Chris first came into contact with horses during a challenging time in his mid-twenties. He looked into the eyes of a horse for the first time and felt an inherent peace, an inner-contentment within their being, that helped him to remember the peace and contentment within himself. He later became inspired by what was possible in mind, body, and soul when we connect with a horse on the ground, in riding, or when just being with them out in the fields. He found something deep inside him was ignited, a great journey and life-long quest emerging. This led him to leave Maine to go in search of learning more about horses, their nature, and the many different ways of connecting with them.
Following The Heart
He would first work as an apprentice at the Van Nostern Arabian Horse Ranch in Colorado. The Van Nostern Ranch was focused on a modern and natural approach in their work with horses. Chris worked with Arabian horses of all ages, from yearlings to champion stallions. From there he moved on to the Sunset Ranch in California where he worked as a wrangler. He led trail rides ranging from five to thirty riders, including Sunset Ranch’s famous night rides. He also worked as a riding instructor teaching both English and Western riding.
I love my work, and I love the opportunity to help people and horses. It’s beautiful when a horse and human truly connect, and my intention is to support them as they find their own unique path to that.
The Wild Lands Of The Sonora
The ranch that had the most influence on Chris was the 300 year old Rancho de la Osa in Arizona. The Rancho de la Osa served as a guest ranch that was still run as a working cowboy operation. It was here that Chris learned what it meant to have complete trust with a horse, and he discovered more about the relationships and deep bonds that can be had with horses. From herding horses and cattle across the range to guiding rides and looking after the guests, each day was a study on horse/human relations. Chris worked on developing a balanced and easy approach to working with horses, and developed his skill in teaching these ways to people of all ages and ability.
Life, Love, And Being With Horses
When Chris returned to Maine in 2003 he set out on his own to help people and their horses, working with them in his own unique way. His work now takes him all over the United States and beyond, working with people and their horses both privately and in group clinics. It is this work that has been Chris’s greatest teacher in how to be of best service to a person and their horse. With each horse and human he meets, Chris develops a greater depth of understanding and awareness of the ever-present challenges and growth we go through when guiding, connecting, and being with horses. It has helped him to understand the love and fear in our relationships with our ourselves, with others, and our horses. It is a connection to our own journeys, and more than that, a connection to ourselves that leads the way in what we do with horses and how we live our lives. And so that is where his focus is today–on new, evolving, and inspiring ways of connecting with horses, while learning how to live our own lives more freely and lovingly in the process.
In recent years Chris and his horse, Rocky, have been featured at many expos, fairs, and horse shows. In 2013 he wrote Land of the Horses: A True Story of a Lost Soul and a Life Found, which chronicled his two year journey in the American West. This has led him to speak at many different schools, libraries and motivational speaking events. Then in 2019 he published The Horses In Our Stars: A Story of Life, Love, and the Journey Within which tells of how horses can help us and inspire us to better live our lives. He also writes essays on nature and horsemanship that have appeared in many different magazines.
He continues to be inspired by horses and the journey we take with them. Always learning, always growing, always in gratitude, he is just as passionate about horses now as he was that first time he looked into that horse’s eyes.