Francois Gauthier
7132 St. Marys Church Rd. Lucama, NC 27851
NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Finalist
2020
CowHorse Saddle
2020
Francois Gauthier
7132 St. Marys Church Rd. Lucama, NC 27851
NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Finalist
2020
CowHorse Saddle
2020
Francois Gauthier
7132 St. Marys Church Rd. Lucama, NC 27851
NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Finalist
2020
CowHorse Saddle
2020
Francois Gauthier
Francois Gauthier is a respected reining trainer with over 40 years of experience training and showing reining horses. His lifetime NRHA earnings exceed $675,000.00. His goal is to breed and train top-quality reining horses, while always keeping in mind each horse’s personal ability. He specializes in 2-year-old prospects through Futurity and Derby aged-events.
“Here at Martin Ranch we enjoy training horses and have successfully worked with a very wide range….We have worked with high performance reining and cowhorses as well as started dressage, jumping, gaited, trail, hunt seat, pleasure, ranch and all around family horses. Our program varies based on the individual horse, with an emphasis on safety.”
“Here at Martin Ranch we enjoy training horses and have successfully worked with a very wide range….We have worked with high performance reining and cowhorses as well as started dressage, jumping, gaited, trail, hunt seat, pleasure, ranch and all around family horses. Our program varies based on the individual horse, with an emphasis on safety.”
Who are the Schwartzenbergers?
Over the past few years you have increasingly turned your competitive showing focus on the Reined Cowhorse disciplines. Is there something in particular that really excites you about this area of the sport?
I really enjoy the diversity of the Reined Cowhorse competitions. Doing three or four different disciplines at a high level requires a very broke and athletic horse, as well as a great minded one. In this era of specialization it is refreshing to be able to train horses for more than one discipline.
As a trainer, what horse performance issues are clients coming to you with most often?
Often people come with what they think is a “bracing” or “stiffness” issue and the problem really started with the horses feet. A lot of times if we connect to the horses feet a lot of the problems go away.
Do you find horse breeding technology has improved over the past decade and are we seeing a higher quality of competitive show horse today?
I am still relatively young, so I have not seen as much change as some of my peers however, yes it does seem like every year the level of performance goes up. A lot of that has to do with the high quality of horses being bred.
Is your saddle the most important piece of equipment that allows you to succeed in the show ring? What features do you look for in a good saddle?
The saddle is your most important piece of equipment because it is the only thing between your horse and biggest aids, which are your seat and legs.
“A poorly made saddle will also hinder your horses performance by pinching in the shoulders or tipping your body out of position.”
“A poorly made saddle will also hinder your horses performance by pinching in the shoulders or tipping your body out of position.”
On top of that, being made out of quality leather and with a quality tree it will make for a better long term investment. You see it every day, the good quality saddles hold their value for years and years of horses being bred.