Dennis Zeringue

   I was born in 1964 on the banks of Bayou Lafourche, where the cypress trees grow and the spanish moss hangs down, in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

   I started working with horses in 1982 at the Nichols State University farm in Thibodaux, La., while working on a degree in animal science. The university farm ran 100 brood mares and 6 stallions, which consisted of both Thoroughbred and Quarterhorses. Next I went to work for Mark Himmel on his Arabian farm. From there I went to work on local cattle ranches. Then in 1991, I moved to southwest Kansas where I went to work for Grant county Feeders, as a penrider in a 120,000-head feedyard. Here I refined my skills at training cow horses by using them everyday. Next I moved to Coalmont, Colorado; where I went to work for the Arapahoe Ranch. The Arapahoe is located on the great divide south of Walden. While there I gained the skills of a teamster, while feeding cattle using a sled pulled by a four-up hitch of Percherons. From there I went to work as a buckaroo on the Z X Ranch out of Paisley, Oregon. The Z X covered 1.4 million acres and ran 9,000 cows. Everything was done with a horse and a rope. Now I'm located In northeast Texas where I've been since 1997. My experiences here include cattle ranching and working as a large animal veterinary technician at Hopkins County Veterinary Clinic in Sulphur Springs, Texas. I also provide horse training and lessons.

   I've experienced many different aspects of producing, training and using horses. I also have experience working with different breeds of horses and their use. I've gone from working with horses bound for the race track to working with horses bound for the show ring. I drove a four-up hitch of Percherons everyday during the winter in the mountains of Colorado to feed hay to cattle. I used horses on many ranches and in the feedyard on a daily basis in all kinds of weather to tend to cattle. The places I worked for trained their own horses. They didn't send horses to a trainer nor did they hire someone to come in and train for them. We trained the horses ourselves. Then we had to earn a living on the horses we trained. We sure knew the value of a horse that was trained right.

   Now I am willing to share my knowledge, my skills, and my experience with you. I have cowboyed in the swamps of south Louisiana, the high plains of southwest Kansas, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the high sagebrush desert of Oregon, and now I'm in northeast Texas. As you can see from my travels, I'm not one to be stuck in a rut. My experience is very diverse and also is my knowledge of different geographical regions and their methods of livestock and range management. It was my ability to adapt to the different methods of management, that was unique to the specific location, that allowed me to succeed in the cattle business. I believe this to be my greatest asset and I am making this available to you.