 I thought I’d provide a history of my life with horses, a sort of “Equus Vitae.” For those of you who don’t know me, this will provide some insight into how horses have influenced me throughout my life, and how the Equimersion program evolved. And for those of you who do know me, perhaps you’ll learn something about me that you didn’t know!
1954 Photographed at the tender age of 3 on my first ride, my dad’s horse, at my uncle’s ranch in Big Timber, MT.
1958-1967 Got my first horse for Christmas in 1958, while my father was employed by the Hualapai Tribe in Peach Springs, AZ. Spent my youth on horseback. Every weekend roped cattle with the Hualapai Roping Club, chased and gathered wild cattle on the rim of the Grand Canyon, helped with the Tribal herd including cattle drives, and branded with Indian cowboys on the reservation.
Summers, 1964-67 Worked for Cremer Ranch, Melville, MT, throughout my high school years, riding everyday on the branding and heat detection crews.
Summers, 1969-73 Wrangled dudes for the Siggins Triangle X Ranch in Cody, WY, throughout my college years. Wrangled horses, led wilderness pack trips, learned horse shoeing. After graduation (University of Montana, Missoula), wrangled and led pack trips and helped produce a weekly rodeo for the Snowmass Stables in Aspen, CO.
1974 Worked for Highland Livestock Company in Livingston, MT.
1975-1977 Managed theValley Ranch, Cody, WY. Built guest riding program and led pack trips with 60+ horses. Was tie-down roping contestant in Cody Night Rodeo.
1978- 2005 Built and managed The Home Ranch, an upscale guest ranch in Clark, CO. Co-owner for 28 years. Developed a horsemanship program for guests and wranglers that rivaled none, with up to 165 horses. Raised and trained quarter horses; established the Colorado Center for Equestrian Learning. Taught horsemanship as well as hosted and participated in clinics for 10 years, including: Bill Smith, Curt Pate, Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman, Lynn Palm, Chris Irwin, Bryan Neubert, Kerry Milliken, Clinton Anderson, Tanya Larrigan, Pat Parelli, Dr. Robert Miller, Jim Brinkman, Les Vogt, Gene Ovinick, and various professors from the Equine Sciences program at Colorado State University.
1996-2003 Brought draft cross colts from Canada, halter broke and sold 40-80 colts at auction during one week every September.
1980-2000 Competed occasionally in Steamboat Springs rodeos in team roping, tie-down roping, and various ranch rodeos. Also maintained my own cattle herd at The Home Ranch and roped weekly for 25 years.
1999-2001 Studied jumping and English riding; with local instructor Bethany Aurin; completed short courses on lameness, nutrition, and shoeing at Colorado State University Equine Center.
1996-2004 Joined Roundup Riders of the Rockies, a men’s riding group, and participated in their traditional week-long summer pack trips throughout the Colorado Rockies.
1998 Enjoyed a 2-week riding trip to Ireland, took in horse sales and horse fairs in Irish countryside.
2005 Participated in the Western Folklife Center’s “Sagebrush to Steppe” cultural exchange to Mongolia, which included 6-day pack trip in the outback on Mongolian horses.
2005- present Moved to Whitefish, MT, with my wife Nancy; started the Lucky 2 Ranch and launched “Equimersion” program to provide personalized coaching for people interested in learning about horses and horsemanship in a dedicated one-on-one private setting.
Looking forward to having you join us at Lucky 2 and explore the “world of horse”! To me, there has been nothing more satisfying.
Where in this world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity? Here, where grace is laced with muscle, and strength by gentleness confined. He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity. There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent; there is nothing so quick, nothing more patient. England’s past has been borne on his back. All our history is his industry: we are his heirs, he is our inheritance. Ladies and gentlemen: The Horse!
From Robert Duncan’s “Tribute to the Horse,” read at the conclusion of every Horse of the Year show in London. |
