Ed's Background & Bio

Just to let you know a little of my background, I grew up on my Dad's horse farm where we raised and trained our own horses, taught riding lessons and boarded horses for other owners. My dad always had a gentle, natural way around horses and treated them well. He taught me, at an early age, how to ride with lightness and how to have the proper relationship of respect, trust and leadership with my horse.

As a teenager my brother and I spent countless hours on our horses exploring the countryside looking for challenging terrain for our horses. In high school and college I began traveling the rodeo circuit competing in bull riding until I got enough sense knocked into me to quit that crazy sport!

Throughout my adult life I've been blessed to have had a variety of experiences with riding and training horses. I have participated in Civil War reenactments with a cavalry company traveling around the country to put on battle reenactments and living history demonstrations. With horses I trained for movie work, I was cast in mounted action roles in seven motion pictures.

I operated a horseback vacation business taking guests on week long riding and camping trips in the Wyoming Rocky Mountains near Yellowstone. While living in Wyoming I had numerous opportunities to observe wild horses on the open plains. This gave me a much deeper understanding of their well developed social structure, instincts and communication.

I trained horses for several large ranches in Wyoming. On these ranches I had occasion to work with range raised colts, wild horses and problem horses. I did quite a bit of imprint training on new-born foals and weanling training. All my training was done with gentle communication and respect for the horse. My training techniques were somewhat unorthodox in the land of the "rough and tumble, old cowboy ways". Over time the results of my training techniques were evident in more dependable, calmer, smarter and braver horses.

In the spring of 2001 I moved to Georgia to escape the brutal Wyoming winters.

Since moving to Georgia I have enjoyed helping many horses and owners have a more safe and pleasant life together by establishing a relationship of mutual respect and trust through the use of gentle communication. I was honored to have been selected to teach the Horse Training course at the University of Georgia for the spring 2003 semester.

Twenty years ago I made a decision to trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Since then I have committed my life, my family and my business to His glory. God’s word has given me hope, guidance, and peace in my life.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6

-Ed Dabney

BIOGRAPHY

Ed Dabney is an internationally acclaimed clinician, presenting horsemanship and riding clinics all over the US and in Europe. In 2007, Ed was named Champion of the East Coast Trainer Challenge Series by Equine Extravaganza.

Ed's blending of natural horsemanship and classical equitation has made an indelible mark with students all across the United States and now also in Europe, drawing the attention of serious riders searching for the lightest touch and the deepest connection with their horses irrespective of breed or discipline.

Ed has worked with horses all his life, being involved in diverse fields including the ranching, motion picture and horse training industries.
Ed Dabney, a fifth generation horseman, gained rich insight and understanding into the horse's instinct and culture through his experiences in the wilds of Wyoming, where Ed trained horses for several large ranches.

Ed has applied his diverse skills in the training of horses for the motion picture industry and was cast in mounted action roles in major motion pictures including The Patriot, Geronimo, Gettysburg and The Postman along with numerous other films. Ed trained horses for and supervised all horseback riding scenes for the recently completed new PBS docu-drama entitled "We Shall Remain" to be broadcast in spring 2009.

Even though Ed is accomplished in ranch roping and training horses for cattle work on large Wyoming ranches, he has also developed his knowledge of classical 16th and 17th century equitation. As an instructor of classical riding, Ed academically relates to his students the teachings of the French masters in the patient, accurate and refined style of the classical period. Ed Dabney has enjoyed a warm friendship with legendary classical Master Karl Mikolka, of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna and Monsieur Philippe Karl of the Cadre' Noir, French Riding School. Ed has immersed himself in intensive formal training, on the instructors' level, in classical riding at the famed National School of Academic Equitation in Washington.

Ed has produced a series of instructional DVDs, his television show, "Ed Dabney Gentle Horsemanship" has been broadcast on the nationwide television network, RFD-TV and his training articles have been published in numerous renowned magazines.

Applying his unique "Six Keys to Harmony" gentle horsemanship methods to the starting of young horses, Ed is the only multiple award-winning Champion of The East Coast Trainer's Challenge competitions of the Equine Extravaganza. Ed has been invited to judge this competition in late 2008.

Ed was honored to have been selected by the University of Georgia to teach their senior level Young Horse Training course.

Having worked with people and horses in various and sometimes extreme conditions and venues, Ed Dabney has been defined as an extraordinary presenter, teacher, and advocate for the advancement of rider & horse.