About Nick and Jessie Donohue….
Nick was introduced to Vaquero/Buckaroo Horsemanship when he met Dan Knuth in Chandler, Arizona. Intrigued by what he learned in the first month, you could say he became somewhat of an addict! If he was not at work, he was at the ranch practicing what he had learned, watching Dan give other people lessons, or just simply spending time around horses. He continued to watch Dan as much as possible and practice everything that he learned or saw, and it wasn't long before Dan noticed his desire and commitment to become a horseman. He was kind enough to take Nick under his wing as an apprentice, and spent countless hours helping Nick learn to start colts and refine his horsemanship skills. Nick spent a couple years riding with him, learning these methods, and even working with Dan’s students from time to time. In the summer of 2005, Dan retired, and Nick began riding horses and starting colts for the public.
Jessie began riding as a small child, and at 14 years old, she purchased a green-broke 9 year old Arabian, whose history, much like many horses who cross our paths, was far from good. She knew she needed to find another way to work with her horse, gain his trust, and develop her horsemanship. She tried a few different things, but it wasn’t until she moved to Arizona for college and met Dan Knuth that she was introduced to the vaquero style of horsemanship. She felt the changes in her horse and her own horsemanship immediately, and has been dedicated to this style of horsemanship ever since. While in Arizona, Jessie went to Arizona State University where she majored in Dance and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance studies. Through her education, she increased her knowledge of the human body and how it moves, which enhances her ability to teach students how to use their own bodies to communicate effectively with horses, both in and out of the saddle.
Nick and Jessie met in Arizona while both were students of Dan’s, and in 2006, they married and moved to Portland, Oregon. In the summer of 2010 they realized one of their biggest dreams- having their own boarding and training facility, dedicated to the vaquero style of horsemanship. They are life long students of the horse, always striving to continue their own education in horsemanship. Nick and Jessie are dedicated to the horsemanship methods of Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, and Buck Brannaman. In addition to riding one or two Buck Brannaman clinics each year they also ride with Ricky Quinn Jr, and host a clinic of his at their place every spring.
Through these experiences and this way of life, Nick and Jessie feel that their life has changed dramatically for the better because of the horse and what he has to offer the human. These methods and traditions are not only about how to handle a horse, but they offer life lessons and life changing experiences. The journey is not always a short easy one, rather it can be hard, rugged and long, with peaks of prosperity and valleys of despair. It truly takes grit, try, desire and the ability to change for the better, not only what you do, but maybe who you are, to truly prosper. But the rewards are endless both with your horse, and in life.
Nick was introduced to Vaquero/Buckaroo Horsemanship when he met Dan Knuth in Chandler, Arizona. Intrigued by what he learned in the first month, you could say he became somewhat of an addict! If he was not at work, he was at the ranch practicing what he had learned, watching Dan give other people lessons, or just simply spending time around horses. He continued to watch Dan as much as possible and practice everything that he learned or saw, and it wasn't long before Dan noticed his desire and commitment to become a horseman. He was kind enough to take Nick under his wing as an apprentice, and spent countless hours helping Nick learn to start colts and refine his horsemanship skills. Nick spent a couple years riding with him, learning these methods, and even working with Dan’s students from time to time. In the summer of 2005, Dan retired, and Nick began riding horses and starting colts for the public.
Jessie began riding as a small child, and at 14 years old, she purchased a green-broke 9 year old Arabian, whose history, much like many horses who cross our paths, was far from good. She knew she needed to find another way to work with her horse, gain his trust, and develop her horsemanship. She tried a few different things, but it wasn’t until she moved to Arizona for college and met Dan Knuth that she was introduced to the vaquero style of horsemanship. She felt the changes in her horse and her own horsemanship immediately, and has been dedicated to this style of horsemanship ever since. While in Arizona, Jessie went to Arizona State University where she majored in Dance and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance studies. Through her education, she increased her knowledge of the human body and how it moves, which enhances her ability to teach students how to use their own bodies to communicate effectively with horses, both in and out of the saddle.
Nick and Jessie met in Arizona while both were students of Dan’s, and in 2006, they married and moved to Portland, Oregon. In the summer of 2010 they realized one of their biggest dreams- having their own boarding and training facility, dedicated to the vaquero style of horsemanship. They are life long students of the horse, always striving to continue their own education in horsemanship. Nick and Jessie are dedicated to the horsemanship methods of Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, and Buck Brannaman. In addition to riding one or two Buck Brannaman clinics each year they also ride with Ricky Quinn Jr, and host a clinic of his at their place every spring.
Through these experiences and this way of life, Nick and Jessie feel that their life has changed dramatically for the better because of the horse and what he has to offer the human. These methods and traditions are not only about how to handle a horse, but they offer life lessons and life changing experiences. The journey is not always a short easy one, rather it can be hard, rugged and long, with peaks of prosperity and valleys of despair. It truly takes grit, try, desire and the ability to change for the better, not only what you do, but maybe who you are, to truly prosper. But the rewards are endless both with your horse, and in life.
