How we got our start

Nick and Jessie met in Arizona while both were students of Dan Knuth. In 2005 Dan retired and sold the ranch. When he did this, Nick and Jessie took over his training and lesson program. In 2006, they married and moved to Portland, Oregon where they continued giving lessons and working with outside horses. With the opening of Silver Spade Ranch in the summer of 2010, they realized one of their biggest dreams- having their own boarding and training facility. They are lifelong students of the horse, always striving to continue their own education in horsemanship. Nick and Jessie are dedicated to the horsemanship methods of Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, and Buck Brannaman. In addition to riding with Buck Brannaman at least twice each year they also ride with Ricky Quinn Jr, and host clinics of Ricky’s at Silver Spade Ranch.

Through their experiences with horses, and in pursuing this way of life, Nick and Jessie feel that their life has changed dramatically for the better because of the horse and what he has to offer the human. These methods and traditions are not only about how to handle a horse, but they offer life lessons and life changing experiences. The journey is not always a short easy one; it can be hard, rugged, and long, with peaks and valleys. It truly takes grit, try, desire, and the ability to change for the better, not only in what you do, but maybe in who you are, to truly prosper. But the rewards are endless both with your horse, and in life.