Here in New Mexico one of the best known and liked trainers is Randall Davis. He does gentle colt starting and gives clinics throughout the Southwest.
I’ve always like his natural horsemanship approach. For example he says “Directing a horse is not getting him to go somewhere, but providing somewhere that he can go. There’s no force in it. It’s an encouraging option.”
Randall raises and sells “old style” Quarter Horses and Corrientes cattle on his Longview Ranch in Crownpoint, New Mexico (near the four corners area) with his wife Ellen. A native New Mexican, Davis grew up in Tijeras Canyon where his parents owned and operated a horse facility and full-service feed and tack store.
On his website he says “Starting out I was simply told to get ‘em riding. The more I tried to demand things of the horse the less I received. I soon realized that I had to find another way. Fortunately, I was blessed to spend considerable time around some truly great horsemen such as Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance and others.”
You can visit his website by clicking on Longview Ranch