An Arabian Knight
Story by Aubrey Simpson
Photography by Ritchie Rozzelle
The Equussource team arrived at the Rick Gault Training Facility just in time to watch Rick’s last few minutes of training. The elegant stance, the distinctive head shape and tail carriage that distinguishes Arabians was enhanced by Rick’s physical stature, mental concentration and attention from the saddle. Smiling and with a glint in his eye, he rounded the corner stall to talk with us and share his passion for Arabian horses.
“I’m originally from Canada,” Rick says, “I grew up around horses, and worked with and sold a lot of different breeds. I once rode across Canada from Alberta to British Columbia on horseback. It took me forty days to cross the country. Once, I got there I started spending more time working with horses. I guess that’s when I got serious.”
How does a Canadian end up training Arabian horses in North Carolina? It’s a long story with a love interest. “I trained in the Northwest for quite a while. Then I met my wife, Laura Faircloth, at US Nationals Competition in Kentucky. If you’re passionate about horses and that becomes your life, relationships can be difficult. I’m lucky; Laura rides and competes, she judges competitions, so she understands the business. We have a great relationship. So, I moved here in 1999 so we could be together and then in 2001 we opened our training facility.” The facility is state-of-the-art, located on nineteen acres with horses, all either full or part bred Arabian, from across the country.
Asked why he prefers Arabians, Rick replies, “I like all breeds of horses, but I like training Arabians because they’re intelligent and easy to work with. They can be mighty smart, so you can’t out muscle them into performing, you have to out think them. I started out training in Dressage in the late 70s, That’s where I learned my principles, my philosophy, and it’s provided the foundation of my training in Western and English Pleasure horses.”
On the best way to spot a winner, Rick shares, “Conformation has a lot to do with it, but more than that it’s the wow factor, the it factor. Everything seems to be there, a certain quality, you can see in the horse’s eyes. They have a sort of “look at me” attitude. Rick obviously knows how to pick them; he’s trained National Champions and Top 10 horses in both Canada and the United States, and won the 2006 Arabian Professional and Amateur Horseman’s Association Horseman’s Award for Western Male Trainer, among others. “I have a tremendous group of clients, people who really know the business. So, I get to train the best horses. I try to keep the number within reason, I usually only have 38 horses at a time. I have two assistants now. I used to do it all, but now I mostly finish horses.”
Heading outside to see a colt, Rick tells us that, “Arabians are more curious and people-friendly than some other bashful breeds.” Sure enough, nearly every horse comes to the fence for some attention. Listening to Rick’s philosophy of caring for younger and older horses, it’s clear he is as compassionate about horses as he is passionate. “Some of these horses are retired show horses, they don’t look as grand as they once did, but we feel they’ve earned the right to a decent retirement with dignity.” Speaking of when he likes to start training “the babies” he ponders, “I don’t start until they’re 3 or 3 ½ and don’t start finishing until they’re 5 or 6. We like to let them grow up as much as we can, once they start showing, that’s pretty much their life.” As a foal poses for the camera, Rick laughs, “I hope you show-off like that when we start riding you, you little stinker.”
Returning to the barn, Rick introduces us to Zimmeron, his prized stallion who really got his business rolling. “Arabians used to be smaller than they are today,” he says, “that’s probably the biggest change in the breed.” He shares that Triple Crown® Complete is his feed choice. “It’s a high-quality feed that keeps the horses bulkedup but with lower amounts of sugar. Arabians are feisty enough and don’t need the extra sugar as a motivator.”
When asked if he thinks his personality reflects that of Arabians, Rick laughs, “I’m pretty feisty and independent, so in that respect, I guess that maybe I am.” From our observations - this Rick Gault is definitely an Arabian Knight.
Rick feeds his horses from the Greensboro, NC Southern States store with manager Larry O’Ferrell who always goes above and beyond the call of duty. To find out more about Rick and his training facility, go to www.rickgaulttraining.com
