Horses in Films -
David Cowley

Horses in Films - meet David Cowley

David Cowley has taken his love for horses onto the movie screens. Based in Canada on the famous ranch resort where he grew up, he trains his equine partners in movie stunt work - and he's a rising star in the film world.

He's spent his life with horses, with a close-knit family, living out his part of the horseman's dream. His home, the famous RafterSix Resort Ranch in Alberta, offers the real life experience of living on the range.

His story is a fresh voice as he shares his involvement with horses in films - and that closing statement is one of the most telling I've heard.

David's Story
I started training horses at around 13 years old. I was riding before I could walk though, and spent all my childhood with the horses. The wranglers at the ranch were my babysitters. When I was seven years old they cancelled my bus service to school - so I rode my horse to get there. I ended up being all over the news across the country for being the last kid riding his horse to school.

Horses in Films - David starts young

When I was nine I acted in my first commercial. It was for Sony, and that's when I decided I wanted to be an actor. I thought it was the greatest thing - I had to skip school for a couple days to ride my horse and go whitewater rafting! The pay seemed like a fortune at that age, though it was still secondary.

Because I grew up on a famous ranch resort I always had lots of horse people around to learn from, but I believe I learned more about horse training from the horses themselves.

At thirteen I got a new horse named Danny, an Arab Quarter Horse cross. Danny was started, but barely. He was terrified of everything at first - rocks, stumps, his shadow...whatever. So the training began because I had no choice - and then I found there was something there that captured my attention.

Well it turns out he taught me as much as I taught him. We helped each other through patience and an amazing strong bond we developed for each other. It didn't take long before I could do just about anything with him. I could tell you some stories you'd shake your head at - including chasing bears out in the backcountry.

Horses in Films - and Going Higher!

Danny was the first horse I took to the top of The Calgary Tower in 1999. The media referred to him as Danny the Wonder horse, then later changed it to David & Danny. They couldn't believe the trust he had in me.

After a lot of various appearances, a sponsored trip to San Fransisco for tourism and a featured appearance for ten days at the Calgary Stampede Grand Stand show in 2000. It seemed that things were only going up for me.

I decided to go travel around Australia for the winter to do some horse training and enjoy the beach and the warm weather. Three months after being in Australia, I got a call that Danny had suddenly died and they couldn't figure out why. Some people say he was lonely. I had a really hard time with that and after a another month and a half of traveling, I decided to go home and start training one of my other horses to do all the tricks Danny did.

I turned my training to concentrate on Braveheart, a Mustang QH X born on the Ranch from an older mare who I rode in my very early years. In 2001, I took Braveheart, to the top of the tower and did several appearances in Calgary with him. We had a good relationship going, that summer - but that fall, he took a puncture wound which nearly severed the tendon in his hock. At this point, he was out of commission indefinitely.

Horses in Films - David and Austin

So I focused my attention on Austin a Thoroughbred QH X.
Austin has an unusual story as well. I actually bought him at an auction in the summer of 2000. I only had to out-bid the meat buyer to get him - they ran him through loose, as a two year old, unpapered stud colt.

He was close to being wild and the vet wasn't happy when I asked them to geld him. Austin wouldn't let people anywhere near him and the vets figured he was almost not worth keeping.

By July 2002, I had Austin taking his first trip up the Calgary Tower - and to date he's been up the tower 24 times. Now he is known for being one of the best and most trusted horses in the country!

Horses in Films - Where next?

I make my appearances now more as an educational experience to show people in the city that horses are not frightening or just beasts of burden. Most people are intrigued by my horses being so personal and calm in the middle of a busy city. I figure it's a pleasure to open peoples' eyes to the true nature of a horse's personality.