Team Galyean – The Next Generation
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By: Susan Winslow
Multiple World Champion Gil Galyean of Purcell, OK, is thoughtful for a moment when asked about his long and successful career in the horse industry. “I never wanted to do anything else,” he says. “I always loved competition, and I enjoy working with young horses.” Gil grew up in a horse training family in Bentonville, AR, where his father, Kenneth, won major titles at both the World Show and Quarter Horse Congress and his mother, Bertena, was also involved in the family business. Gil grew up playing football and basketball in school, but his passion for horses grew out of the family’s involvement in Western Pleasure and Halter, as well as Cutting, which still provides a thrill to this day.
Gil and his wife, Becky, live on their 140-acre ranch with their sons, Garrett and Brody, where they run a successful training, competition, sales, and breeding business focusing on producing top quality show and futurity horses. Just eight miles off Interstate 35, about 40 minutes south of Oklahoma City, the ranch has thirty-seven stalls, spacious indoor and outdoor arenas, automatic horse walkers, and acres of lush turnout. Gil says, “We’ve been here on the ranch for five years, and we’ve made a lot of improvements. We focus on producing high quality, well-trained horses for competition, and we have a great team here. Becky and I love competition, and we take a lot of pride in helping our clients reach their goals.”
Gil attended Arkansas Tech University before his passion for horses drew him back into horse training, a decision he has never regretted. This modest champion is quick to point out that his father and brother are among the horsemen he views as mentors and inspirations. “My dad, for sure, was a big influence on me on the training side of the business. My brother, Jody, had a lot of success in Western Pleasure, and we both competed a lot.”
As a youngster, Gil soaked up knowledge by watching successful trainers like his dad, a multiple World Champion and NCHA Hall of Fame inductee, and other re-nowned trainers and competitors. He recalls, “I learned a lot from my dad, and I also learned a lot by watching some of the most famous horsemen in the industry who were training and competing at that time: men like Buster Welch, Bill Freeman, Matlock Rose, Jerry Wells, and Tommy Manion. These great horsemen really made an impact on me and, later, when I was training and showing on my own, I continued to learn by watching my peers who were successful, such as Cleve Wells, Alex Ross, and my brother, Jody. Any time you go to a show and see someone having success, you can learn by watching their techniques.”
His careful study and gift with young horses paid huge dividends, with impressive wins and titles in a stellar 25-year career including lifetime NSBA earnings of almost $1,000,000 and $300,000 in NCHA winnings including Super Stakes and Congress Open Cutting Titles. He has trained 25 Congress Champion and Reserve Champion Western Pleasure winners including Radical Revolution and One Hot Krymsun. He has trained Congress and AQHA World Youth and Amateur Western Pleasure Champions Cool Blazing Lady, Dee Invitation, and Zips Chocolate Swirl.
Gil thrives on the challenge of working with young horses to figure them out, patiently bringing them along and guiding them through the metamorphosis from a fresh, young prospect to a polished, world class competitor. Two-year-olds including How Bout This Cowboy, Machine Made, Cool Krymsun Lady, Ima Fine Dandy, Ima Zipper Snipper, Investing Wisely, and Chips Chocolate Star, all trained by Gil, have also gone on to win Congress and World Champion titles. In addition to his multiple Congress Champions, Gil has won a combined 16 Open Western Pleasure World and Reserve World Championship titles, and he was inducted into the NSBA Hall of Fame in 2000.
Gil doesn’t take any of his success for granted, but there are a few wins that stand out among the rest. He says, “When I won at the Congress Futurity in 1996 with Dee Invitation, that meant a lot. My win at the 1992 World Show in Senior Western Pleasure with Tillie Sheik was a memorable one for me, and another highlight would be winning at the World Show in 2008 with Cool Krymsun Lady.” He also recalls the two $100,000 wins he took home at the Reichert Celebration, one in 2006 with Old Gold Machine, and the 2011 Congress Masters with Suddenly A Cool Lady as milestones in his career.
Gil is quick to share credit for the success of Gil Galyean Quarter Horses with his wife, Becky, and the horsemen who have worked on the ranch along the way. He says, “We’re only as good as the people we work with, and we’ve been blessed to have worked with some of the best including Mike Tivoli, Brian Baker, David Dellin, Jay Barett, Shannon Curl, Denton DeBuhr, and Aaron Moses. Many of them have gone on to have their own successful careers in this business, and that makes Becky and I very proud.”
Becky is also an accomplished horsewoman and competitor who grew up riding and competing in Edgerton, Kansas. She is a two-time 2 Year-Old Non-Pro Congress Champion in Western Pleasure and has multiple Cutting Championships at the Congress. She is also a multiple NCHA Champion. Despite her busy schedule as the mother of two active boys and office manager at the ranch, she still shows in non-pro NCHA and NSBA events, recently bringing home the Championship in Two-Year-Old Intermediate Non-Pro Western Pleasure with Extreme Moonlite at the 2015 NSBA World Show. Riders at Gil Galyean Quarter Horses are consistently in the ribbons in AQHA, NSBA, and NCHA competition, and the couple is on the road most of the spring, summer, and fall at all the major shows.
Through the years, Gil has seen changes in the industry, but he takes them in stride, saying, “Training has really progressed from the 1980s. Today, we’re seeing a more broke horse, going around on a loose rein with self-carriage, and riders aren’t using their hands as much.” He laughs and continues, “Back when I started showing, it was a big deal to get your leads. But now you never see a rider struggle with that because the horses are so well trained. The whole thing has evolved to become a bit more specialized, but there are so many more horses and competitors now that this change isn’t surprising. The competition is much tougher now, so trainers and owners are focusing on the areas where the horse and rider have the most natural talent and chance of success rather than doing many different classes at a show.”
Gil has always had the ability to spot raw talent in a horse. He evaluates a horse at liberty to assess its conformation and natural movement. He explains, “To be successful, a horse has to be suited for the job, and that means it has to be easy for the horse to do that job and he must be able to do it happily. To me, a horse is a good mover if it has a natural self-carriage that I can then develop through training. I want that horse to hit the ground softly and float through the air, with an easy swing out of the hips, a high wither, and nice topline. I like to see a horse with a soft eye and a positive attitude, because you can’t train that – it’s innate in the horse’s disposition.”
He explains that he looks for a horse with attractive conformation, with charisma and that extra ‘something’ that can catch a judge’s eye. He’s partial to bloodlines like Invitation Only, Good Machine, and Zippo Pine Bar, but through years of experience he is open minded, saying, “I always remember there are exceptions to the rule, and there are rare cases when a horse that may not look the best at first glance has what it takes to be the best in time, so each horse that comes in here is given every chance to succeed.”
That same positive attitude extends to clients at Gil Galyean Quarter Horses. Gil works with clients to help them find the right horse for their goals. He and Becky breed their broodmares to carefully selected stallions to produce a few foals each year, and they have a selection of high-quality horses of every age and level of training available for sale at all times.
With a successful training, competition, and sales business that demands a 24/7 commitment, Becky and Gil spend any free time with family. Garrett, a freshman in high school, and Brody, a fifth grader, are both involved in sports, focusing on football and basketball, and the couple shuttles the boys to practice and attends their games. Gil says, “The boys are good riders and a great help with the horses. They like being around them, but their passions are football and basketball, and Becky and I encourage that passion. We’re on the road a lot to shows, but when we’re home, I enjoy watching the kids play sports, and to relax, I watch football on TV.”
With a career that’s truly a lifestyle, Gil wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love what I do,” he says with a smile. “Even now, I still enjoy working with a young horse to figure it out and bring out the best in it. Becky and I still love competition. We have a good team here. I’m grateful to everyone who has helped us through the years, and I’m very proud of each of our rider’s accomplishments. We’ve met great people along the way, and we’ve had success. You can’t ask for much more than that.”
For more information on Gil Galyean Quarter Horses
Visit them on Facebook or at www.gilgalyean.com.
Telephone: 405-641-8124 • email: becky49@mac.com
