He’s no stranger to Road to the Horse. The crew loves him, the fans love him, let’s just be honest, everyone loves the charismatic Australian horseman, Dan James! Since his very first appearance at Road to the Horse 2012, fans have had a front row seat to the colorful life of Dan James and his beloved grey 6666 Ranch bred gelding, fondly known as Swampy.
After winning his Road to the Horse World Championship title in 2012, as one half of Team Australia, James purchased his winning 6666 Ranch bred colt REMEMBER SUNSET and both have embarked on nothing short of an unbelievable journey. Thousands of horse lovers around the world have been left speechless by the unbelievable bond that has formed between Dan James and Swampy, obvious in their mesmerizing liberty demonstrations.
“For our Fifteenth Anniversary, we’re bringing fans the best of the best from around the globe” proudly states Road to the Horse Owner/Producer, Tootie Bland. “Road to the Horse has been privileged to witness Dan James grow as a horseman, husband and father, and as a past Road to the Horse World Champion, there’s no denying, Dan James is one of the greatest horseman of our time.”
“I can’t wait to be a part of such a milestone at Road to the Horse and help kick off the 15th Anniversary celebrations” states Dan James. “Road to the Horse has always been such a special event for me and I couldn’t be more excited to return as a competitor in 2018.”
Born in Queensland Australia on a small cattle farm, Dan James first began his lifelong passion with horses at six weeks old. The family milking goat would suffice until he got his first pony. Starting his first colt in his early teens sparked his hunger to understand more about the horse’s thinking patterns. After studying at Longreach Pastoral College, James began traveling the world to gain a better understanding of the horse. James first traveled to Hokkaido, Japan, then to Celina, Texas, working for cutting horse trainer, Punk Carter.
In 2008, James joined his good friend, Dan Steers, in Western Australia at El Caballo Spanish Horse Centre where they performed together each weekend in the ‘Dan and Dan Show’ developing their horsemanship techniques. In 2009, Steers and James relocated to New South Wales and Double Dan Horsemanship was born. After winning Road to the Horse 2012, James has continued to excel as a horseman, collecting multiple Kentucky Gold Cup and AQHA Congress Freestyle Reining Championships.
Now based in the United States, Dan James continues to perform, teach and inspire horse lovers continuing the legacy of Double Dan Horsemanship at the Australian Equine Performance Center, based in Midway, Kentucky. James is joined by his wife, Elizabeth and new-born daughter, Isabella.
Dan James will join the Road to the Horse 2018 line-up with Kiwi sensation Vicki Wilson, who will return to defend the title she courageously captured in 2017. International showjumper Vicki Wilson, was not only the first cowgirl to capture a Road to the Horse title from her homeland of New Zealand, she was also the first competitor from an English discipline.
Road to the Horse 2018 tickets are available online at www.RoadtotheHorse.com or by calling 877-772-5425. Follow Road to the Horse on Facebook for the latest information
