In association with
Besides the numerous walk and trot classes I participated in as a kid, the training obsession didn’t really hit me until after high school when I moved to North Carolina and was really around the whole scene again. After about 3 years of working for my father, trying to cover every aspect of running a horse training facility, learning a solid training program plus computer programming and graphic design schooling, I really felt comfortable in both areas and a decision had to be made between two passions. One that will probably make me very decent money but keep me sitting around all day or one the one that will make me travel the world meeting people and most importantly, helping others in need in a way only few people can. My final choice is pretty obvious at this point.
With two very respectable horsemans for parents, I really felt comfortable being around horses and felt my horsemanship skills were strong enough for me to feel I could bring something to the industry. If this is what I was going to do for the rest of my life, I wanted to cast a distinct shadow and be somebody. So far, not one day goes by I don’t thank god for giving me this opportunity. I have confidently walked through each door either my family of destiny opened for me to then leave my own foot steps on the road to success. Don’t get me wrong though, I stepped in many moving sand traps and hit many walls face first but none of it came even close to stopping me. My father’s foot steps, which many people tend to think made it easier for me, are no walk in the park to follow. They sometimes climb over walls I don’t even see the top of or step over obstacles that seem impossible to cross. But I think it is ma ability to step back, analyse logical options, accept the help around me and my perseverance, that led me here today. And by here I mean on my own path, my own quest to earn the respect and trust of anyone I come across and to become a role model of my own.
Now at 25 years old, my resume still stands shy of my personnal set goals, but it is what fuels my motivation along with the dreams I intend to realise. Like most trainers, I have my own little trophy room of limited, intermediate and open bronye trophies. Weahter it was at a local show or at some big event, I am very proud of each one of them. Although empty at the moment, shelves are dust free and ready for major NRHA Event Championship bronzes. With at least 25 years of hard trying still to come, I sincerely intend to run out of shelveboards.
My most precious and recent achievements, were not rewarded by any trophies though, but mostly by the most rewarding prize of all, the self satisfaction of meeting most importantly my own but also someone’s expectations. Successes only rewarded by someones two thumbs up. By this I mean; numerous successful clinics, coaching, such as coaching France at the 2006 World Games, etc …
I gave my first clinic in Israel in 2003. I was more nervous than the first time I showed in Oklahoma. But it went well enough for them to call me back, either to go show overthere, send kids over to help and learn from me or buy some horses from us so this marked my first step overseas as a successful encounter. This then led to many other successful clinics in different other countries. I really try to bring a different approach to people attending the clinics. I have a good philosophy about horses and and very good “feel” and I try really hard to pass it on when I teach. I am convinced that it is why people have been satisfied so far. I made them feel the problem they had and then made them feel what they are looking for. Most exercises other trainers use on their horses are all as efficient to me if you know what you are looking for. In funny words, I don’t teach them when to jerk, hold, bend or spur but rather when to stop reward.
A little background on my show career so far. I have quite a few funny anectodes about my initiation to the show ring but I’m only going to share one or two because these are the ones that really brought me the confidence I needed to improve. My first trip to oklahoma. I remember my father telling me my first experience in OKC was not going to be in the show pen but rather in the warm-up pen. Instead of a 3 year old to show, I got a 2 year old to sell. I was a little disapointed at first but I was wrong to be. The program I had to learn and stick to to bring this colt to the NRHA Sale was as filled with ups and downs and technicalities just like a 3 year old program and it tought me a lot. First I had to get the colt accepted in the sale, and that wasn’t so easy since he wasn’t quite “sale material” breeding wise but he was very talented though. Then a few weeks before leaving for Oklahoma, I had to make a second video, but this one for everyone to look at during sale days. Then, riding the colt twice a day for potential buyers and finaly, the presentation the morning of Finals day. This colt sold for $33,000 and made the NRHA Open Futurity Finals the following year. I then bought his mother the month after and kept getting awesome offspring every year since then. This story really hooked me onto that sale thing and I sold many two year olds for above the $30,000 at the sale almost every year since then.
Another situation I didn’t really appreciate at first happened in my early show career as an Open rider. We were going to the first show of the year and I had my eyes on a few horses I could probably show. That didn’t happen. Instead, there was this 4 year old mare my dad had shown at the Futurity the year before. Believe me, that didn’t mean anything, because that mare was a real nut case. Turn and stop was all she could do well if she wasn’t shaking hear head doing it. She had been loped around ever since the Futurity by assistants, and still, lope around is a big word since she was hell to lope, had a huge motor, no face and no steering. He didn’t tell me I had to show her, simply asked me if I wanted to. He completely understood my “hell no” after I tried her out and couldn’t even lope a circle. But then I thought, he showed that thing in OKC and managed to mark a 218 and a 214.5, I can at least give it a try. I went on to score some 72 with her. Even beat the good ones I wanted to show at first. That simply tought me that the only time you stop moving forward is the time you stop trying. It also gave me a lot of confidence and self-satisfaction and tought me how to show. So basically, I am very glad I accepted and tried to repeat this success over and over, never turning down a show opportunity because whatever the outcome, I learn a lot.
At the 2001 USET in Gladstone, Canada asked me if I would be Chef D’equipe. Not really knowing what that represented at the time, I took the job. It was my first time at an FEI Event and I had to take care of four top riders when at that time, I still couldn’t really take care of my self. Wether I did a good job or not, they never told me. But it sure was a great opportunity for me to be around those guys and admire professionalism and horsemanship at its best. It was also great to stand by the Team when they accepted the silver medal. A little public imaging never hurts one’s career.
Back on the ranch, my father trusted me with an average of 20 horses to manage and I always had an easy time finding help. Actually, wether I tought them in a clinic or my mother refered them to me, I always had from 1 to 4 helpers. My dad never really agreed with that but he had to admit that, the more people I had with me, the more I had to explain my program to them the better they rode. It should have keeped my focus off my horses but for some reason, it didn’t. The more people I had around me listening to me talking while riding, the better my horses got. I guess always explaining what I was doing really kept everything very clear in my head and it was even helping me understand things better. The more I explained and demonstrated to them, the more I even understood it my self. So with that in mind, I always try to keep people around me when I train, or go and give lessons and clinics and such… It keeps me fresh and learning I guess.
After six great years with my dad, an opportunity presented itself for me to go to France. Only for a month was the original plan. Well, that led me to be the 2006 National Trainer of the French Team at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. What an experience. I didn't get to work with the team so much previously to the event but we had a great week of preparation at the same place team canada was preparing. Needless to say I really learned a lot from this experience. I really got a kick from this experience and realised that to be a team leader, you must posess many qualities. I felt very confortable through the good and bad times of this journey and we all came out of this a big step ahead.
This coach thing which kept me in France for more than half a year lead me to the German Futurity where I met my wife. I really like Europe. I was going to stay one way or the other. I had it all planned out. Eifel Gold Ranch, the place where Team Canada and Team France trained for the WEG, was where I wanted to be. An amazing facility managed by great people with a crop of some of the best breedings in the industry. There was no question about it until... My wonderfull wife came along. She suggested to me Hilltop Ranch, as it was looking for a trainer. Well, I liked the place, loved the girl and will learn to like Germany as well. From that time on, I haven't regreted one minute my decision for I am now a very happy husband and the trainer of many great horses. One successful year at Hilltop led me to this awesome facility, Reitensportanlage Vaterstetten. I got that chance to ride some very nice horses during my first year in Germany. I won my first 2 trophy classes aboard great horses that ave thought me a lot. It also led me to be the 2006 National Trainer of Danemark at the European Championships In Mooslargue, France. This was also a great experience for me, these people have the heart for it and that makes a big part of my job really easy.
