Jim Sharp, Stephenville, Texas
A rodeo legend, Jim Sharp’s professional career got off to an impressive start in 1986 when he was named Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) Rookie of the Year. Then in 1988, he made PRCA history by becoming the first bull rider to ride all 10 bulls at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). Jim went on to earn two PRCA world titles in bull riding.
I’ve had a horse since I was a little kid, but what I did for twenty years has nothing at all to do with riding horses. Still, I thought that would be my next hobby—riding horses instead of bulls. I had never taken training from a professional who really knew what he was doing, and I wanted to learn another way to ride and train a horse. The opportunity came when I met Craig a few years ago through Ty Murray. We were working cows, and Craig showed up. Ty suggested going to one of Craig’s clinics, and I thought it might be fun to go and see what he had to offer.
I took a young horse I had just bought to Craig’s clinic in Bluffdale, Texas, which is only about twenty miles from where I live. Craig teaches in a way that is easy to understand. Although I had ridden all my life, I found that I didn’t know how to ride a horse correctly. In fact, I learned more in three days than I probably had all my life about how to ride—the way you use your hands and feet to work with a horse.
We were at the clinic for three days, and it was one of the most fun three days I ever had. Craig is a great teacher, and he makes it fun to learn and fun to ride. His clinic students don’t just stay in the arena; they also ride on the trails and work obstacle courses, which is a lot of fun—especially with Craig always making jokes.
Anything to do with a horse, he’ll teach you. Along with riding, we learned how to load a horse and a lot of other things on the ground. If a horse has a problem like sitting back on his lead rope when he’s tied to the fence, he’ll show you that also; whatever you have a problem with, you take it to his school and he’ll tell and show you what you need to do.
At the clinic, there were guys who hadn’t ridden very much and horses that didn’t look teachable; so on the first day, I thought, “No way these guys or these horses are going to make it!” But by the third day, they looked like different riders and different horses. Craig gives both the horse and the rider confidence.
I watch his shows on RFD farm and ranch station. On some of these shows, Craig teaches how to do things like load a horse. And sometimes they show his Extreme Cowboy Race, which tests how good a horse and rider are. We did a miniature race like that, with obstacles, at Craig’s clinic.
To Craig, the horses are his friends. He’s patient with them until they figure out what to do. Once the horse figures it out, everything is smooth after that. I use the things I learned at Craig’s clinic all the time, and afterward, I told everyone I talked to about it.
Though his students learn a lot, he makes the clinic fun—always happy and smiling. When you’re with Craig, you’re going to have fun … but he’s a real cowboy, for sure.
