Larry’s horsemanship journey started when he was 10 years old at a prominent Saddlebred farm. In exchange for cleaning stalls, the owner of the barn gave him riding lessons. By the time he was 15, the ambitious young horseman was competing with the horses in local shows and doing well.
After high school graduation, Larry spent five years in the air force and then began a career in law enforcement. When he was stationed in New York, he found a Saddlebred facility and picked up where he’d left off as a teenager. It wasn’t long before he was back in the show pen and winning the open division of the Syracuse International Horse Show.
Eventually, Larry found Clinton on RFD-TV and took note of how humane and ethical Clinton’s method was, how fast it got results and how easy Clinton made working with a horse look. Larry thought to himself, “Hey, I can do this.” At this point of his horsemanship journey, Larry had only ridden finished or trained horses and had never trained a horse of his own. After watching Clinton for several months and taking notes, he purchased Clinton’s earlier video series.
With this newfound, more in-depth horsemanship knowledge, Larry was ready to take on the challenge of training his own horse. He found his way to a western riding facility in upstate New York, where he purchased his first training horse, Pepper. Putting the Fundamentals exercises to practice, it wasn’t long before Larry had created a trusting partnership with the gelding. The other horsemen in the barn took note, and began asking him for help with their horses. Larry offered pointers where he could and continued to study the Method and worked with a variety of horses.
Today, Larry is involved in the cutting horse industry and is proud to be a Method Ambassador, which allows him to share his knowledge and passion for Downunder Horsemanship with other horsemen. “I enjoy teaching people and helping them develop safe partnerships with their horses,” he says. “The very first thing I noticed about the Method when I saw Clinton all those years ago was its focus on safety for human and horse. I believe every horse owner should know about the Method for that simple fact alone.”
Larry is based in Clarksburg, West Virginia, where he trains horses for the public and teaches private lessons and clinics that focus on the Fundamentals level of the Method. Learn all about Larry on his website or contact him directly at 304-669-5410 or [email protected].
