Richard Boatwright
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
Marcus Aurelius
For most of the last 25+ years, Richard Boatwright has considered himself a cowboy first and foremost but, a love for great horses and a hunger to learn has helped to transform the no
nonsense, hard riding cowboy into a patient, soft-handed horseman and more so, a quiet and effective communicator and teacher.
Raised horseback in the expansive pastures and blackwater swamps of south Florida, Richard learned cowboy logic and the basics of a good horse from his father who, like many of the
cowhands of this era, made money any way he could with horses and cattle. This included bringing home a vast number of wild and dubious equines for his 4 kids to ride. A motley remuda consisting of everything from broncy little shetland ponies to off the track thoroughbreds and most everything in between. These horses were put to work on the family’s
small homestead helping with cattle, pulling the wagon, and trail riding countless hours in an unending expanse of cow pastures, pine forests, and orange groves. There was even a 2000lb brahman bull that was saddle-broke and ridden in the Christmas Day Parade. As Richard grew, he felt the pull of the cowboy life and developed a strong connection with horses.
Rodeo and bucking horses had long been an object of fascination for Richard. The event was saddle bronc riding and after a few bumps and bruises, Richard started to get the rhythm and
timing it takes to make the whistle. After 4 years of rodeoing, Richard knew it was time to put rodeo aside and focus on things closer to home. There were lots more great horses and more
good times but, in the end, Richard proved to be a proficient, yet limited performer.
Ranch work seemed better suited for the family man, so Richard began his career with performance horses at the esteemed Creek Plantation. Creek is the home of countless
champions and some of the greatest stallions and mares in the business. After the first year, the tally of horses started under saddle was 25. No small feat, but Richard was blessed with a
great mentor in Jack “Richie” Roberts and Creek was the perfect environment to “figure it all out”. The going wasn’t easy, though. The horses were tough and rangy and the days were
long and hot. These horses were of premium stock in the areas of cutting, roping, and ranch work but also included some of the more primitive bloodlines or “foundation” stock. It was these horses that gave Richard the most “education”. Joe Hancock, King p234, Poco Bueno,
and other foundation sires were line bred down through their generations to reproduce the horses of by-gone days. In those days Richard expected to face a storm around every turn
and the days that included a buck-off seemed to be more often than the non buck-off days.
They were tough horses but as Richie used to say, “The easy ones don’t teach you nothing!” After working at Creek Plantation, Richard worked for and managed some great cow and horse
outfits including the University of Georgia, the Bartlett Ranch, and the Gregory Ranch of Buffalo, WY. Ultimately, Richard went back to Creek for a 5 1/2 year tour as the head trainer
and horse division manager before hanging out his shingle at B1 Ranch Horsemanship.
It was this latest stay at Creek that provided the opportunity to take part in the YouTube series “Low Country Cowboys”, a series centered around Richard and his family and their life at
Creek. The series produced 44 individual videos and 27 full length episodes garnering 2.5 million views and 268,000 hours of watch time.
The success of Low Country Cowboys led Richard to produce a series of instructional videos to help train his employees on the finer points of horsemanship since the ranch’s schedule
made it impossible for him to be right beside them all the time. As the library of videos grew, the idea that a lot more people could benefit from it became apparent. B1horsemanship.com
was born launching a new era for Richard and his family. Richard has now retired from full-time ranch life and is currently operating his small horse and cattle operation outside Greenville, South Carolina. Giving clinics, providing content for B1, serving his performance horse clients, and spending time with his family are his priorities now and life is good. Honesty, integrity, devotion to God and family are the tent stakes securing B1 Horsemanship as an authentic source of knowledge. Even in this field of giants and charlatans, gunsels and top hands Richard strives to be a monument to great horsemanship and help to exceptional people and their horses.
Richard Boatwright
Richard's 2024 Presentations
How To Get A Horse Soft Part 1 -
In this insightful video, Richard Boatwright teaches us that getting a horse soft is all about
getting into the horse’s mind. All too often, we are looking for ways to get our horse to soften
at the neck, poll, etc when all we’re really looking for is control of the horses thoughts. Once a
rider has tolls to get control of the horse’s thoughts, the physical softness will be there.
How To Get A Horse Soft Part 2 -
With this video, Richard works Ima through the softness process step by step. From standing
to walking, trotting, and finally the lead departure. Richard uses a scientific approach of
scaffolding each lesson on on top of the other so the horse progresses through the process
easily and safely. The result? A confident, willing, and soft horse.
How To Get A Horse Soft Part 3 -
A soft feel is what makes a ride special. In this video, Richard demonstrates how getting
control of a horse’s mind yields softness and collection with the lightest of contact. Using the
extended trot to build forward motion and encouraging a soft feel, a horse will naturally begin
to lope in a collected fashion. No whipping or spurring needed.
