About Us
Ben Longwell is the Horseman & Clinician for True West Horsemanship based most of the year in Pendleton, Oregon, USA. Read more about us, our history, horse training philosophies & what we do below.
Ben Longwell grew up on the Western Slope of Colorado, USA, riding horses and working cattle. After finishing school, he spent much of his time doing day work for different ranches & outfits in the area, learning from the skills and experience of the ranchers. He also spent a year working as assistant trainer at a Quarter Horse breeder in Colorado learning the basics of colt starting and true horsemanship.
After spending much of the next six years in the colt starting & horse training business, his knowledge and experience continued to expand. During this time Ben worked on a 300,000 acre cattle & horse ranch in Wyoming, where he was also involved in conducting horsemanship clinics and demonstrations.
Ben has worked with some great horsemen in the West, adding to a lifetime of practical equine experience. He is influenced from the methods of such horseman as Tom & Bill Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Richard Caldwell, Jeff Sanders, Martin Black, Buck Brannaman, Dave Weaver and others.
In 2011 – Ben and his wife Natalie moved to her native country of New Zealand and took the opportunity to build a horse training and clinic business.
Since being in New Zealand, Ben has been privileged to be a returning Clinician at NZ’s national horse expo seven different years giving well received clinics ranging from Colt Starting and Vaquero Horsemanship, to Problem Solving and Green Horse Clinics.
In 2014 Ben was invited to participate in New Zealand’s first Kaimanawa Wild Stallion Challenge – where trainers were randomly given a Kaimanawa Stallion straight from the wild and competed in 2 competitions at Equidays and Horse of the Year.
Ben has appeared in a number of Equine Magazines and has also had many training articles published.
In 2022 – Ben and Natalie did yet another international move half way around the world back to the USA, with their 4 kids in tow and are now based near Pendleton, OR.
Ben continues to focus on education for both horses and people, while collaborating with local ranchers and travelling for clinics. True West Horsemanship specializes in unique opportunities like our On The Trail Horsemanship Clinic, Ranch Horsemanship Adventures or our Ranch Horse Development.
Our Mission is to advance and develop practical skills and communication for the dedicated
student of horsemanship, to help them and their horses achieve more together.
