Age: 36

Family: Mother, Aileen Bryant, St. Anthony, Iowa.

Home Town: Alden, Iowa.

Education: Graduate of Alden High School and attended Ellsworth Community College.

The facility: Includes a 16-stall barn with apartment, wash rack and attached 80-by-100-foot arena situated on 25 acres beautifully appointed with pipe fencing in Willard, Missouri. It also features four large turnout areas and several outbuildings; a 150-by-300-foot outdoor riding arena a 60-foot round pen and six-horse walker.

Worked for: Gary and Chad Lindaman; Whistle Stop Ranch; Highpoint Performance Horses; Jim & Deanna Searles; and Steve Heckaman. Both Troy Compton and Patrick Heeley have been a large part of helping me establish my own business by providing guidance and sound advice.

The operation: My program is focused on young horses, preparing them for a show life.  My goal is to produce horses that go on to performing for a long show career in our industry.  I specialize in young futurity horses for western pleasure, but also expose them to learning aspects of their all-around career.  I enjoy breaking colts, starting them in my program.  I start preparing the young horses for all around events by taking them over the trail poles, and teaching them lead changes.

Horses I trained and/or showed: My Sleepy Valentine -first 2-year-old I took to the Congress. We placed in the Top 5 of the Stakes Class; Hello Johnny Cash – we were Top 5 in Green Trail at the NSBA World Show and he went on to be a Congress Champion in 11 & Under Trail and earned numerous Top 10 placings with several different non-pro competitors. Platinum Dot Com – I rode him to a Reserve Championship in the Congress Masters 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure and he went on to have a successful non-pro career with Susan Knapp.

Favorite part of the job: I honestly love to ride horses every day. I enjoy being around horses and getting to bring my dogs to work with me every day.

Affiliations: AQHA, NSBA, APHA, ABRA, ApHC and WRCA.

Best advice I ever got: Gene Crawford who is a Cutting and Reining horse trainer told me when I was leaving Iowa to never forget where you come from. This has resonated with me because in my journey I have learned that you have to make sacrifices, gut out the knock down days and keep trying.  You can never forget why you pursued your dream in the first place, don’t ever lose that place where you came from – that place that made you do what you wanted to do.

Outside the barn: I enjoy all things outdoors.  I enjoy bow hunting whitetail deer, competing in bass tournaments with my brother and team roping.  Being an uncle, I get to spend time with my five nieces and nephews.

People would be surprised to learn that: I rode bulls for 12 years.

Contact: Call (515) 291-9872; Facebook – Duit Performance Horses.