Ian Francis

Ian Francis has long been known as Mr Versatile in the quarter horse industry due to his achievements over a wide variety of events. He is respected in Australia and overseas as a Master Horseman.

Ian came into the horse industry as a stockman competing in rodeo and campdrafting and started training horse as a necessity for station work. He began training seriously in the 1970′s and in 1980 started Ian Francis Training Stables. Ian’s experience ranges from starting colts, preparing sale horses, educating horses for a wide client base and showing horses in halter , pleasure, trail, hunter, western riding, show hacks, stockhorses, campdrafting, working sowhorse, reining and cutting.

Ian has won major championships at halter, western pleasure, western trail, hunter, Royal Show Champions and Champion Station Hacks, Australian Quarter Horse Association National Champions and All Breeds Futurity Champions. Major accomplishments include five National Reining Horse of Australia (NRHA) Futurities and four Reserves, another four NRHA Reining Derbies and four Reserves, four National Reined Cow Horse Association Futurities and seven Reserves, two Cloncurry Stockman’s Challenges, 2YO, 3YO and 4YO Widgee Stock Horse Futurities, and 2YO, 3YO and 4YO Monto Stock Horse Futurities along with Stock horse classes at Brisbane and Sydney Royal Shows. He has won the National Cutting Horse Associations (NCHA) Futurity three times and reserve champion three times, the NCHA Derby and numerous regional cutting Futurity and Derby champions.

Ian has represented his country and won at the International Reining Council’s IRC World Cup (held in Canada) and was part of the Australian Team which placed second.

Ian has been inducted into the Australian Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame, the National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Fame, and Reining Australia Hall of Fame, is a National Reining Horse Association Legend Riderand he was recently inducted into the Furlong Stud Equine Hall of Fame in Toowoomba.

Ian now concentrates on giving clinics in horsemanship, cutting, working cowhorse, reining and campdrafting both in Australia and Internationally. He has recently produced a series of four DVDs Foundation Training, Reining Training , Stockmans Challenge Training and Campdrafting Fundamentals along with a motivational book “That Winning Attitude” and a biography ” Living the Legend”.

In January this year he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to the equine industry as a competitor , breeder and trainer.