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PORTALES, N.M. (AP) — As a whip cracked sharply in the air, a dark-brown filly galloped around the pen, nostrils flaring. With a sin gle “Whoa” from horse trainer Andy Fair, the animal stopped at the side of a round, wooden fence. Come here, Fair said in a soft, commanding tone, beckoning from where he stood in the center of the enclosed ring. Like a dog coming to her master, the horse walked slowly to Fair, standing beside him as he stroked her neck. For the filly, it was a familiar routine, a process Fair has used in training horses for 23 years at his Portales stables. “ “Working a with a horse, it's real hard to put into words,” Fair said as he led the filly toward his white, cinder block barn. “I've spent my whole life learn ing how to do this,” he said. As a 12-year-old helping his fa ther, John W. Fair, with his horse shoeing business, Andy began to learn the art of training horses as an apprentice to a trainer near Ste phenville, Texas. When he gradu ated from high school in 1978, Fair opened his business where it still stands today off State Highway 267 about four miles west of Portales. The stables belonged to his fa ther, who allowed him to use it as training grounds for young, unbro ken horses. “At that point, you ride any thing,” Fair said, “You ride horses that have bucked everyone in the country off.” It has been a while since Fair has seen the wild horses he used to train in his youth, which he attributes to more careful breeding by owners. Now, he mostly works with 2-or 3- year-old horses, although he also re trains horses who have learned bad habits. With nine horses in his stables and a waiting list of eight more, Fair can afford to choose his students more carefully these days. The soft spoken, lean, 40-year-cowboy uses a method with horses called resistan ce-free training, teaching with calm, persuasive commands rather than force. “When I work with the horses, I approach it with, ‘Let's just try this out, it’s not that bad, I'll be right there with you,'’ Fair said. “You're looking for respect from them.” Over the years, Fair has devel oped a broad clientele, training horses for rain for ranching and even for gies. He has also trained two me. Training a zebra to wear a halter was difficult be cause they were wild. “You can just tell there's a differ ence — you can see it in their eyes,” Fair said. What he enjoys most is prepar ing horses for western pleasure show riding, which requires the ani mals to walk in a slow, measured gait with their heads down. No mat ter what the horse’s future job, Fair said, the early stages of training al ways starts with a process called joining up. In a round pen, Fair teaches the horse how to run in a circle and stop at his command, accustoming them to the feel of riding equipment. “LT always like to study my horses, to read them,” Fair said. Once the horse learns to follow his commands, he puts them in a bridle and saddles them, allowing them to identify with the extra weight. “With me, there's not going to be a lot of bucking, there's not going to be hollering,” Fair said. My main purpose is to make the ride just as pleasant as I can. Fair and his son, Cheston, worked with a two-year-old quarter horse named Cat in the round pen. Clutching a long, white rope attach ed to Cat's head, Fair pulled Cat tightly to his side while riding an other horse. When Cat first came (two weeks ago), he would just stand back in the corner and wouldn't hardly let us touch him,” Cheston said. “A horse is a whole lot like a person, each horse has its own per sonality, each horse has its own fears.” . Cheston, 20, hopes to pursue the trade that he has learned from his father since he was 12. “I've never really thought about doing anything else,” Cheston said. “I'm doing what I love,” Andy. Fair said of his five chil dren, Cheston and his daughter, Lacy, 9, show the most interest in horses. “My son, he's got the horse sense,” Fair said. It could be a character that runs through family blood lines. Grand father John W. Fair lives in a house behind his son near the stables. “It's been really nice for me, since I've got my son and my grandson in the business,” John said. “It's reward ing.” Andy Fair said not everyone who owns a horse or even trains them knows the right way to handle a horse. It’s just a bond,” he said. “People laugh when I say this, but it’s just a matter of being horsy.” Associated Press Andy Fair has been interested in horses since he was a young boy and now makes his living breaking and training horses for farmers and ranchers at his house near Portales, N.M.
Newspaper Details
Gallup Independent
Gallup, New Mexico, US
Mon, Mar 26, 2001
Page 14
Full Page
Clipped by
Tracy F.
