Stud Manager and Trainer
A native of Ireland, where horses are a large part of the culture, Colin Bate began his life long passion for horses riding at the age of four. He spent his youth in Pony Club and as a student under notable trainers like Iris Kellett and Jennie Loriston -Clarke. Both affiliated with the British Horse Society, and the latter scoring many wins in the International arena.
Photo by Catherine Cammet |
After school Colin went through the British Horse Society exam system becoming a fully qualified instructor. It was at this time he decided to concentrate his talents to the world of Dressage. He moved to England and became a working student under the then German trainer of the British Olympic Team, Firdi Eilburg, who happened to be a former pupil of the multi Olympian Dr. Reine Klimke. Colin states, "It was such an incredible experience to have had the opportunity to learn from such a high level trainer and at a high caliber facility. The Grand Prix level horses like Giovanni and Demonstrator gave me the opportunity to ride some of the best horses of the time."
After finishing his education with Firdi, Colin quickly began a long list of successes in the Dressage arena. He became a qualified judge for the Irish Dressage Society, was Champion at the Irish National Championships, and had many wins throughout the late eighties to early nineties at one of the most prestigious horse shows in Europe, the Royal Dublin Horse Show.
In 1997, opportunity presented itself for work in the movie industry. There, Colin put his talents to teaching actors to ride. He soon found himself in front of the camera as well while working on one in particular, the multiple Academy Award winning movie Braveheart starring Mel Gibson.
After film work, showing and training, Colin happened upon yet another opportunity to further his career. He met Mr. And Mrs. Stephen Cherner, horse lovers themselves, who were looking for a trainer to manage their ranch in Colorado. It didn't take long for Colin to fall in love with the ranch nestled in the Rocky Mountains of Northern Colorado. Right away, he started building a fabulous group of top line sport horses, which now stand at Middle Fork Ranch.
Today, Colin is now in the throws of adding a new phase to his training and showing career, breeding. Standing at Middle Fork Ranch is a stallion Colin hand picked himself from Europe. A son of the legendary Donnerhall with Rubenstein on the dam side, Donnersmark is now being marketed for a much anticipated breeding and Dressage career.
As everyone knows, with a career spent working with horses, ones life is always evolving. As Colin continues, he is looking forward to an exciting future.
Horse
Connection article - Colin Bate (500k pdf)
