Professional Horseman's School
Train Horses at the Highest Level.
Build a Business and Career That Lasts.
The only program in the country that trains you in both elite horsemanship AND the business of being a professional horse trainer and continues supporting you after you graduate.
Applications Open for 2027
The Professional Horseman's School accepts a maximum of 12 students per session. Acceptance is highly selective. If you apply after this session fills, you will be considered for the next available session.
For Those Serious About Becoming A Professional
Our students come from different backgrounds, yet are united by a common mission. Some are established professionals making a serious career change. Others are young and just starting out, determined to build a real future with horses from the ground up. What they share matters most: genuine drive, a willingness to do the work, and the commitment to invest in becoming a true professional.
What they've been missing isn't talent or desire — it's a legitimate, structured path. That's what this school was built to provide.
Who PHS Is For:
Career-changers ready to transition from a demanding profession — military, first responder, medical, corporate, or any driven background
People who have the passion and the drive, and are now in a position financially and personally to make the move
Serious young aspiring professionals who want to build a real career, not just ride horses
Parents and family members who want their loved one's investment going into a structured, professional program with real outcomes
Who this is not for:
People looking for a general horse experience or a hobby program
Applicants who are not yet financially prepared to make this investment
Anyone unwilling to put in the daily work it takes- this program challenges you on every level
The Professional Horseman's School
A School for the
Modern Horseman
In today's industry, time in the barn is not enough. You need elite horsemanship skills AND the business foundation to build a career that sustains itself.
#1: Elite Horsemanship Training
You will train horses at a level that earns respect in the industry. Not just riding.. Developing horses from the ground up, working across disciplines, and reaching a standard of horsemanship that separates professionals from hobbyists. You will train multiple horses with varying backgrounds so that when you graduate, you have real experience and results, not just technique and theory.
#2: Business of Being a Professional Trainer
The reason most horse trainers struggle is not from a lack of opportunity or talent. It's from a lack of business skills. The Professional Horseman School teaches you how to build and run a horse training business: how to attract clients, build your brand, structure your services, and generate the income you need to do this for a living. This is what no other program in the country provides alongside the horsemanship.
#3: Post-Graduation Support
Graduation is not the end of our relationship with you, it is the beginning of the hardest part. For 12 months after you graduate, you have ongoing access to support as you build your business and establish yourself in the industry. This is the safety net that turns a leap of faith into a calculated transition.
#4: A Credential That Means Something
Every graduate of the Professional Horseman School earns that status permanently. For those who choose to maintain their active certification, testing every 24 to 36 months ensures the credential remains a mark of real excellence and certified graduates receive ongoing marketing exposure through the school to drive clients to their business.
Why choose the Professional Horseman's School?
A School for the
Modern Horseman
In today's industry, time in the barn is not enough. You need elite horsemanship skills AND the business foundation to build a career that sustains itself.
#1: Elite Horsemanship Training
You will train horses at a level that earns respect in the industry. Not just riding.. Developing horses from the ground up, working across disciplines, and reaching a standard of horsemanship that separates professionals from hobbyists. You will train multiple horses with varying backgrounds so that when you graduate, you have real experience and results, not just technique and theory.
#2: Business of Being a Professional Trainer
The reason most horse trainers struggle is not from a lack of opportunity or talent. It's from a lack of business skills. The Professional Horseman School teaches you how to build and run a horse training business: how to attract clients, build your brand, structure your services, and generate the income you need to do this for a living. This is what no other program in the country provides alongside the horsemanship.
#3: 24 Months of Post-Graduation Support
Graduation is not the end of our relationship with you, it is the beginning of the hardest part. For 24 months after you graduate, you have ongoing access to support as you build your business and establish yourself in the industry. This is the safety net that turns a leap of faith into a calculated transition.
#4: A Credential That Means Something
Every graduate of the Professional Horseman School earns that status permanently. For those who choose to maintain their active certification, testing every 24 to 36 months ensures the credential remains a mark of real excellence and certified graduates receive ongoing marketing exposure through the school to drive clients to their business.
This is NOT a Certificate Program.
This is a Professional School.
There are certificate and certification programs in the horse industry. You have probably already looked at them. They certify a method. They train you in a specific set of techniques tied to a specific trainer's brand. When you graduate, you are a representative of that brand- not an independent professional with your own identity.
The Professional Horseman School is built differently. We help you develop into a complete professional. When you graduate, you know how to train horses at a high level and how to run a real business. You carry a credential maintained by ongoing testing, not one handed out at the end of a workshop. And we do not ask you to perpetuate our brand or our methods. We want you to grow, evolve, and become the horseman you were meant to be.
We are also not a traditional college equine program. Those programs accept students on passion, collect four years of tuition, and produce graduates who, in overwhelmingly large numbers, do not go on to build careers in the horse industry. The administration of those programs will not tell you what percentage of graduates are still actively working in the industry. Because the number is not defensible.
We are not here to fill sessions. We are here to produce graduates who succeed. That is a different standard and it shows in everything from how we select students to how we support them after they leave.
What Our Students Are Saying After Graduating
“I looked directly at Colton and said, ‘I’ve just been playing with horses.’ His style of training is a lot more than just getting the horse to accomplish the task. You will learn a lot about yourself and your own patience during this process.”
Jason Ross- Founder of Front Line Equine
501 (c) 3 Non-Profit Serving Veterans and First Responders
Why This School Exists
Built by Someone Who Had to Figure It Out Without a Map
Colton Woods did not grow up in the horse industry. He came in as an outsider, with a late start, skeptical parents, and industry professionals who told him it wasn't worth pursuing. He pursued it anyway.
That experience, having to build a career in this industry without a clear path, without a school built to take someone from where he was to where he needed to be, is exactly why this school exists.
The Professional Horseman School is the school Colton wishes had existed when he was getting started. It is built for the person who has the passion, the work ethic, the drive and who deserves a legitimate, structured path to get there.
You Have Been Thinking About This Long Enough.
The admissions video will walk you through exactly how the school works, what to expect, and what it takes to get in. It is the most direct way to find out if this is the right move for you.
Watch it. Then decide.
“There’s a lot of people that want to come and not everybody gets selected. Understand, this selection is a never ending process. Every day you’re being selected to work within this program. It’s earned and not given.”
- Jason, PHS Graduate
Already watched the video and ready to apply?
Wild Mustang Program
Giving American Mustangs a Second Chance at Freedom
The Professional Horseman's School proudly integrates American Mustangs within each of our courses where they will transform from wild to willing partners prepared for success in our domesticated lifestyle.
At the end of their journey at the Professional Horseman's School, each mustang is offered for sale to the public.
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