Joel Eliot: Horses and Horsemanship

Joel Eliot
Riding, Roping, and Rollin' Along

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I love riding horses, especially if it involves a real job like gathering or working cattle, packing into the high country, or starting a colt from the back of my saddle horse. That being said, I like to start colts with a real job in mind for their future. That job could be as a jumper, polo pony, trail horse, dressage horse, you name it. Consequently, I bring this "goal-oriented approach" to all the horses and people that I work with.

I find a lot of people who own horses don't really have a clear idea what they want to do with them so, as I work with their horses and/or the owners, I encourage them to think about what they want from their animals and then we can work on how to attain those goals.

I've worked on cattle ranches, dude ranches, and as a farrier and horse trainer for almost thirty years so, I bring a lot of experiences with me when working with people and horses.

One of my mentors, Ray Hunt, often says, "See if you can get your ideas to become the horse's ideas." That's a very important concept to me and I take it with me whenever I ride. However, Ray also says, "Make the horse's needs, your needs." I quote these statements in order to illustrate that working with a horse is a two-way street. With this philosophy and my years of experience working horses, I think I can help people and their horses.

Read Joel's Questions for an Expert article on the Western Horseman Magazine website HERE

Western Horseman Magazine articles that include Joel:
2-2008, page 47: The Two Rein
8-2008, page 38: Five Questions
9-2010, pages 19-22: Two Rein Tips

Joel Eliot by Jay Dusard

Portrait © Essential Image Source Foundation and Jay Dusard