WAYNESVILLE, Ohio – Southwest Ohio is a hotbed for horses. Ohio has a horse population of about 306,000, making it the sixth most populous state in the country when it comes to horses. It also has the sixth most horses per square mile in the country with 7.5 horses per square mile of land. Ohio offers a variety of equestrian properties ranging from small hobby farms to large-scale boarding and training facilities.

Waynesville, Ohio, horse trainer Helge Buflod is known in southwest Ohio as the “horse whisperer.” He can work with a wild stallion in the morning and have that same horse ready to ride by afternoon. Buflod simply calls it natural horsemanship, understanding the horse and what it is thinking.

“I’m a student and teacher of Natural Horsemanship, which is communicating with the horse in their language,” said Buflod, who has been training horses the past 20 years. “The horse’s language is simple but not always easy to understand. It is a combination of body language, pecking order, and using the right amount of pressure, but more importantly, the right amount of release to get your point across. It’s about having your idea become the horse’s idea. I call this Natural Horsemanship.”

Without muttering a single word, Buflold uses simple head motions, easy-going gestures or concentrated glances at a horse to manipulate the animal.

“I call it plain talking, but it’s also referred to as horse whispering,” he said.

Buflod has a way with horses. He should. After all, he’s been around horses most of his life.

 “I was in 4-H as a youth,” Buflod said. “I’ve had horses from the time I was a little kid. As a parent I was also involved as a leader in my kid’s 4-H club. My interest in horses came from my grandfather who was a horse trader. I travelled to auctions with him as he bought and sold horses. I learned the  ‘what to do’ and ‘what not to do’ about the horse business. When I was five or six years old, people would pay me a dollar to ride their ponies through the auction ring.”

Buflod is owner and operator of Rockin’ HB Ranch, located just north of downtown Waynesville. The ranch is a family-oriented stable that offers training, clinics, boarding and lessons for both kids and adults. This 50-acre ranch offers three hours of trails that takes riders through ravines, rivers and ponds. More than that, it’s a haven for horse enthusiasts who want to hone their horsemanship skills.

Another thing that sets Buflod apart from other trainers are his boot camps and clinics. The ranch offers numerous horse-rider boot camps, mini boot camps, half-day clinics and full-day clinics. These clinics work to embolden confidence in horse and rider, and improve behavioral issues.

 “I work with all breeds of horses,” he said. I’m often asked which horse is best horse for a first-timer to own. The age and experience of the horse is more important than the breed. What a person intends to do with the horse will largely influence the breed they get. But I always stress that a new rider needs to buy the most experienced horse they can find.”

For more information on the clinics visit www.Helgeshorsetraining.com.