David Cowley Clinic, Learning Patience, Partnership and Trust

Our driveway was full! All vacancies were booked months in advance for the Inukshuk Farm two-day clinic featuring clinician, David Cowley.  Welcoming this Canadian cowboy to Inukshuk Farm was a pleasure, and his Two Way Trust Horsemanship Clinic was both fun and educational.    

David Cowley practises his own brand of horsemanship based on partnership and trust. He was inspired to teach people and their horses to connect and understand each other, as he believes by helping people who own horses, he is also helping horses.

David Cowley grew up on the Rafter Six Ranch Resort in Alberta and his story, along with that of his family, is told in the CBC Documentary

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“Back In the Saddle” – a story of this Alberta family’s struggle to keep their ranch and their dream alive. His connection and love of horses was evident as he instructed and assisted his students (horses and human) during the seven hours each day at Inukshuk Farm.

David was the first and only person to ride a horse across a glass-floored walkway (Glacier Skywalk in the Canadian Rockies), to ride to the top of the Calgary Tower with six different horses, and to ride into the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. Now a clinician, and President of Cowboy Up Productions, he is sought after across the country to share his knowledge and unique way of training horses.

David Cowley starts out with simple exercises such as carrying plastic bags attached to sticks, crossing tarps and fearlessly stepping through flapping noodles; to the more advanced second day, where riders and horses fearlessly carry flags over bridges, knock balls out of the way and so much more. He spent time teaching the riders how to build trust and be patient, waiting for the horse to arrive at the right answer.

We aren’t ready just yet to trailer our horses to Alberta to walk across the Glacier Skywalk, but who knows what our Inukshuk Farm group will do next year! We do know that our horses trust us (and we them) a little more than we did before.

Janice Ecclestone, Inukshuk Farm, 1940 Birch Island Road, Selwyn
705-652-0578, inukshuk@nexicom.net
New Website www.inukshukfarm.ca