About Blake W. Whiston, CF
For more than a decade and thousands of horses, Blake Whiston has been one of south Alabama's leading practitioners of handling horses based on classical concepts from the California Vaquero tradition, a rich history of horsemanship dating back to 13th century Spain refined over centuries.
As a Horse Trainer, Educator, Clinician and Farrier, Blake's pursuit has always been and remains, to be a true student of the horse. This everlasting pursuit of fine horsemanship equips Blake to help the humans he teaches become better Horsemen and better understand their horses.
Working with the Horse's natural instincts, understanding how horse's think and communicate, Blake's ultimate goal is teaching horse and human how to work together in perfect harmony to achieve a true, willing partnership akin to a beautiful dance.
Blake has exclusively traveled to his client's homes and ranches, providing on-site private horse training, never accepting horses shipped off to be "trained" at his facility, as he firmly believes training is ultimately finite if the human owner's horsemanship abilities do not improve alongside the horse. The human is always the "X" factor as to the horse's success or lack thereof, Blake is quoted in saying "The horse becomes the average of your actions, their skill level will never far exceed the skill of their rider". It is for this reason, Blake puts a heavy emphasis on the education of the human while progress is made with the horse. Blake's greatest enjoyment, in addition to the peace and confidence the horse gains through proper handling, is observing how the pursuit of horsemanship changes the lives of those who follow it's teachings. Many parallels can be found between how we approach horses and how we approach life, business, family and the pursuit of happiness. Very few have left the presence of a horse worse of character than when they arrived, far fewer those who truly dedicate themselves to becoming a student of the horse.
When Blake isn't on the road helping people and the horses they love, he resides in Mobile, Alabama.
How it all Began
Blake's fascination with horses began at a very young age, his grandfather's enjoyment of television westerns having great effect over this. At the age of twelve, Blake received a gift, his first horse purchased by his mother who had always wanted a horse. Little did she know at the time what a massive flame this spark would ignite. Blake's passion and drive to learn as much as possible about the horse grew in the coming years. By the age of fifteen he was starting colts under the watchful eye of a local mentor, trimming his own horse's feet and riding almost every spare hour of each day. He immersed himself in every book, DVD, video, magazine or online article he could find. It was during this time when Blake was first exposed via media to the story and teachings of Buck Brannaman, as well as the teachings of the late legends Tom Dorrance, Bill Dorrance and Ray Hunt, this was a pivotal moment not only in Blake's horsemanship journey but also in his life. When Blake saw what these men could achieve with the horse, he devoted himself fully to the pursuit of becoming a horseman. At age seventeen, Blake decided to earn some spending money by training and barefoot trimming local horses for the public. By age eighteen, Blake had produced for himself a full time job with an ever growing clientele. This was merely the beginning of a lifelong dedication to the horse.
With humble beginnings, he has experienced every pitfall and trial a new horse owner or aspiring horseman can encounter, equipping him to more effectively guide his clients and students in the right direction.
Education and Accomplishments
In 2019, Blake was inducted as an AQHA Professional Horseman. This process requiring extensive review by the AQHA Professional Horsemen's Association Board of Directors, the application alone requiring two signatures from other AQHA Pro Horsemen and a signature from an AQHA Regional Director, endorsing the candidate as a worthy industry peer at a professional level. The American Quarter Horse Association remains the largest horse association in the world, setting the standard for ethics, morals and professionalism among horsemen the world over.
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​In 2020 Blake, continuing to pursue greater education as a horseman, would become a recipient of the Houlihan Ranch Scholarship, a working educational internship opportunity offered by Reata Brannaman, taught on Buck Brannaman's Houlihan Ranch.
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In 2021, Blake, in an effort to be well rounded as a horseman, would begin to pursue refinement of his education as a farrier by attending clinics, pre-certification events, seminars and dedicating extensive time to learning under an eclectic variety of mentors. Blake's list of mentors includes the resident podiatrist with one of south Alabama's most sizable large animal hospitals, the captain of the American Farrier's Team, the would become future president of the American Farrier's Association and multiple other industry giants.
In the same year, Blake would take and pass the exam to become an American Farrier's Association Certified Farrier.
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In September 2025, Blake would​ run for a position on 2026 AQHA Team Wrangler, a team of elite AQHA Pro Horsemen sponsored by the quintessential American clothing brand, Wrangler, to promote educational outreach via horsemanship clinics and and demonstrations.
Blake would be voted onto the team, officially becoming a member of 2026 AQHA Team Wrangler, one of only 15 Pro Horsemen making the team, with 42 AQHA Pro Horsemen running in total.
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In the pursuit of higher education as a horseman, Blake first achieved three certificates from the Equine Studies Institute; "Bits, Saddle Fitting and Hoof Balance" (2015), "Understanding Equine Behavior" (2015) and finally "Nutrition for Maximum Performance" (2016).
In 2016, 2017 and 2018 Blake attended horsemanship clinics across the country including the states of Montana, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Utah and Illinois. These clinics were comprised of many great horsemen such as Buck Brannaman, Ty Heth, Jon Ensign, Joe Wolter and George Morris. This afforded Blake the opportunity to learn from an eclectic variety of legendary horsemen.
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In 2018, Blake applied for and was awarded a scholarship through A Legacy of Legends, a program started by Buck Brannaman and Carolyn Hunt (Widow to Ray Hunt) to carry on the legacy of fine horsemanship taught by Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance and Bill Dorrance. This program was funded by a 3-day horsemanship gathering in Fort Worth, TX of which the proceeds would send aspiring horsemen to learn directly with mentors who studied under these legends. In 2018, Blake was 1 of 5 from the U.S., 13 total including internationally (France, Australia, New Zealand, Germany) who were awarded a scholarship. Blake was the first and the only applicant from the state of Alabama to be awarded a scholarship.
He would go on to learn under Mark Schwarm on the Win-thru ranch in Marion, IL.
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Following his education through A Legacy of Legends, Blake would be invited in a professional capacity to two highly esteemed guest ranches, spending time on the first ranch outside of Libby, MT before going to the second ranch in Wanship, UT, just outside of Park City, Utah.
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