FORT WORTH, TEXAS, JANUARY 30, 2017 – Al Dunning has been named the 2017 Western Horseman Award winner. The noted trainer, showman, judge and coach was selected for the award for his contributions to the Western and stock horse industries.
For more than 45 years, Dunning has owned Almosta Ranch, which serves as a base for his training operation, in Scottsdale, Arizona. He lives there with his wife, Becky.
Dunning began riding when he was a small child, and through the years worked with horsemen such as Don Dodge, John Hoyt and Jim Paul. His accomplishments are many. He has received awards including the American Quarter Horse Association’s Professional Horseman of the Year in 1996, and the 2003 Zane Schulte Award, presented to a cutting horse trainer who embodies integrity, service and leadership inside and outside of the arena. He is a member of the Arizona Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame, and has served as president of that association. He currently serves as an AQHA director and chairs the judges committee. He is a past NCHA director and has served on numerous NCHA committees. He is a judge with the National Reined Cow Horse Association, and has judged its premier event, the Snaffle Bit Futurity, four times.
In the shown pen, Dunning has won numerous championships, as have his students, in AQHA, NCHA, NRCHA and NRHA competition. Dunning has authored three Western Horseman books: Reining, The Art of Hackamore Training and Down the Fence.
Fort Worth-based Western Horseman, established in 1936, is the world’s leading publication for stock horse enthusiasts. The Western Horseman Award was initiated in 2005 to recognize outstanding individuals who exemplify impeccable Western horsemanship; a commitment to education, authenticity and ethics; and a passion for the Western way of life.
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