Asa Grant: The Horse Trainer
Mandy Mohler
This past October, I finally realized my biggest dream since childhood. I purchased my first horse, a Fresian cross mare I’ve named Ofelia. Although I have decades of experience riding other people’s horses, I never had the pleasure of being a horse owner until now. I put off owning a horse, convincing myself I needed to have a horse property first. I finally abandoned that limitation, and decided to pursue the dream without the land, and I’m so glad I did. She is beautiful and generous, and I’m seriously obsessed.
As they say, if you’re going to go, go BIG. I went big. When I purchased Ofelia, she was five years old and had never been ridden. She had some ground training, but needed a lot more work before she was safe for me to ride. I spent several months gaining her trust and getting her used to our new routine. At the beginning, it took me TWO HOURS to catch her! Now, I walk right up to her and she let’s me catch her easily.
After a few months of daily work had passed, I knew it was time for her to transition to a professional trainer. Having never trained a horse before, I wasn’t confident about moving forward beyond a walk under saddle. The unchartered territory of trot and canter were potentially very dangerous and I wanted them to be introduced to her by someone with experience. I knew that if these next steps went poorly, there was potential for the introduction of fear and injuries to both of us.
My farrier referred me to the horse trainer Asa Grant. “He’s great at working with young horses.” So, I gave him a call and made an appointment for him take a look at her. After watching them together that first day, I knew he was the right trainer for us and booked Ofelia for a 30-day training session. It was such a positive experience for both of us. He was gentle and confident as he guided her through her new job. I attended her training sessions every day and watched them work together. It was just as much training for me as it was for her. He has been so patient with my never-ending questions and even agreed to let me interview him after her training was complete.
I hope you enjoy the photos of our journey together and find some sage advice in Asa’s words.
Please enjoy the interview below:
Tell me a little bit about yourself
I grew up here in Kalispell MT. I’ve been training horses on and off here in the valley since 2013 and full time since 2018. I’m married to my lovely wife, Bethany, and we have two kiddos. Other than working with horses, my favorite things to pass the time are hiking and wilderness camping.
How long have you been training horses?
I’ve been training horses as a business for about five years now. Before that, as a kid and through my teen years, I was always training on my own horses and some of my neighbors’ horses as well.
How did you get into the business of training horses?
After a few years of internships and working on ranches I decided it was time to take that experience and do the job I’d been dreaming about. So I put an ad in the newspaper, told some friends what I was doing and after about a month I had a full-time gig going.
What made you want to become a horse trainer?
When I was about twelve years old I saw Clinton Anderson and a couple of others working with horses. I thought it was about the coolest thing a person could do. Never thought I could do it as a job though. Figured it was way out of reach like being a sports star or something. But I still kept thinking to myself “if only I could make a living riding horses”.
Who have you learned the most from?
All of the horses I’ve worked with. If you pay attention you can learn just as much from your horse as you can from a person. That being said, I owe the ability to do that from lots of people. Buck Brannaman and several others who spent years riding with him have all given me an immense amount of knowledge.
What are the best horsemanship tips that you’ve learned?
Remaining patient is key. I always try to remember that a horse is a product of its environment and rarely is trying to be bad. Most of the time they’ve been taught bad behaviors and just need someone to show them how to be different. Trying to understand where the horse is coming from and offering them the best deal possible to change will always pay off.
What’s something you wish many horse owners knew or did differently?
I wish horse owners knew how important it is to spend consistent time with their horses. Making time to work with your horse a minimum of once a week makes such a huge difference.
What’s the secret to having a safe, trustworthy horse?
I think the secret to safety is education. Education can save you from lots of wrecks and getting your horse in trouble. Knowing what’s going on with your animal before it goes bad and being prepared to fix it is imperative. Practically speaking, lots of desensitization always helps. And teaching your horse good manners on the ground and in the saddle.
Have you ever been seriously injured in your profession? If yes, how so?
I’ve had many minor injuries of course but the only serious injury that comes to mind is a trailering situation with a horse. A few years back I was hauling a horse that I didn’t know. When I went to untie him inside the trailer he pulled back before I was able to get him loose. He ended up slamming me around in the trailer quite a bit, driving my head into the wall of the trailer, and eventually, I ended up underneath him crawling out of the trailer in between his legs. A major concussion and laceration on my head were the damages. Lesson learned, however. Always untie a horse you don’t know from outside the trailer if at all possible.
What’s the best way you’ve found to avoid injury?
Taking things slow! And never skipping steps. There’s absolutely no shame whatsoever in taking your time with a horse.
Also, listen to what your gut says.
I’ve never been in a wreck with a horse that couldn’t have been avoided by listening to my gut feelings or by not attempting to do something a horse wasn’t ready for.
You ride in a sweet custom saddle, can you tell me a bit about it and why you chose that style? Who made it for you?
It’s a rough out wade tree saddle with a roping horn. The tree itself was made by master tree maker Warren Wright in New Zealand.
I chose the wade tree style of saddle because in my opinion, they fit the widest variety of horses. Not all wade saddles are created equal, that’s for sure. But a good quality one with a quality tree should fit just about any horse well enough to not sore them up. I’ve had my saddle on probably two hundred horses and it’s fit them all. The maker of the actual saddle is Jesse Cherot. She lives here in the Flathead valley.
What style of bridle and reins do you prefer and why?
I prefer just a western-style bridal with a snaffle bit. One that’s simple but made well.
And I’m partial to macate reins. For the things I like to do with horses they are certainly the most functional. They have a great feel to them that transfers to the horse’s mouth extremely well, promoting softness and responsiveness.
I’ve found that macate reins are great in any situation. I used to work on ranches and the ability to step off your horse and doctor a cow and still have ahold of your horse, for example, is invaluable. The same applies to trail riding or anything for that matter.
What’s the first thing you notice when you’re observing a new horse?
I usually look for what the horse is paying attention to. Sometimes it’s other horses or the noises in the wind. Sometimes it’s me. That usually gives me an idea what I’m going to have to address with the horse and what he might be concerned about. I also try to look for any signs of lameness, how the horse’s natural movement is, what the overall demeanor looks like. All these things give me a head start on staying safe and helping the individual horse be the best possible.
What are the most common bad habits that people teach horses?
Poor ground manners have got to be at the top of the list. I can’t remember very many horses that didn’t try to run me over when they first showed up. Most of them will try to kick me if pushed enough as well. That all comes from a horse that’s been allowed to be pushy and become resentful. Biting and other misbehaviors all come from the same thing. A lack of respect for the humans space.
Bad habits in the saddle that are common. Head tossing, tail swishing, running through the bit, rubbing rider’s leg on fence.
How do you know when a horse is ready to complete their training?
Of course, it depends on what the horse needs or what they have come to me for. But for the sake of example, I’ll talk about a colt.
I have a list in my head of the fundamentals that are necessary for a calm, functional, and safe horse. Those included a proper understanding of movement of all parts of their body away from pressure when asked, a general desensitization of basic things such as tarps and flags, ropes, and quick human movements. They should be able to pick up a walk, trot, and lope with relative ease and without concern. I don’t expect perfect slow lope circles in a field or flying lead change of course. But a reasonable ability to move through the main gaits without getting in trouble, riding outside the arena without running away or losing their mind, and a decent sense of confidence and no serious flightiness.
If I can do a little bit of groundwork, saddle up without trouble, hop on and direct the horse where I want to go without worrying about blow-ups or anything like that I consider them ready for the owners to take over.
What’s the fastest way to ruin a horse - making them unsafe and untrainable?
Getting them scared of people is the fastest way to ruin a horse. Most behaviors can be corrected with a little hard work and patience. But a horse that’s genuinely terrified of people is dangerous and just about the hardest thing to overcome. A horse that’s scared of people very often will kick, bite, run you over and try to stomp you, buck if they’re even rideable, explode when something scary happens rather than relying on the human for reassurance. That’s an unsafe and at least very difficult horse to train.
Do you have a preference between mares, geldings, or stallions?
I personally don’t have a preference. Now as a disclaimer I would strongly recommend that nobody attempt to make a riding horse out of a stallion without professional help. Studs aren’t bad and certainly shouldn’t be looked at as scary. But they can be more aggressive and are much harder to train to be ok around other horses and respectful of people. I’ve seen many fantastic studs that act just like a gelding. They can be perfect gentlemen while even standing next to a mare, but that takes a ton of work on the human’s part.
I typically keep geldings for my personal horses just for practical reasons of being easier for resale and generally having a calm disposition around other horses when I take them somewhere new.
How do you separate your emotions from your training - repress your instinct to show anger, fear, or frustration?
I think a large part of it is just self-control. Which of course is easy to say but harder to do. I always try to keep in mind that even if a horse is doing something I think is bad, he’s probably not trying to be that way. Most likely he’s been trained that way or been allowed to act that way for a long time. It won’t help him if I get frustrated or angry. Staying calm and patiently working through it pays off.
How do you stay calm in high-stress situations?
Remembering to breathe is the first most helpful thing. It’s really easy to hold your breath in a scary or stressful situation with a horse. And of course, all that does is escalate the situation. The more you can try to remain relaxed and calm the better chance you have of getting through the stressful stuff without getting hurt or in trouble. Horses will feed off that.
What’s your biggest success story?
I’m not really sure what the biggest success would be, but one of my favorites is a little roan mustang that I was given when I was 16. He was 10 and had never had anything done with him. Hardly would lead. He was quite the challenge but after a few months, some good buck offs and a lot of repetition, he turned into a really nice little horse. He went to a young guy that loves him and uses him for hunting and trails.
Tell me about a horse that didn’t turn out as you’d hoped—would you have done anything differently after the fact?
I’ve only ever had one horse that I couldn’t crack. He was a really troubled horse that had been abused quite a bit and the little training he had was pretty terrible. I spent about six months with him and he still would come unglued every time I put the saddle on him. Had to rope him most days to get him caught. Looking back I think he probably had some brain damage. Oxygen deprivation at birth or something like that. The only thing I would have done differently would have been telling his owner that he’s dangerous and needed to go to a bucking string or something along those lines. I think that would have been kinder than trying to make him into something he’s not capable of.
What horse has taught you the most?
Probably the first horse I started. She was a pretty sweet mare but definitely a challenge. The first horse you start teaches you so many things. So many of the basics like standing in spots that keep you from getting kicked. I learned all the things that don’t work a lot of the stuff that does.
What are some foundational horse tips that you think every rider should know?
One of the most important things is proper riding posture. Most people ride out of balance and not ready for anything unexpected. Therefore putting themselves in danger if their horse were to spook or buck etc. The one rein stop is incredibly valuable as well. Making sure your tack fits correctly and always riding with a tight cinch and proper bit tightness is very important too.
What was your childhood dream?
My childhood dream was to grow up and ride horses every day. I guess that one came true!
Who were your childhood heroes—have those changed?
If I remember correctly Roy Rogers was my childhood hero. He’s still pretty high on the list but I’d have to say now my hero is St. John Paul ll.
What are your future goals?
My goals for the future are to continue trying to get better with horses every day and to make each horse that leaves here better than the last one. I have a passion for making good safe horses for people and my goal is to continue to do that better and better.
Do you listen to music while training- or do you think it’s best to keep all your senses alert?
I definitely listen to lots of music and podcasts as well. I personally don’t find it distracting but I would absolutely cation anyone who may feel distracted by something like that. For me, music can be relaxing and help me be in a better mood which helps my horses do better as well.
What’s your favorite part about your job?
I really love almost everything about my job.
To me, nothing beats the smell, sounds, and feel of riding a horse. I love being out in the arena at sunrise sitting on a colt working on making him better and enjoying listening to the birds and watching the world wake up.
What’s your least favorite part about your job?
I’d have to say my least favorite part is scheduling and paperwork. I love riding horses and doing all the hands-on work. I find balancing my books and the necessity for a schedule not super fun.
What’s your best advice for someone who is interested in training their own horse?
Take it slow and ask for help from anyone experienced. Always be open to advice and assume you can learn something from everyone. There’s lot’s of fantastic resources out there. Books, training videos, clinics, and lots of great people to learn from.
What do you think is the most common reason people seek your help?
I think most people seek my help when they get to a point with their horse that they stop feeling safe. For some people, that’s when they don’t have time to properly start a young horse. Or for others when their riding horse starts an unsafe or frustrating behavior.
What’s unique about your style of training?
I think something that’s somewhat unique about my style is the combination of equitation and horsemanship. Often I see one or the other. Most trainers are really good at training a horse to do something but it’s incorrect movement of the horse, putting them off balance and causing long-term breakdown of the animal from improper equitation. Or you have the other extreme with excellent equitation but horrible horsemanship. No softness offered from the rider. Everything is extremely hardcore and forced. My goal is to implement proper equitation and horsemanship.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired every day when I make a horse just a little better than the day before. Looking for progress in the little things and seeing it all come together eventually. That’s very inspiring to me.
What breaks your heart?
I think what breaks my heart more than almost anything is seeing a person sacrifice the well-being of a horse. That comes in many forms and often isn’t purposeful. It breaks my heart to see owners that don’t spend the time or money needed to make their animals safe and happy. Even worse than that to me is when I very commonly see training that is abusive or unnecessarily harsh for the purpose of ego or results.
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If you are also in need of a horse trainer, I highly recommend Asa Grant.