Ep. 43 Colton Woods, Cinderella of Cats, Clinician, Horse Business Mentor

Adult Onset Horsemanship

Once you listen to this one, the title will make sense. I was encouraged to talk with Colton by a mutual friend, and I feel like I owe that friend a bottle of something. Colton is a very thoughtful guy with a heart for helping people, but in pragmatic ways. He's ambitious and driven, but he's clear on what that ambition and drive is for. His business is there to help him serve others and to provide for his family and their future.
It is for sure the case that horse trainers don't tend to be good at the business side of their business. We get engrossed in the horses, and often only do the things outside of that that are absolutely necessary to keep the horse work moving along. Colton is a breathe of fresh air in that regard. He's encouraging trainers to run their business with purpose, and offering help in how to go about that. I do know of another friend who has used his services that got a significant bump in their business almost immediately.
All of the business talk is a big part of what separates him from the crowd, but I do want to make sure to say that he's a horseman too. Colton has a successful training and clinic schedule and he's smart enough to make sure his family has also made it onto the calendar. I really enjoyed talking with him and got a ton out of the talk. While it may seem like this is a discussion only for horse pros, I think it's also important for owners to understand the real costs of running a training operation and what all should be entailed in that responsibility. I have certainly noticed that far too many of us are operating our businesses on the edge of a cliff. You should want the people taking care of your animals to be safe and secure in their personal lives so that they aren't in a constant state of personally putting out fires while trying to do their best with your business. A rising tide raises all ships.
Colton also has/had his own podcast, Heart of Horsemanship Podcast, which is well worth your time. He hasn't had a new episode in a good while, but the old ones are great. Check out Colton's offerings at the following links:
https://www.coltonwoodshorsemanship.com/
https://www.tiktok.com/@coltonwoodshorseman
https://www.facebook.com/ColtonWoodsHorsemanship/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzFS05e5ap3SPe4g-5T6Nw
https://www.instagram.com/coltonwoodshorseman/