<Most people in the horse business, especially horse trainers, get their start because one or both of their parents are involved, but for Ocala, Florida based trainer Sean Knowles it was a completely different story. Growing up in Horseheads, New York the Knowles family didn’t live on a farm, they lived in a city and it wasn’t until Sean watched My Friend Flicka on television one weekend morning that he even realized he was interested in horses.

“I grew up in a city, no one in my family rides. I started in 4-H when I was 8 and rode my bike 10 miles to get to the barn and cleaned stalls in exchange for lessons,” Knowles recalls.

Knowles always had a passion for learning and would even offer to ring steward at some of the big American Paint Horse Association events so he could get to go to bigger shows and learn from more people. He continued to show 4-H until he was 14 before making the switch to Quarter Horses.

After graduating from Horseheads High School Knowles began working for some local trainers including Edwin Cridge. During his first trip to the All American Quarter Horse Congress Knowles met Shane Young of Yadkinville, North Carolina and knew immediately he was the kind of trainer he wanted to be working for.

“Shane got me raw and worked me to death while teaching me a lot. I definitely got a strong work ethic from him and some of the best advice anyone has given me ‘that your word is your bond’,” Knowles says.

After three years with Young, Knowles decided it was time to branch out and learn from some other great trainers in the industry. Over the next few years Knowles worked for some of the most respected in the horse industry, including David Dellin, Donnie Dickerson, Tony Burris, Scott Kyle at Pine Meadow for Olivia Hoecker and Stanley Scott of Haylo Farms. Each one he says prepared him well for his next position.

“Donnie and Tony taught me to trust my gut. They gave me my own little program and let me experiment and find it myself,” Knowles says. “Stanley definitely taught me how to hustle. I learned so much from each and every one of them and I am still learning from them today.”

Knowles experienced some success early in his career riding horses like RL Mr Ocala, a 2008 sorrel gelding by Mr Conclusion and out of Skippin Belle Star and A Good Reputation, a 2005 gelding by Certain Potential and out of Good To Be Country.

In 2012 after some success at Haylo Farms Knowles decided it was time to open his own training operation and joined forced with Kerry Bradac at Bradac Ranch South in Ocala, Florida. The farm is situated on just shy of 100 acres in the heart of horse country and boasts three barns with a total of 45 stalls, pastures and turnout, a 150-foot by 200-foot outdoor pen and hot walker. The farm is also the home of Open For Suggestion, a 2007 stallion by Open Range and out of Fancy China.

Knowles’ program is based around Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle futurity horses. He also coaches a select group of Amateur and Youth exhibitors and recently has added Longe Line to his repertoire, a class he says he really enjoys. He believes with young horses trainers need to take their time and not push too hard.

“I am not going be a trainer who will have a 2 or 3-year-old every year. Each horse is an individual and not every program will work for every animal,” Knowles says. “I think a strong foundation is key. It helps move everything along, just like raising a child. It’s very much a mental job both on the horse and rider.”

This mentality has served him well and in the last three years success has come not just for Knowles, but for his clients and for people who have bought his horses. Some of these include Huntin Forever, a 2010 bay gelding by Hubba Hubba Huntin and out of Forever And Only, who had a successful 2-year-old year with Knowles and went on to do Trail and Western Riding events with Buddy Fisher. And What Does D Fox Say, a 2013 bay gelding by Hot Diggity Joe and out of Patent Leather Passer, who was 13th at the Congress in Open Longe Line and 11th in the Non-Pro with Kerry Bradac on the line. What Does D Fox Say is now being shown in 2-Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle by Kim Reynolds.

Knowles says that he loves training horses for a living and it’s the little rewards each day that make all the long days and time away from family worth it. Family is the most important thing to Knowles. He and his fiancé, Anna Ingram, welcomed a daughter, Hayden, and Knowles says she is without a doubt his greatest achievement. In the rare event that he has some time off Knowles enjoys playing golf and spending time with “the guys.” He also loves going to theme parks and claims that when he retires he’s going to work at Disney World and he says his idea of perfect happiness is Sunday morning breakfast with his family.

“We work so much that if there’s some time to take with my family it’s my favorite thing in the world.”

For more information about Knowles Performance Horses visit the website at www.knowlesperformancehorses.com; Facebook at www.facebook.com/knowlesperformancehorses or you can contact Sean Knowles by phone at (607) 742-2420.