Guy McLean - “Let Me Introduce Myself”

This article is from the March 2021 Horse Deals magazine.

Just recently, I have been given the wonderful opportunity to write some training articles for this fine magazine. I, like many thousands of horse owners across Australia, have purchased Horse Deals to buy horses from, sell horses in, or just dream out loud as I flick through the hundreds of glossy pages that hold everything ‘horse.’ For me, it is through this great publication that I first met my wonderful performance mare, Minatoka Showgirl, who has gone on with me to win the grand Australian Stock Horse Award, The Westpac Bank Star of the Year, and to perform on stage with three of her beloved teammates on Australia’s Got Talent. So to say the least, I already feel as though I have a strong link to these pages, and I look forward to building on that from here on in.

So, I could go straight ahead to sharing some training tips with you, straight to the nitty-gritty of the ‘wheres’ and the ‘hows’, but first and foremost, I believe it is important to share the ‘whys.’ Who am I? Why should you all be taking time out of your busy lives to listen to me, and what is it I have to offer that may benefit you and your horses in the future? Gone are the days where the only thing you had to occupy your precious time was a training article in a magazine, so let me give you a few reasons why you should put down your phone and spare a few minutes taking in these words that I have delicately put to the page.

My name is Guy McLean and because I have been performing and educating around Australia since 1999 (before heading overseas to tour in 2010) some of you may of heard of me, some of you may only know me through my wonderful stallion Nugget, and some of you may be only hearing of me for the first time in these words you are reading now.

I believe myself to be a ‘lifetime horseman’ and the reason I say this is because horses have intrigued and fascinated me since a very young boy, and it was only when I was by their side or on their powerful backs that I ever felt ‘truly whole.’ Since gaining some notoriety in this business I, like many other notable trainers, have been asked by magazines to tell them what they would be if they weren’t in the horse industry, and whilst others have mentioned that they would like to be ‘rockstars,’ ‘movie stars,’ ‘racing car drivers’ and the like, I always say “I wouldn’t know what I would be without horses in my life and I never want to find out.” The reason I call myself a ‘horseman’ is because I love what the word denotes, as it is two significant words that represent two significant beings that join together as ‘one’ and it puts the horse ‘first’, which has always been my goal.

If you were to ask for a written quote that sums me up best, it would be this.

My name is Guy McLean.
Horses are my life, my living and my love.
Mine is a life dedicated to horses and their education.

Because of all of this, it has been my life’s quest, to constantly evolve as a horseman and to be a better leader for the horses in my care and for those who choose to follow my example. I am also totally aware that my way of training is not the first, not the only and maybe not even the best, but it is certainly the very best that I have been able to come up with in my 31 years as a professional horseman, and I have always found that our utmost ‘best’ has always been enough for the horse.

In these coming articles, I will be explaining my way through different training scenarios and there will certainly be a little of ‘you do this here and you hold your tongue there’, but mostly there will be talk of ‘how’ I do what I do, more than what it is that I am actually doing. Things like ‘heartfelt intent’ play a huge part in any relationship, man and horse included, and the horse is one animal that can see right through what we say to a crowd of people, or what we write down in literature, and look straight to the core of us. It is because of this that I ensure that my intentions are always for their greater good, and this has always been my greatest wish ‘that the horses in my care, know without a shadow of a doubt, that everything I do with them is for their greater good.’

There seem to be a lot of things that hold us back in our lives, ‘fear of failure,’ ‘failure to launch,’ ‘will I ever be good enough?’ etc etc, and I find that a lot of people come to me worried that they do not know enough, or they are not good enough to teach their horses anything of real quality (from where they are right now), and this is where I pull them up and encourage them to see things differently. I have always felt that a horse’s greatest gift is that they live ‘in the moment,’ not focused on the past or the future, but totally aware of the now, and I feel that as humans we could learn to do this better ourselves. If, as a child, I wanted to wait until I knew what I know now (before training my first horse), I never would have got anything done and it was through my endeavours to learn in each and every moment that have brought forth the lessons that so needed to be learned.

From many well-spent hours, beside or mounted on my beloved horses, I have had instilled in me, many fine lessons. From, ‘there is nothing wrong with making a mistake, as long as you don’t turn it into a habit,’ to ‘the willingness to truly ‘try’ is worth more than all the natural ability in the world.’ I have also learnt the valuable gift that ‘anything that is truly great in this life will never come easy and that anything that comes easy, will not be truly great,’ and it is the most wonderful horses that I have ever worked with that have challenged me the most, and in return have offered the most incredible gifts for my efforts.

I think one of the biggest things I have learned in my life so far is to ‘always give my very best in every moment’ and although ‘my best’ will change with experience and with the ebbs and flows of daily life. It is the conditioned need to bring quality effort and concentration to my craft that has brought me my major accomplishments. It is also something that I encourage each of my equine students to bring to each session, and although their very best may be no more than a walk, trot and canter under saddle on the first ride of their life, it is the habit of bringing their ‘very best’ to each session that will see them at their ultimate best in the future.

So, if I’ve kept your attention up to this point, I thank you for your effort and if I’ve piqued your interest, I look forward to the chance to share my training methods and understanding of the beloved horses in our care, in the near future.

Ride safe, ride smart, succeed.

-Guy McLean

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