A safe, smart, and confident horse and rider team is built upon trust, respect and clear communication.

Wylene's deep understanding of how horses think and behave is a real asset when handling horses. She recognizes that all horses have their own personality with a set of strengths and weaknesses. While each one is different, all horses can become easily anxious in strange or new situations. Additionally, horses can sense the anxiety of the rider. Riding with fear is dangerous.   Riding with confidence is safe.

Many of Wylene's clients present horses who are either untrained, neglected or may even have been mistreated. In any case, without clear rider leadership and communication, these horses have the potential to hurt someone. She will teach the rider how to communicate with the horse, as well as, how to recognize when the horse is communicating with them. Wylene believes that if we educate our mind, and train our body, we are on our way to smart handling.

Wylene's Basic Handling is heavily influenced by her early experience with Monte Foreman philosophy. A happy horse has trust and respect for their rider. A horse is always doing what he thinks the rider wants him to do. When the wreck happens, it is nearly always the rider's fault.  

When teaching the rider side of the team, Wylene provides lessons on leadership and control over a variety of situations.   Since the rider must be a leader in control, he, therefore, must know what to do when a situation slips out of control. This can mean riding several different types of horses in one session.   Variety in our riding experience leads to better recognition of danger.  

Rather than learning everything on one horse, Wylene would teach the rider to learn one fundamental on a variety of horses.   There is no perfect horse, no role model. Recognizing loss of control early provides for immediate correction. Knowing what to expect, anticipating the mistake, and having confidence in how to handle it all lead to safe riding. Practice the accident.

With rider expectations clear, Wylene will help the rider "learn their horse". Understanding the horse's history is a start, but the past is no home for excuses. Many riders will make excuses for their horses believing that certain behavior cannot change.   These barriers to happy horsemanship must be lifted. For the horse, fear and resistance come only from his past experiences. Wylene's "Fear Extinquisher" is laying the horse down.

Laying the horse down allows for a new start with a sense of trust. This technique results in an attitude change. It establishes a platform of cooperation and clarity as to who is the one in charge. Most importantly, the horse becomes open to training. This is where "What do you want me to do" horse sense is achieved.   

Now the horse is ready for the reality of its environment. The horse and rider team can embrace the challenges and pressures of higher performance. Life really can come at you fast, especially outside of the arena. With clear trust, respect and confidence, the team can safely ride at any speed. A safe horse can handle the unexpected so often found along the trail, or in the open range. If you goal is to become a more effective, safe riding team ready to embrace new challenges in the joy of horsemanship, Wylene Wilson is your teacher.