EC May/June, 2002
As the famous song says, “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”. Many of us in the horse industry feel that way but why? For me it is the mystery, the mystique of what makes up a cowboy. In this fast paced world of advanced technology and warp speed travel, what would possess someone to choose to train horses as a career path? Obviously a person with the passion and patience to choose this career is different from the rest of us who have chosen the path of high-speed travel and weekend warrior horsemen. When my exploration began I started with the obvious, where did they come from? As I started documenting what trainers worked for or learned their trade from the other trainers, I began developing the chart. It became clear that there are a few key people responsible for shaping the western pleasure horse industry, as we know it. First, we have Dale Wilkinson. Dale is the only person to ever be inducted into the AQHA, NRHA, NCHA and All American Quarter Horse Congress Hall of Fames. Although he is not known for Western Pleasure as much as Reining and Cutting, it goes without saying that he had the greatest influence on the trainers that developed and perfected the art of Western Pleasure. As Clark Bradley said of his apprenticeship with Dale Wilkinson, “He taught me how to train horses; How to teach them to be obedient, submissive and happy.”
I selected individuals from the chart that represent different backgrounds and began assembling a roundtable discussion about Western Pleasure – past, present and future. From the mentor side I chose Clark Bradley and Jerry Stanford to enlighten us as Jerry was self-taught and Clark was second generation and also mentored under another trainer. As for today’s “Top Dogs” I asked Jody Galyean as a second generation trainer, Steve Heckaman as self-taught, Carol Metcalf to lend both a West Coast and a woman’s perspective on horse trainers at the top and Cleve Wells as a trainer who followed through an apprenticeship program. But the key ingredient is the future. This group helped me to select a few “Up and Comers” so we could have the perspective through young, new eyes – so Monica Baker and Andy Cochran completed the team.
Legendary horsemen such as Clark Bradley, Doug Lilly, Tommy Manion, Dave Page and Jerry Stanford appear at the early beginnings of the specialization of the western pleasure horse while Jody Galyean, Steve Heckaman, Carol Metcalf and Cleve Wells come on strong as specialization becomes more prominent. Native Ohioan Clark Bradley, this year’s AQHA Professional Horsemen of the Year, was riding and training horses at the age of 5. His father, Stretch Bradley, gave him the opportunity to ride and show and from there he just “tried to figure out a way to make a living out of my hobby” says Clark. And he did. Clark went on to win the Congress 2 Year-Old Futurity once and placed second in the event 3 times. Coupled with winning the NRHA Futurity 2 times, this makes Clark one of two people to have ever won the Congress 2 Year-Old and the NRHA Futurities. I guess that makes it clear why so many of today’s top trainers have chosen to apprentice under Clark Bradley. Choosing him as a mentor has proven to be a successful career track as the chart (on the next page) clearly indicates.
Jerry Stanford, a peer to Clark, learned horse training from a different school, the school of trial and error. Jerry feels that there were people who made him better because they were tough. “If I pulled into a show and Bill Coffman, Doug Lilly, Tommy Manion or Dave Page was there I knew I had to be tough to compete with them and that inspired me to learn more and perfect my program,” says Stanford.
A major influence on Jerry Stanford’s career path to the winner’s circle was the great horseman Jack Benson and the great horse, The Invester. Jerry felt that The Invester brought to light the creations of a “Breed” that we now know as the western pleasure horse. Stanford shares, “Prior to 1980 there was not a breed thought of as a specific western pleasure breed. But with the support of Jack Benson, Don Parker and a lot of good friends, we felt like we could present a product that would be pleasing to the public as a western pleasure horse”. And so they did. Jerry Stanford, Jack Benson and The Invester were instrumental in changing the western pleasure industry and will always be remembered for their significant contributions. Sadly, The Invester was laid to rest early this year at the age of 33 at his long time home in Nebraska where he was cherished and loved by Dan & Carol McWhirter for many years. But his bloodlines live on in arenas all over the world.
Due to his success, Jerry Stanford became a sought after mentor for young trainers wanting to learn the game. Many of today’s World and Congress Champions paid their dues with Jerry at their side as the chart indicates. One of which is 17-time World Champion and Reserve World Champion trainer and producer Cleve Wells. Although he has won so many titles it is mind boggling, Cleve feels his greatest accomplishment is “getting to a level in which I have the time and resources to teach and give back what was given to me.” Cleve accomplishes his mission by being a respected clinician, spending a large portion of the year traveling abroad and sharing his knowledge, giving back what he has learned and preaching the gospel of western pleasure and how much fun it can be. His ability to speak to the beginners at their level and show them the excitement and joy of riding a true western pleasure horse has helped our industry grow and continue to flourish. When I asked Cleve why he became a horse trainer he had the best answer, “I love to ride horses”. How many of us can say that about our jobs. Of course he works very hard at it too. “Ride 8 to 10 horses per day seven days a week and in 10 years you will know a little about horses,” says Wells. While I am sure he is right, but for this fast-paced, short-cut seeking Amateur, I think I will take the “cliff notes” way out and just buy Cleve’s video. Cleve’s peer and competitor, Steve Heckaman, commented on Cleve’s training program. “Cleve Wells is another individual that has influenced my training technique. I like Cleve’s approach because he really gets a horse broke and instills a positive working relationship with them. He understands the way horses think and builds a mental partnership that helps a horse last a long time and ride for anyone.”
But with all the success Cleve is still as approachable and appreciative as a novice. He is a very humble man. I enjoyed hearing him reminisce at our roundtable about what it was like to be the rookie coming up through the ranks. If you ever hear Cleve speak you will notice he is a very goal-oriented person and apparently he has been this way for a long time. He shared with us how in the beginning he knew he could not beat the “big boys” like Jerry Stanford, Tommy Manion and Doug Lilly so he would set interim goals to place higher than the group of rookies his age that were competing. So if he placed 7th behind all the top dogs, but was the highest placing rookie, he accomplished his goal. As he continued to work to be the best of his peer group, his placings continued to get higher and higher until he found himself amongst the top trainers. It is important to set goals but Cleve did not begin with winning the Congress; he began with being the best amongst his peers at his skill and experience level. I feel this is an excellent idea for the up and coming trainers trying to break through the ranks today. Goals are very important but they must be reasonable, obtainable and scaleable as your skill level increases.
With that in mind, the advent of the Limited NSBA classes has enabled young riders such as Monica Baker to do just that. Monica is an apprentice under the guidance of Steve Heckaman and in 2001 Monica won the Limited Maturity at the Tom Powers, Southern Belle and Reichert Celebration and the Limited 3 Year-Old class at the Southern Belle, Reichert and Just For Pleasure while earning Reserve at the Lone Star in the same event. Additionally, she placed 7th in the Limited 2 Year-Olds at the Congress, clearly working her way to superstar status.
While it is true that everyone sees you in the arena, being a Western Pleasure trainer goes much deeper. Ten-time Congress Champion Steve Heckaman shared with me how one person influenced him greatly in other aspects of the business. “I worked for Larry Sullivant fitting halter horses for 9 years,” says Heckaman. “He taught me so much about conformation, conditioning and philosophy about people and business that he is and always will be a key ingredient to any of my successes. He was a District Court judge and his character, morals and values lessons still echo in my mind today. I cannot talk about role models that shaped me as a person, without talking about Larry.”
While I have shared with you how some trainers chose a mentor program, others such as Steve Heckaman took a different road to success. “I did not grow up having a horse trainer when I was in youth and was pretty much self-taught,” says Steve. “As a young adult, I watched many successful trainers to learn whatever I could. I asked a lot of questions, probably to the extent of becoming a nuisance, but I wanted to learn in the worst way. Guys like Ken Eppers and Scott Stubblefield were some of the popular trainers of that era that made me question, “Why?” I would get so frustrated with myself, I would go into the office (I worked for Larry Sullivant fitting halter horses) and throw myself on the couch in anguish thinking, “you are so stupid…why can’t you figure this out?” As Steve is now a sought-after mentor himself and has started his own legacy of horse trainers, I think it is clear that he figured it out and is one of the top trainers and mentors today. Dale Livingston leased a barn from Larry Sullivant at about this time. “Dale is a very knowledgeable horseman and a big thinker. He had a lot of theory about movement, shoeing and training and was very detail-conscious when it came to the horses. Dale was one of the first people I learned something from,” says Heckaman.
Steve also learned a great deal from Jody Galyean, who is a second-generation horseman. “I used to go up to his ranch every so often to ride and he would explain his theory on movement and training. I probably learned more about movement from Jody than anybody. He was a stickler for a strong hock and a flat knee before anybody else even considered this and was the first to get a western horse to balance and move good on a loose rein,” shares Steve. Through my interviews I noticed a reoccurring theme. So many of the trainers today work with each other, not against each other. You will frequently find them riding together and coaching each other as equals and consulting with each other on training techniques for some challenging horses. It is more like a fraternity than a competition. Stanford stressed that the western pleasure horse has changed and changed for the better due to education. Both the education of trainers with each other and the education of judges. That is what has helped our industry improve and continuing the education of trainers and judges will persist to make our industry better. You can even notice how they cheer for each other in the line-up as the results are called out. They are not only professional but display excellent sportsmanship. This is a very important characteristic in an industry that is still evolving and growing at a rapid rate. In 2001, Jody Galyean, Steve Heckaman and Cleve Wells were all inducted into the NSBA Hall of Fame on the same evening. It was a very emotional ceremony.
Both Steve Heckaman and Jody Galyean felt that any discussion about the evolution of western pleasure had to include Ken Eppers. According to Steve and Jody, Ken was one of the founding fathers of the modern day pleasure horse. “Kenny and I were friends of Carl Bergman and his wife,” notes Dianne Eppers, Kenny’s former wife. Ken learned dressage from Carl Bergman and applied it to western show horses. His results were some of the first horses to show collection in their movement, though they had an elevated neck carriage and a vertical head position, which was popular then because of the influence of the ‘California’ style show horse. This style horse was shown mainly in romal reins. Dianne recalls, “Before Kenny and I were married, he primarily did the reiners, but at that time there wasn’t enough money in it to concentrate on just reining and that’s when he started doing the pleasure, too. He also was very successful in making western riders.” Dianne reflects, “He truly was a genius when it came to training horses. He lived, ate, and slept it. He was a man who had a theory on everything and was very methodical. He and Dale Livingston were also some of the early “thinkers.” They were not just riders, they were THE THINKERS.” Shortly after Ken’s large impact in the western pleasure world he steered his focus to strictly showing reining horses and therefore did not leave many predecessors for our chart, but his contributions were substantial and the trainers who learned from him have passed his techniques down to their assistants.
Did someone say Dressage? Yes they did and more than once. Jerry Stanford has given great credit to his ex-wife, Marty Johnson, for her contributions to his program. “When Marty started riding with us we were cowboys and because she was a lady, smaller, more petite, with not as much physical strength, she had to use different techniques to get the horse to perform. These were basic dressage techniques and myself and the other cowboys took many of her more tender techniques and incorporated them into our program”. Clark Bradley won the Congress Versatility 5 times and was second 5 times with his previous wife Sarah Bradley, who used dressage techniques as well. The ladies behind the men undoubtedly had an influence in the training techniques of western pleasure horses today. I feel this is significant and has several benefits such as a softer, gentler training program that has led us to a partnership with a happy horse.
Women have played a major role in the evolution of the western pleasure horse and the development of some important training techniques. Dianne Eppers, the current NSBA President, had a large impact on the western pleasure scene along with Carol Metcalf. Now a Texas resident, Carol came to us from the far West Coast and was raised riding more of the ‘California Style’. Californians Tim Whitney and Vivian Carter of Santa Maria, California influenced her style and techniques. Her West Coast influence coupled with her husband Steve’s cattle horse training program have brought some very different techniques to the art of western pleasure. Carol is greatly respected by her peers as a savvy western pleasure trainer as displayed by her receipt of the Professional Horsewoman of the Year Award in 2000 in addition to her having had AQHA World Champion and Reserve World Champions in Western Riding, Pleasure and Reining. Carol agrees that the western pleasure industry has changed for the better over the past 30 years and notes how people are prone to sit in the stands and criticize. She feels that sometimes we need to “stop and smell the roses and realize how far we have come”. There is a steady evolution that is continually progressing for the better and we are changing faster than you think.
I asked my distinguished panel if they felt the pleasure horses of today are “better” than the ones 30 years ago? There was an obvious yes answer. They noted how this ties back to the education process. A process that began with Tommy Manion and Clark Bradley offering Youth and Amateur Clinics in the summer and has evolved to professional horsemen and judges continuing their education through official judge’s seminars and trainers having unofficial training sessions with each other out on the practice pad. Another contributing factor is the education amongst the breeders. Stanford recalls, “there was a time when a breeder would breed every mare on the farm to the same stallion. Now they are carefully studying conformation and selecting the best cross for their mare.” The breeders becoming more knowledgeable has helped the industry and the trainers immensely as they now have better horses to work with. They are to be commended for their contribution to our industry.
Another topic we discussed was how the evolution of training techniques have helped or hurt the western pleasure horse industry. The general consensus is that it has helped. I personally recall seeing horses in hock hobbles and tie-downs being ridden by youth kids in the overhang at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Steve Heckaman, Carol Metcalf and I discussed some of the old techniques that really were not that great and we are all glad that they are gone. We really have come a long way baby! As far as today’s techniques, Carol Metcalf replies, “The spur stop training technique, while it has been significant in the western pleasure horse of today, has a tendency to confuse some of the horses as they transition to an all-around program.” Carol is known for her ability to teach horses to do many events and do them all well. Heckaman feels that “as training knowledge and technology advance more people can apply a dressage-type style to training the western pleasure horse. Techniques such as driving the hock from behind accomplishes more air time thus slowing the pace but there is more to it than that. The shoulder, front stride and balance are additional factors that must me considered.”
Jody comments on how Training Techniques have evolved: “The technique of applying simple basic dressage maneuvers on how to collect the horse, move the hip and move the front legs was the technique that really began the evolution. While dressage accomplished this on a tight rein, the key in the western pleasure was to get the same results on a loose rein. These techniques are still being used today but have been advanced to a greater degree for the western pleasure horses.”
And now for the tough questions, some in the sport think we should not exhibit our two year-olds or our yearlings in the longe line. When I confronted them with this question the answers were varied yet all very interesting. Monica Baker feels that the longe line event has opened up a market for breeders and a venue for different exhibitors who either choose not to ride, can’t ride due to physical limitations or just enjoy getting their yearlings broke to the horse show scene. Yet she feels the horses success or failure as a yearling really does not impact how they are going to ride in the future. Cleve Wells agrees with Monica on the issue of longe liners and feels that they, like the 2 year-olds, need to be respected as individuals and should only be shown if they are physically and mentally up to the task. “Don’t let a $1,000 entry fee for a futurity determine if the horse is ready to go to the show, let the horse tell you if he is ready to go to the show,” says Wells. Metcalf agrees with Cleve and adds, “I feel horses need a childhood and we begin conditioning them soon enough. I am a fan of preserving the horses so that they have a long show career.” Clark comments, “If a 2 year-old is a natural good mover and has a great mind and therefore can be trained lightly then that is fine. Also, it does not hurt a yearling to be taught ground manners and how to longe but again the trainer’s and owner’s discretion as to how hard the colt should be pushed is key. But each trainer, owner and breeder need to use their best judgment”.
Jody Galyean is in favor of having the 2 year-old class and views this issue in more of an economical manner. “It has always been the highlight of our show and it really helps and encourages breeders. If the 2 year-old class were to be discontinued, it would have a negative impact on the breeders and stallion owners.” Jody believes that “at the time a horse is a 3 year-old you know beyond a doubt if that horse is a good horse or not, hence your numbers will drop as you have had time to find out the potential of that horse. While with a 2 year-old, you are still speculating whether this horse is going to make it and this increases entries.”
There are complaints that western pleasure horses are not true-gaited anymore. I asked the roundtable if they felt this was true and if so, what should be done about it and if not, how can perceptions be changed? I began with the “Up and Comers” as I did not want them to be intimidated by the opinions of their successors and I received a very unexpected answer. As young trainers watching through young eyes, they see a different view when they look into the arena. Future star Andy Cochran discussed how some horses, although not true-gaited, may be the best horse that owner can afford. And when they bring that ‘less than great mover’ to one of these young trainers it is their duty to improve the horse as much as they can while understanding their client’s financial and skill-set limitations. I felt this was a very wise perception from such a young man. He and Monica discussed how at their level they do not get the same quality of horses and clients as Jody, Steve and Cleve. “Sometimes we have to work with our clients to make the best with what they have and find a place where the client and their ‘less than great moving’ horse can compete,” explains Cochran. “As a young trainer you may have 10 training horses that are not the caliber to win the World, but attached to these horses are 10 clients who are participating in our industry and it is my job as a trainer to help them enjoy it and get the most out of the experience”. It is clear to me why Monica and Andy are viewed as “Up and Comers” from the top trainers. It is their work ethic and their compassion for the horses and the clients that are going to put these young professionals on top. I think this is a very good point that we all should keep in mind while spectating. We need to bear in mind that not everyone has a great mover and many exhibitors are still learning how to navigate in a western pleasure class and some of these horses that are not true-gaited serve as great lesson horses until the pilots show techniques improve enough to step up to a higher caliber horse. Who says you can’t learn from kids.
As for the trainers on top, while they respected and agreed whole-heartedly with Andy and Monica, I asked them to address this question from their vantage point. Carol Metcalf feels, “We as trainers are exhibitors who want to win and therefore will copy what wins so that we can succeed and make a living. Conforming to the standard of winning is the key to our livelihood. If that means going slow, we have to go slow. But if the judges begin selecting horses that are true-gaited, moving at a better pace and not penalize them for moving forward then the training process for these horses will be easier and more natural and things will start to change. It does not need to be a drastic overnight change, just the natural evolution of the sport.”
Jody explains that you should have the picture of a perfect western pleasure horse in your mind and then you try to make every horse you have as close to that perfect model as you can, you don’t worry about whether you are winning or losing because if you present that perfect model you will win. Jody continues “I feel that as a trainer when you are training that horse it is like a model of clay or work of art that you are trying to put together, you put it together one piece at a time, to the best of your ability and you do not worry about if that model is going to win or lose. I feel that there are a few horses that are great horses and can perform at the highest level, but for the others, the trainers are trying to get them to go as close to that model of perfection as they can. Therefore, this sometimes leaves you with a horse that is not true-gated.”
Another hot topic we discussed was if specialization has helped or hurt the western pleasure horse. Since Carol and Clark are both known for their ability to train versatile all-around horses I felt we might get their opinions first. Metcalf comments, “Yes and No. The problem with specializing that much is it is a real transition for them to move into other events. It’s hard to say whether it is good or bad, it depends on if the owner wants to keep that horse a one-event horse.” Clark Bradley feels, “Some of the horses need to break into other venues such as trail, western riding and horsemanship and many times this makes them a better western pleasure horse when they return to the event.”
Heckaman comments, “I feel specialization has helped the western pleasure horse from the standpoint that we have developed and evolved techniques that enable us to utilize all of a horse’s talent. I believe the downside to this is, in the process of developing a horse that is a good ‘rail’ horse, we have lost some of the old traditions that produced just a good, solid, broke horse.”
Jody Galyean feels it has clearly helped the horse and explains why. Specialization is an important part of our life today, in every sport and in everything we do specialization has improved the excellence in that field. And our horses are no different. As Jody says, “Specialization has created a more improved product”.
What does the future hold for the western pleasure horse industry? More education and evolution are the keys to its success and prosperity. Bradley cautions us to “stay in touch with the public eye appeal to secure marketability of the western pleasure industry.” Jerry Stanford is a firm believer that we need to class the horses, not the riders – a fascinating concept that is under consideration and just may be the future of our industry.
Would a point system, similar to those used in reining and cutting, be helpful to those judging the western pleasure events? Most of them agree that it would but at this point in time there have been no proposals that would accommodate this situation appropriately. Jody Galyean feels, “if you have an honest, knowledgeable judge in the arena, you do not need a point system.” What about the individual work class? Jody replies, “The skill of a western pleasure horse is how that horse performs in an arena with other horses going in and out and around it and how it handles those different situations. If you take that away from it then it is no longer a western pleasure horse. If you want to show them in individual work then it is a movement class.”
As First Vice President of NSBA, Steve Heckaman envisions, “The western pleasure horse will no longer be breed specific in the future. I see a universal standard pertaining to what a quality horse is, as well as a universal set of rules governing the exhibition and judging of these horses, regardless of breed.”
The future of the western pleasure horse is continually growing as the various breeds and organizations come together to select standards. In the future, the western pleasure horse may no longer be breed specific and may begin to look similar to the reining and the cutting horse associations. One thing about the future is clear, with young professionals like Monica Baker, Andy Cochran, David Dellin, Karen Carbone and Dustin Davis at the helm, I feel confident that our future looks bright. We are creating a legacy of talented young trainers that are sure to continue improving our sport. “There are some really good hands coming into the business and I enjoy watching them come through the ranks,” says Bradley.
Carol Metcalf talks about what she has learned from her husband Steve. “I have learned more from him than any one person in my career. Most importantly he has taught me to stay open minded, stay modern and always be willing to change.” Legend Jerry Stanford has a very similar saying, “As long as you are green you will grow, you get ripe and you’ll rot.” I feel this is great advice for all of us and I look forward to the future of western pleasure.
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