Adam is first and foremost a dedicated horseman.đˇ
Raised in a horse loving, supportive family he was well in the saddle age 3.He cannot recall a time he didnât feel a deep affinity with horses.After his pony club years he became involved in camp drafting competing Australia wide. Following he spent time on the rodeo circuit. Adam wanted to further his horse knowledge and skills, and travelled extensively around the world, learning from and working with renowned horse trainers for several years.On return home he turned his passion into the training business that has become his lifeâs focus.He has adapted lessons learned from horses and horsemen alike to form his own style of horsemanship.Adam has worked on many film sets, and has trained many actors to ride, including Heath Ledger for the movies Ned Kelly and Brokeback Mountain.
Adamâs life story was featured on Australian Story, and his autobiography âSay it Out Loudâ, has been, and remains an inspiration to many.
In 2010 Adam fulfilled the dream of competing in and becoming Champion of the prestigious Australian Horse starting contest, Equitanaâs âThe Way Of The Horseâ.
Adams caring approach to horses, coupled with trust, respect and confidence has earned him a reputation as one of Australiaâs best horse trainers.
His greatest teacher is the horse itself, and Adam applies training techniques in accordance with each individual animal.
All-Star TWOTH Adam Sutton â Horses Maketh the Man
Thereâs an inner peace thatâs clear to see when Adam Sutton works his magic with horses.
Sutton is one of four to go head-to-head in EQUITANA Melbourneâs All-Star TWOTH. The 2010 TWOTH winner, along with Bruce OâDell (2014 champ), Ken Faulkner (2012 champ) and Kiwi Tui Teka (EQUITANA Auckland 2017 winner) will have just hours over four days to transform unhandled horses from wild to willingâŚ
Suttonâs journey has been well documented, including on ABCâs Australian Story. Heâs been on horses for a lifetime, but is the first to admit, his riding style of today couldnât be further from his wild and woolly youth. Thereâs not a time that he doesnât remember a natural affinity with animals, and especially horses. With parents who rode, it was natural he was riding as a toddler and it wasnât long before his first pony arrived in Buddy.
âWe were both as crazy as each other,â he says, âand we had a blast.â Family weekends were often spent trail riding in the nearby National Park.
âMy riding style may be different, but the passion, determination, devotion to ongoing learning and that affinity with horses as individuals remains the same.â
At 43, thereâs a tale to be told. From trail riding to success on the rodeo circuit, campdrafting to movie sets, and so much more. And while the decades roll by, Sutton says when he fires out of bed every morning it is only his body that tells him he is no longer 21 â despite what his mind may think. âI have a great osteo who I see every five weeks to keep me walking straight.â
Heâs not your run of the mill cowboy but heâs always got something quirky or funny to say . . . and he does admit â with a bit of a smile â that some days it is easier to talk to horses than people.
Sutton lives and works on a purpose-built New South Wales central coast property where he and racing thoroughbred owner and breeder Denis Hanley have collaborated to build a multi-diverse purpose built equine facility. âIt is my dream horse training set up,â says Sutton. With large irrigated paddocks, safe training yards, laneways, two round yards, an enclosed outdoor all-weather arena, a 25mx60m floodlit indoor arena with a super synthetic surface, open areas for training and links to miles of nearby bush trails, it is easy to see why. âWe cater for all discipline styles of performance horses from racing to all aspects of English and western styles, equitation and safe social riding trail horses and have a broad set of equipment, terrain and challenges to use with each horse,â he says. They also have plans in progress to develop a unique outdoor obstacle trail course utilising the natural setting of the land and inspired by popular trail courses overseas.
âThe beauty of our new property is that I can now bring all the young stock right through from foal to the performance track or arena. â usually they have been through many hands, and thatâs not always good for them. I take pride in getting them to the race track cool, calm and confident.â
Sutton has developed a reputation of success in turning around problematic behavioural issues within both horse and rider with his popular clinics which are held throughout Australia or by invitation. âI love teaching and being able to pass on knowledge and understanding for people to achieve ongoing success with their horse.â
But front of mind is the All-Star TWOTH. âI couldnât be more proud to have been selected for this fantastic anniversary celebration challenge among such talented and successful previous winners. We are all winners, each with our unique style that we will exhibit during TWOTH. It really is a great opportunity for the public to see and learn from.â
Itâs woken him up a few nights too, just thinking about it. âThere is a bit more of a build-up to this one. In 2010 I went into it with no preconceived ideas about how it would be or what I would do. This one seems to have been coming for so long and everyone is talking about it. But I do consider us all winners at this event and am really looking forward to meeting and engaging with my new equine friend and other horsemen/women.â
He will be focussing on keeping his mind cool, calm, subtle, relaxed and confident. âYou donât want to let the pressure get to you or let little things enter your mind. That focused mind is very important.â A lot will come down to horse selection â picking what is right for him. âYou have to get those right energies working really quickly.â
He credits his many mentors, including John Stanton, with helping get that side of his horsemanship on track. âHe had great ways of helping to develop feel, like making me ride in a blindfold so I had to rely on my other senses more,â says Sutton. âI have also had great support from master horseman and movie horse trainer Heath Harris who has a unique way of helping understand the mind of a horse.â Other influences include clinician Steve Brady and trainer Dave Simons who Sutton has trained and worked under. Simons mentored him before his 2010 TWOTH win, and more recently heâs been watching with interest classical dressage trainer Belinda Bolsenbroek. âItâs tempted me to get more into dressage.â
Everything comes together though to form his own unique way of working with horses. âBased on the experience Iâve had with some of the finest horseman here and overseas, Iâve developed a systematic approach to horse training that works well for me. It is a system that allows each horse to develop suppleness and obedience in his own time. My approach involves eight separate steps and exercises that build upon each other. Thereâs no point expecting exercise three to work at 100 per cent if the horse is still only comfortably being 70 or 80 per cent effective with exercise two.â Sutton starts all his exercises on the ground so both horse and rider understand which zone controls what movements.
Heâs worked with many different people over the years, including on the sets of Ned Kelly, Brokeback Mountain and Wild Boys. âIt was some of the most exciting and hardest work I have ever done, and thatâs saying something for someone who has worked on fishing trawlers and down the mines.â He had six weeks to break in the largely unhandled horses before the likes of Heath Ledge and Orlando Bloom got on them. âDoing movies taught me so much about what could be achieved in a short period of time and how to be a small cog in a big wheel. I was completely clueless about movie stars, so I think it was novel for that set to be with someone who didnât care who they were, only what they could or couldnât do with a horse.â Teaching actors like Ledger and Bloom to ride like Aussie stockmen was not only âamazing funâ but it gave him two life-long gifts: some terrific mates and the urge to keep on helping riders to build their confidence.
When not working with horses, Sutton is happy to be surfing, diving, or fossicking in his veggie garden where he enjoys growing natural and organic produce â all of course fuelled by the essential horse manure!
âHorses arenât a job for me any more. They become who you are â it is more than a lifestyle. It is who you are. You are either committed to this or youâre not.â
