A Master in the
making
There’s a whisper on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales about a young horseman called Josh Keppo that’s launched his new business, ‘Josh's Horse Training And Re-Education Clinic’, who is gaining rave reviews. If the truth be known, the whisper is more of a roar if the blogs on the Facebook page are anything to go by! Comments range from simple thanks to overwhelming praise of his horse handling and training abilities. Quotes such as “Josh! Truly want to appreciate your horsemanship mate, phenomenal! I helped (name withheld) remove her horses that day and the transformation I have seen just through pictures is incredible, you are definitely in the right job and the horses you work with are lucky, I train horses myself sometimes and have seen many trainers over my life, you definitely are one to appreciate, keep up the great work…your skill is definitely the sort people should paid for! - Kelsie Roberts” are regular appearances on the business Facebook page.
Josh bases himself out of Coffs Harbour and at 25 years of age, he reflects a mastery of all things equine that far surpasses a man of his age. One might describe him as a true ‘Horse Whisperer’ however Josh would say that there’s not necessarily any hidden secret or psychic connection with horses. Quite simply, he would say he has a passion for horses and suggests the work he does with them involves hard work, patience, consistency and a number of specific techniques to win the trust and respect of the horses he works with. Many of his clients to date however would beg to differ. By all accounts, there is definitely a special, talented and skilled ability that Josh possess that can quite simply only be described as a gift. “I love working with horses and believe there’s an opportunity for a customer-focused farrier/horseman on the Mid North Coast. I’ve also seen how important it is to work with the horse owners so they know how to work with their own horses once broken-in or re-educated to further develop the good behaviours of the animal.”
It was the breaking-in of a horse for a friend in early 2013 that re-ignited the passion Josh has for horses…one that started almost 10 years earlier when he was in his mid teens whilst pursuing an adventure with a good mate Shane Ohara. They wanted to get work on cattle stations somewhere in the country and following sound advice, they ventured to South Australia where they undertook a Certificate III in Agriculture at TAFE SA as a prerequisite. The list of units they undertook is exhaustive yet positioned them well enough to be offered station-hand positions on ‘Glengyle Station’…a station located in far western Queensland owned by S Kidman & Co. Limited, a company originally established by famous Australian Pastoralist Sir Sidney Kidman.
By Peter Sanders
Love Thy Horse Magazine 7