Standing The Test Of Time – The Talent Of Michael Colvin
Click here to read the complete article
66 – May, 2016
By Delores Kuhlwein
After Michael Colvin won Senior Trail at the 2014 AQHA World Show, one of the first things he did was credit the past trainer of his mount, PF Put It N Park. “I’m really just trying to ride all of Buddy Fisher’s training!” Colvin said in an Equine Chronicle interview. Of all the positive qualities the horseman from Lithonia, Georgia, possesses, humility is at the top of the list.
For a trainer who has continued his winning ways of turning out World and Congress Champions since the early 1980s, one would think he’d want to brag a bit. But in talking to Michael Colvin, you’ll discover that instead he wants to talk about how he can help others; in fact, the longer you listen, the more you learn about how this down-to-earth trainer, judge, and AQHA Professional Horseman has utilized his selfless style to stand the test of time.
“I’m extremely competitive and want to win, but anything I can do to help someone achieve their goals is more important to me than any titles I’ve won. As a group, we’ve had a lot of success and a lot of wins over time. I want to see everyone succeed, and it’s why I’ve dedicated most of my life to this industry,” Colvin explains.
A Philosophy of Collaboration
The concept of working together as a team influences all of Colvin’s philosophies as a horseman, including one of his most important focuses of creating and promoting an atmosphere of respect for horse and rider. “This sport requires a team, and the team is built on many levels; the most basic is the horse and rider combination, whether a youth or amateur with their own horse, or myself and another trainer with an open horse. We really try to work with our clients and our riders to respect their horses, and we want to teach them their jobs and not just try to force the horses to do their jobs. We like our riders to be skilled and learn how to ride to move their horses forward in their training and education, because they are a part of it as well,” Colvin says.
“Michael is very in touch with the horses and very thoughtful about the way he treats them,” says youth client MacKenzie Matthews. “He always stresses riding with ‘feel’ and being sensitive in the way you ride. I think that’s what makes him such a good trainer. He makes us ride thoughtfully and encourages us to make our riding ‘make sense’ to the horse.”
Colvin adds, “My two associate trainers at J & B Ranch are an integral part of the team, too. Clint Ainsworth and Amanda Ringer both bring their own accomplishments to the group, and since they’ve been here, we’ve had even more successes with multiple riders and events.” “Both Michael and Clint do a tremendous job of educating their clients and teaching ‘a process.’ I’ve learned so much in such a short time,” affirms amateur client Meg DePalma-Whelan.
Click here to read the complete article66 – May, 2016
