Training Quiet, Responsive Horses for Colorado Guest Ranch
What is your name and where do you train?
Kaulana Papalimu, or “KP” from Vista Verde Ranch in Clark, Colorado. Vista Verde Ranch is a guest ranch offering riding holidays and lessons for all levels of riders.
What disciplines do you train, and with what breeds?
I train Western horsemanship with Quarter Horses and draft crosses.
What are your business goals?
My goal is to build top-notch dude horses who are quiet but responsive. With the ranch (Vista Verde) having so many horses, we are constantly buying and moving horses. Some age out and some don’t stay sound enough to do as much work as we require.
I am currently riding a few 2- and 3-year-olds who will go into the wrangler string and then into the dude string. If I can keep this cycle going, we should produce some nice, finished horses for our guests. I’m currently in year two of this process and there are three young horses in the dude string this year.
What is your training philosophy, and who has influenced it?
I practice “Gentle as possible, but firm as necessary.” Buck Brannaman is someone I’ve admired for many years. Bryan Newbert has a great approach to horses as well. Bryan often says, “What’s in it for the horse?” Steve Mantle had worked with wild horses for years and has helped me with a mustang that I started. Steve has a soft but confident “feel” with horses and they seem to respond with that same energy.
Last, but certainly not least, is my uncle Harry Nakoa. Nakoa is the man that set me on this horsemanship journey some 20 years ago. Nakoa taught me what it means to “feel the energy of a horse and recognize if and when it changes.” That advice has helped both me and my horses more than any exercise or drill.
Do you have goals in training your own horses?
I love seeing interest in the younger generation, so the goals I have for my personal horse is to make a horse that my whole family can ride and enjoy!
Contact
Email [email protected]
Website: www.vistaverde.com
Phone: 970-879-3858
Facebook: Vista Verde Ranch
Northwest Horse Source Publisher’s Review
KP was a great trainer. When I arrived at Vista Verde Ranch, I expected the horses to be typical dude string horses with dull sides who pull the reins out of your hands to eat, and with a low level of training. I was excited to see that they offered lessons, and I was even more impressed with KP. His mannerisms and quiet way around the horses were nice to see. The mare I rode, Blue Moon, was very well trained and easily did rollbacks, spins, and was quite handy. KP worked with all of us including those with very little experience. It was a great experience!
Karen Pickering, Publisher
See this article in the September 2025 Online Digital Edition:
September 2025
The Colorado Horse Source is an independently owned and operated print and online magazine for horse owners and enthusiasts of all breeds and disciplines in Colorado and surrounding area. Our contemporary editorial columns are predominantly written by experts in the region, covering the care, training, keeping and enjoyment of horses, with an eye to the specific concerns in our region.