I chose "Just A Horseman" and “Just Horsemanship” as the name of my business and this site for a couple reasons, the first and foremost is that people try to pigeon hole horsemanship into one category or another. Horsemanship has been given many names, Natural Horsemanship, English or Drassage, Cowboy Horsemanship and last but not least Authentic Horsemanship. There isn’t anything wrong with any of these and they all have one thing in common, a goal of creating a willing partnership with the horse. Good horsemanship is good horsemanship, whether it is practiced by a Spanish Vaquero, a working ranch cowboy, a Dressage rider or a professional clinician who has given his or her style of horsemanship a name.  Too many people get wrapped up in names or disciplines of riding when they should be looking at the methods and tools being used. A person who rides in western tack can learn a lot from a dressage rider performing the half pass or doing lateral work, in contrast the same dressage rider can learn a lot from a skilled western rider on a well trained reining or working cow horse.  The other reason is that I am just a cowboy who was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that kept me in good horses.  I am working hard to become a horseman like the four men I admire the most and who have influenced my horsemanip the most, Bill Dorrance, Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt and Lester Dumm.  I wasn't fortunate enough to meet Bill or Tom Dorrance in person but fortunately they have shared their philosophy on horesemanship in some very good books.  I had the opportunity to meet Ray Hunt, read his books and attended one of his clinics.  Lester Dumm is a horseman and friend that I met while I was on active duty in the Air Force, I would have to say that he was the greatest influence on the way I train horses today. I hope that one day I will reach their level of understanding of and communication with our equine partners.

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