About Stan

Stan's Beginning - The Man from the Past Returns

All of my life I've been around horses. I was born in the spring of '44 when the rains made the dirt roads so bad, cars and trucks couldn't use them. So, my dad came to that little country hospital with a buckboard and team to give my mother and me a ride home. I've been around horses ever since.

My family on both sides have always been people of the Earth. My mother's family were French and American Indian. Her mother would not even turn on an electric light or talk on the telephone. (I remember one of the Indians that worked for us called the telephone, "Devil Box".) My dad's side of the family fought the Sioux a little at the end, and then became ranchers. My dad told me stories about how the Sioux would break away from the reservation and raid the ranches for food. If you gave it to them, they would fire a few shots into the air and move on. If you fought, they would try to burn you out.

Dad's family had purchased lots of land in the sandhills of Nebraska and settled there, but the LAZY B 6 brand wasn't registered until 1897. We have seven ranches in our family, with the headquarters or home ranch being about twenty sections. The rest are a little less and not adjoining. I remember when I was around seven or eight one of my chores was to trail four or five head of horses between ranches. I can just imagine today a father telling his wife that their son of only seven years was going to take several horses ten miles to the next ranch. We'd watch that on the six o'clock news and they'd be calling it child abuse.

Back then, that was what you did to pull your share of the load. Many children today have no idea of what real work is, and the satisfaction you feel from both yourself and your family for doing a good job. I believe that's why when I do a job for a client today and I'm satisfied, I know the client will be also.

As a kid, horses were a part of my life and it remains so today. However, as kids, sometimes we will not take things very seriously. I remember one time I was putting some wet blanket time on this horse - I was ten or so. My dad saw me get bucked off, and caught up my horse. Now, my dad dressed like the man from Snowy River. I have always favored the Buckaroo style of dress myself and thought all good cowboys should dress pure Cowboy. Dad stepped up on that horse, and the horse swallowed his head. My dad rode that bucking fool to a standstill and never even lost his hat. Dad lead the horse back over to me, handed me the rein, and said, "Don't let me see you get bucked off again." I found out that day, clothes don't make a cowboy.

Over the years, I have made many mistakes. I take pride in the fact that I almost never make the same mistake twice - at least not with a horse. Someone said to me once, "Stan, you must know at least a million things about horses." I told him he was probably right. Then I said, "It took me two million mistakes to learn them."

Giving Back

After years of living the cowboy lifestyle, rodeoing, and doing a little stunt work in Hollywood, I had a change of heart. Instead of taking, I wanted to give something back. I couldn't remember when I couldn't get a job breaking horses, but that lacked something. As a kid the veterinarians always remarked that I sure had a way with animals. So I started thinking, how could I teach this to others? Would they even want to learn what I know? As I thought over some of my ideas, I decided I would pass on my knowledge of the horse. Then I remember my horse, Jug Head was his name, that saved my life in a blizzard by taking me back to the ranch when I couln't find my own way back without his instincts. He was a true friend. My business would be called, "The Horses Friend", in his memory.

In 1986, I started the business. Everywhere I traveled, people wanted to know more. I was on the go all the time. So much in fact, I didn't have time for myself. During this time, many of my clients asked me to ride horses for them and I started doing this fulltime. What happened was that I stopped traveling and didn't teach much anymore. I became a problem horse specialist. Horses started coming to me from all over. I now needed a large place to school, work and use these horses. It came to me in the form of a job offer as a ranch manager in 1991. The ranch was several thousand acres in the foothills of the Sierra mountains, and I had just the life I wanted. I was a full time cowboy again with horses to ride and about a thousand head of cattle. I was again living the life of a cowboy and writing my cowboy poetry.

Over the last few years, I have conducted private seminars and clinics for old friends as well as a few new ones. When 2001 rolled around, I decided I'd go back to working with new horse people. The only way we will secure the horses' future is with the constant growth of new horse owners willing to explore and advance the area of the horses' mind as well as improving the owners' knowledge of horsemanship. Without an aggressive attitude concerning equine education, our horse industry will suffer. So, new horse people, I'm here to help you. This is your web site. I know I can help you and I look forward to seeing you soon!

I'd like to add a personal note to thank the two people who are responsible for me being here. My mother and father have always supported me for as long as I can remember. They have always taken pride in my work, as I have. It seems to me that the family units of today could take a lesson or two from some of the old schools of thought concerning keeping the family closer: Weekends together, church of your choice, and a dress-up Sunday dinner at home. Just give it a try. My mom and dad did a great job with all of us. Thank you, Mom and Dad!

Stan's Accident - Written by Sonny Grant, A Cowboy friend of Stan's

Hello Friends:

It seems that somehow a lot of cowboys have drifted to Hollywood. Stan came from Texas to Hollywood via a TV show. You may remember the name of it - it was called "Dallas". He was an extra, then became a stuntman shortly thereafter.

He had worked on just a few shows when he was asked to appear on the TV show, "That's Incredible". It was the first season and the season opener for the show. He ran, I said ran, through a burning tunnel of fire. It was 7 feet tall, 6 feet wide and 150 feet long - one-half the length of a football field. The safety company made a mistake and gave him the wrong gloves. They immediately burned off after he entered the tunnel. He managed to run, stumble and crawl out of the tunnel. However, his hands were almost completely destroyed. He was burned at 2000 degrees for over half a minute.

He spent two years in the hospital and another two learning how to use his reconstructed hands. Today, no one has any idea what he has gone through. What's more, he takes no credit in what he has accomplished with his hands. He simply says, "What else was I going to do? I sure wasn't going to give up. I got people to meet and things to do."

Today, Stan works with horses just about every day, and no one seems to notice that his hands have been badly burned. In fact, many people don't even notice his hands until it's brought to their attention.

If you want to be motivated and you're feeling a little down, go to one of Stan's motivational speaking engagements. After you listen to him, you're ready to break rocks and make gravel with a smile on your face because you feel so good.

I have known Stan for over fifteen years now. We cross trails often. You will never meet a finer, more honest man. Someone in an interview asked him if he would change anything in his life, including being burned. He said, "No, I wouldn't change a thing in my life, because I wouldn't be right here and this is where I want to be." If you ever have a chance to meet him, do it. It may just change your life.

The Horses Friend

When you meet Stan, it is like the clock has been turned back. He has the values of times gone by. From his handshake to his word, they are 100% real.

Horse Psychologist Ranch Manager Community Servant Cowboy Poet Public Speaker Motivational Speaker Stuntman Actor Model Teacher for Your Horse & You

Stan specializes in conducting seminars and clinics for new horse people. The need for new horse people to stay associated as well as highly involved in the horse industry is paramount. He has made it his goal to educate all of those horse owners who have yet to establish productive communication with their horses. Long time horse owners will discover valuable information by attending Stan's seminars or clinics as well. No matter what your experiences in the past, if you desire a rewarding relationship with your horse which you haven't had to date, you want Stan.