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A Better Brand Of Horse |
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X2D Horses is sponsored by: 
 I've started colts and trained horses for folks in the Denver area for the past 35 years. I managed to learn a little bit about people and horses in that time. I don't start colts anymore because I've slowed down some, but the colts didn't. So, for the first time in my life I sent a colt out to get started. The colt I sent came from the Wyoming Blanton sale. I call him Hawk, because he's sleek and smart and rangy and his head could be a little less course. When I went to pick him up, Dave rode him and showed what he does with his method of training. Then I rode my horse. I was very impressed. I've never seen a colt so well started. He was quiet, respectful, attentive, and most important, he wanted to go to work because he liked it -- the one sign of a top trainer. If you want one started right, call Dave Shumpert Jack Mauck Briggsdale, CO Today's modern horseowner is familiar with pedigrees and breeding as evidenced by the popularity of the "foundation" organizations. Experience shows that time-proven methods of horse training yield the top horses. Dave Shumpert possesses the knowledge and ability to use it to the horse's benefit. Dan Cathey Berthoud, Co. I have known Dave Shumpert for 20 years. He is one of the few horseman I would allow to train a young horse for me. I am very picky about who I allow to ride my personal horses. Besides being a good horseman Dave is a dedicated family man with integrity. Unfortunately, that seems to have become unusual in the horse industry. Dave is the exception to the rule! Carol Ellis Lazy Heart E Arena and Tack Shop Peppy Do Bar started life with all the right bloodlines that a dual-registered quarter horse and foundation quarter horse could possess. There was only one problem--nobody liked this horse. He had attitude plus. The Englishman that had bred and owned him had been knocked down by him when he was a year old. Since the family was moving back to England, they sold him for a song. As the owner said, as the trainer who purchased him drove off, "Just get him off my property." The trainer did work with him, but he also got knocked over--although he tucked and rolled to avoid injury. That is when I bought Peppy. The trainer also just wanted the horse off his property. I looked around for the "right" trainer who would understand this poor, confused beast. Having found another trainer, I thought I was on the right track. The second trainer quit after two months and never rode Peppy outside the arena. At this point, not knowing what to do, a good friend suggested Peppy go to Dave Shumpert for training. I explained to Dave that Peppy had lots of issues and now was five years old. At four years, Peppy contracted dual ulcers in both eyes and could have become blind. He stayed at Colorado State University equine hospital for two months and was injected every 6 hours with medication. He had to be consistently sedated just to be examined. This process didn't help his attitude at all. Dave said we'd start with 90 days and re-evaluate in 60 days. Dave is a cowboy. He looks like a cowboy, talks like a cowboy, and really is a cowboy. But let me tell you Dave doesn't train like a cowboy. He is unusual in that he only uses leg aids and "stays off the face" as he puts it. I could not have been more pleased with the horse's performance after 90 days. Peppy is a different character and will become my next dressage horse. In fact, Dave performed a minor miracle with Peppy. I found out a few months later when Peppy dropped so much weight that I couldn't ride him for about a month that he had a stomach ulcer. Dave patiently worked through the stomach ulcer, which the vet had specifically attributed to "bad attitude." I would not hesitate to recommend Dave Shumpert to any horse owner, regardless of the discipline--dressage, roper, rancher, hunter-jumper--who is looking for measurable results. Simply put, Dave saved Peppy's life and I couldn't be happier. Claudia Nissley, Program Director, West Wind Farms, Longmont, Colorado (For a photo of Peppy Do Bar on this year's pack trip, see training page) I bought my mare as a 4 year old but she had been rushed and pushed when started as a 2 year old then put back out in the pasture for two years. This resulted in her being skittish and worried about being handled. It was impossible to pick up her hind feet and trimming any of her feet was out of the question. She didn't trust people. Dave started her over, took the time she needed with ground and round pen work which gave her a solid foundation for becoming the nice quiet and confident horse she is today. When I bought the mare, the former owner mumbled, as I was pulling out of his driveway, "you get what you pay for." Well, she was royally bred and no longer a difficult nervous horse and 3 months after Dave worked with her I was offered 4 times my purchase price. Any horse I buy, regardless of it's age, will be spending some time with Dave. I have seen and worked with many of the big name natural horsemen over the past several years and from my perspective, Dave can hold his own with any of them starting, restarting or working with troubled horses. Cheryl Judson Lil Man came to my barn as a boarder at seven years old. He would not even let you in the pen with him. He had been brought up and trained with an older man who started him as a heeling horse. When the man died he was shipped by his daughter to a ranch. The owner of the ranch abused this horse horribly, he never liked him. When Lil Man’s owner caught on, (Lil Man was in another state) she had him shipped here, but by then the horse her father had trained was gone, and what she received was a broken, angry horse. She was afraid of him. After a year, I bought Lil Man when he was eight years old. I worked through a lot of issues, and eventually I could ride him in my arena. It took a lot of patience and time. He had a tough heart, but I knew it was there. One day in the arena I had collection reins on him and he came up and caught my head with his head. Sixteen stitches later and some sense in my mind I decided I needed to find the RIGHT trainer. One that was patient, kind, but also firm and could re-train this horse. The first time I went to see Lil Man at the Shumperts', I could rub his ears, hold his head, and lift his feet so much easier than I had. Putting on a saddle was not a big deal anymore. And that was after three weeks. After ninety days with Dave, he was heeling cattle, trail riding and loving the fact that he had a purpose. He did everything Dave would ask him to do. My husband can ride this horse and he has only ridden horses a handful of times. This past fall we went to Steamboat and took him. We crossed trails that were on 700 foot drops, looking into valleys and rivers, thru trees and over rocky trails. Lil Man was the best horse out there. Nothing spooked him, he loved every minute of it. He kept his mind, and showed us his heart. It takes a lot to train a horse from the beginning, ground up. But it takes more to get a horse that has a lot of pain and anger associated with humans, to come back into his mind. To show a person trust, and give in. Dave Shumpert is the trainer that gave me the horse I knew that Lil Man was. He listened to me and that I felt this horse had more to give. He brought him back. He listened to Lil Man, and in return got back respect, and effort from him. Now, Lil Man is currently training on barrels, and really showing great promise. I refer Dave to anyone I meet. He tells you what he thinks, good or bad. There is no grey area with Dave. He is straight forward, honest, and really knows how to get the best out of your horse. He wants you to partner and ride your horse. He helps you-the rider. Every time I ride Lil Man, I thank him. He brought back a great horse that I can do anything with. Karen and Joe McGrath for a photo of Lil Man in training, see training page Dave is one person I would call a true horseman. He knows horses in horse terms and trains them accordingly. Dave produces a nice quiet and well broke horse. Linda Ghent |
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