can relax and be secure in your hands, your willing servant, ready to do your bidding, can you fully enjoy the experience without the distraction that comes from the anxiety of not feeling that you are actually leading this dance. O.K. Want to learn how to dance with horses? Come see me, Don West, and my smooth riding, naturally gaited Paso Pleasure Horses, and let me get you started out right on the path toward this challenge that will lead you to a most rewarding discovery. For all the details, click on Come Ride With Me.htm. and plan to come to West Gait Equine Learning Center. “Saddle up, Let’s Ride! Don West