About Tim

Patti & Tim Fortune

I grew up in rural Ontario on an acreage and  got my first horse when I was nine.  I rode a lot as a kid without any formal training and I learned to ride by the seat of my pants.  As a teenager I participated in gymkhana events and did very well.  I also participated on the high school equestrian team.  I worked one winter in 1985 starting race horses.  I later worked as a barn manager and horsemanship instructor over a 20 year period for several camps across Canada including Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, and a year in Montana.  We did everything from hundred mile trail rides with covered wagons and teams to packing into the mountains, cattle penning, team roping,  jumping, vaulting, and horse drawn hay rides.  In 1986 I achieved Clinic Instructor status with CHA (they certify riding instructors for group riding programs) and have been an instructor with them ever since.  That year I married my best friend, Patti. She has been a wonderful support to me as I pursue my dream.

I always had a passion to be excellent with horses but never had an opportunity to learn with someone really talented.  In 2003 I became involved with Natural Horsemanship.  At first I was skeptical but the more I watched I became convinced that these Natural Horsemanship Clinicians and their students were getting done with horses what I only dreamed of.  I then began to study various programs from different Natural Horsemanship Clinicians and had my eyes opened to a whole new way of dealing with horses naturally.  Since then I have studied everything I can find, to do with communicating  with horses more effectively and have used it to train with the ever evolving program I use everyday.

Since being involved in Natural Horsemanship I have been training horses professionally and teaching others how to communicate with horses in a way that the horse understands.  My passion is to see horses and people excel.  I ride 30 to 60 horses a year including  young and challenging horses.   I continue to attend clinics and study anything to do with communicating with horses more effectively.  So far I have had the privilege of attending clinics with Richard Shrake,  Larry Stewart, Don Halladay, Karen Rolf, and Ray Hunt. Natural Horsemanship is a continual journey where the learning never stops and I look forward to the learning ahead from the horse and the human.  I look forward to perhaps  meeting  you along that journey.