Gonzales Horse Training is a family owned and operated business.Gilbert, his wife Charlotte and their children Richard 15 and Jessi 14 all assist in the training and day to day working of their business.
Gilbert was raised on a ranch in Central Texas where he started and broke his first horse when he was 13 years old. He has been training and working with horses ever since.
He uses resistance free training techniques.
As for his horsemanship, Gilbert takes his philosophy from the Vaquero style of riding, the way of the Spanish Cowboys...The authentic vaquero way is the way of patience.
His favorite discipline is cutting horses, working ranch horses. Gilbert also trains all other breeds and disciplines.
Gilbert's philosophy:
The most important part of training is to train the owners.As well as the hardest part of training.
A trainer can put all the training in the world and get the horse to do whatever he asks but if the Owner(Rider) does NOT follow through with the training then its a waste of the trainer,horse and Owner(riders) time and money.I love what I do. In my years of training I have trained some absolutely wonderful horses. The owners take the horse home turn it out to pasture for six months to a year later.Catch the horse up saddle it and completely forget everything I have told them about their horse then come back and say it wont do.........It doesn't like........ It's not about what the horse likes.Its how we ask and guide the horse,and the horse perform the task willingly.
Every trainer trains differently. I take a little bit from everyone I have admired and read about and incorporate it in my program.
A well known trainer once said to me "you can learn something from everyone even if its what NOT to do.I learn everyday from people who have never ridden a horse before in their life as well as from experienced trainers and old cowboys who have ridden everyday. I watch videos, read magazine articles, and when I can find the patience to go on line,I also attend other trainers clinics and seminars, I research online about training and new training techniques.I am constantly continuing my education about training and about horses in general.
Horses already know how to walk, trot, canter, make flying lead changes, side pass half pass stand lay down, eat etc... We as humans have to learn how to ask the horse to do those things with us on their backs. Once you climb on a horses back the mechanics change.
We never get on a horse before the foundation is built. If you do not have a foundation built with your horse and a problem arises how do you start it over? There has to be beginning. There never is an end until you or the horse die. Because they as well as the owner (rider) are always in training. Every ride is training. Even bomb-proof 24 year-olds can develop ISSUES.
Most Importantly The Safety Of The Horse And Rider Is My Main Concern.
The horse in the photo above is a colt belonging to Myrna and David Moore.
He is for Sale at a great price.
He is also bred very well. This was the first time he had ever been worked with.He would make a fantastic Western Pleasure horse.A good beginner horse.
My 14 year old daughter has stood in the saddle and shot off of this colt,she can lie all over him slide off his backside crawl all over him. The more he is rode the more relaxed he gets.He has a naturally low headset.
