Mark's love of horses was started at a young age by both of his grandfathers, who worked with and loved horses.
Although Mark's paternal grandfather didn't own a horse, he shared his love of them through art, statues and stories. When Mark was old enough, his grandfather took him to Pig Iron Derbies held throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania. These were like today's tractor pulls,
but used horses instead to move the massive loads. Even as a child, Mark was amazed at the strength and beauty these horses possessed.
Mark's maternal grandfather was a farmer, and horses were an integral part of farm life. He would often travel to Pittsburgh, where mustangs were auctioned off. These mustangs were then brought back to the farm where they were used to help in the fields. Mustang's were,
and still are, thought of as being a very strong and hardy breed. He often had tales about these animals that would leave Mark's eyes wide open in amazement.
Growing up though, in a family with five children, a horse or pony was not in the budget. This, however, did not stop Mark from dreaming and reading everything he could about them.
Mark began his first horsemanship job working as a groom and mucking stalls in Columbiana's Corey Stables as a teenager. Although it was not the most glorious job, Mark found the satisfaction of his work and knowledge he gained invaluable. While at Corey Stables, Mark became familiar
with Standard Bred horses and harness racing. The start on this path would eventually lead Mark to the Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort, in West Virginia, where he earned his Trainers License. This enabled him to work closely with the horses, training and conditioning them to
their peak racing performance.
Mark's true addiction to horses started many years prior to the job at Mountaineer, with the purchase of his first horse.
Thinking that it would be nice to have a horse to work with after the daily grind, Mark began a search for his equine partner. His first purchase was a thouroughbred mare by the name of Dancer. This eventually led to the purchase of a farm and everything else just snowballed from there. Mark quickly became and avid trail rider and enjoyed riding all over Ohio and Eastern Pennsylvania. During
this time, Mark was also involved at the race track and spent years training and racing thoroughbreds from his home where he also had a boarding stable.
Over the years, what started as an observation of his children's participation in 4-H, turned into an advisors position with the governing body of the Saddle Horse Committee. Mark is involved in the many aspects of running a horse show, such as developing a schedule, finding judges and
making sure rules and regulations are followed for the safety of all participants. Mark also started the horse club, Midnight Riders, for younger children. His intention with this club is to expose children to the various styles of riding, helping them become well-rounded riders.
Not only interested in helping children become better riders, Mark also wanted to be able to help strengthen the relationship between horse and rider. He felt that the methods he was currently using, those of John Lyons, were ones he wanted to share with others. Mark first discovered John at
one of the first 'Equine Affaires' held in Ohio. He was impressed by how John simplified the steps of creating a great relationship with horses. Mark would study the methods, then apply them to the training of his own horses. He found that these methods had better results than any that he had
used before. Mark knew that going to Colorado for formal training with Josh and John Lyons was the right step in being able to help people and their horses.
Site & Content Copyrighted 2008 Corll Horsemanship
Site Design by GetInLineProductions.com
|
