Authorized Canadian dealer for Continental Saddlery. Professional Horse Training facility that spec Invest in your horse's future and get them started right.
03/14/2025
It was a big day yesterday. Gary's birthday. Wow. First and foremost, Gary would like to thank everyone who sent him birthday wishes. When he came in at lunchtime he checked his facebook and was overwhelmed by the people who commented on our fb post. You warmed his heart by taking the time out to acknowledge his special day. Yesterday, Gary turned 70 🤫 Can you believe it! We sure can't. He has been training horses professionally since he was 16. And by Professionally, I mean that he has been receiving a pay cheque and making a living since he was 16 training horses. His Mom raised 6 kids on her own. She was an executive with Sears, went to night school and raised 6 kids. Gary and his sister, Gloria, were the 2 oldest and they helped with the younger kids. By the time Gary was 16 his Mom was pretty sure that school was just not his thing. Gary grew up in Regent Park in Toronto and spent every spare minute he could riding horses. By 16, he would rather be at the barn than attend school. When he was 16 he was given an opportunity to ride for a top race horse barn and his Mom believed this was the opportunity of a lifetime for him. So yes, he's been training professionally since he was 16. Do we count the years that he rode before that, I guess we could? But for now let's say since 16. That means he has been training horses for 54 years. OMG! Yes, his body has wear and tear, new knee, new hip, shoulders that fail, joints that ache but he's still in the saddle, still riding, still fixing the broken horses. When it comes to trainers like Gary it's hard to measure their success. Most will tell you to go check out earnings. The numbers will speak for themselves. That is not true. The guys with the high earnings are picking and choosing what horse they will take. They will try some and then say no. Not my level, this horse won't fit in my program, etc. Trainer's like Gary, they aren't picking and choosing. They are taking the young ones that need to be started. They need a solid foundation so they can then move into a specific direction or they will then go to a trainer for a specific discipline. They are taking in the problem horses. The ones that could hurt you, the ones that got scared. The top trainers want horses that have already been started. The high money earners are not getting on horses that aren't broke or have issues. They will put a "kid" on them or an assistant trainer. Why? Because they can't afford to get hurt. Their living relies on them getting into the show pen and earning some money at the shows. And, I'm very sorry to tell you, but an 18 year old "trainer" or 20 something trainer, does not have the experience required to sort out some of the issues that can come up when starting a horse or fixing a horse. You can ask Gary what he knew at the age of 16 compared to the age of 35, 45, 55 and now 70. The young trainers should be working under someone and learning. And how you learn in this business is by watching, keeping an open mind and trial and error. When you work under an experienced trainer you gain valuable advice and guidance. Yes, the pay can really suck but it sets you up to move on and be successful. This is the University of hard knocks. You opted out of a post secondary education but either route has a price. Believe it or not, sometimes school and a formal education is much easier than this road. Gary is in a league all his own and is very successful at his job. He's had one of the top trainers in the world commend him on his work and how good he is....he went so far as to say, "I couldn't do what you do AND still be doing it". To give you some insight on Gary's kind of training career we are going to share some stories of horses he's worked with over his career in the next few months. So for the next few months we are going to celebrate the unsung hero of horse training. The guys that deal with the $hit. The guys that give horses a future. It may not be the future the owners was planning on, but they get a future. All of this will unfold in the stories we share over the next while. Please note, not a single story we share is about knocking any horse or owner. These stories are meant to help those of you that may be in a similar situation. And, as always, Be patient. Be consistent. Be Gary.
