John Rosi
John Rosi has been professionally involved in the horse industry for almost 30 years. As a young man, John was the owner and operator of his own boarding stable which he started at age 18. John's years of experience with many levels of horses and horse lovers has made him into a unique blend of a man. A horseman, a horse trainer, teacher, and friend to not only his beloved horses, but also to many people he has met from all over the country (with whom he has forged deep and loyal relationships over the years).
While attending the Quarter Horse Congress in 1978 and watching Bob Anthony ride High Proof through a reining pattern, John knew he'd found his passion. Never looking back, he shifted gears in the direction of reining exclusively. John redirected his career in the direction of showing in NRHA events, and shortly thereafter hosted one the few NRHA Bronze Trophy reinings at his ranch in Pawling, New York. At that time there were only four Bronze Trophy reinings in the country!
Through the early days of the NRHA, John had the opportunity to ride countless hours with legendary horseman such as Dale Wilkinson, Bob Anthony, Bill Horn, Jimmy Williams, and Paul Horn. The sport of reining has come a long way since those early days. Those experiences and knowledge that John gained while riding with such great horsemen helped give him the ability to understand the complexity of the horse and rider. It also gave him a keen understanding of each horse's unique abilities and limitations.
Mr Mui Twist, a little black stallion with not much of a show record, caught John's eye at the Quarterama in 1980. After purchasing him, John teamed up with Bob Anthony and prepared to seek the NRHA Open World title. In 1981, after a hard year of competition, Mr Mui Twist won the NRHA Open World title, and followed that by winning it again in 1982. To this day no other horse has won back-to-back NRHA Open World titles.
In 1983 John won his first NRHA Non Pro world title on Benita Bar Bud. Unlike today with the vast selection of classes available for every level of horse and rider, those days offered only two choices; Open and Non Pro. In 1986, John won the NRHA Limited Open Reserve World Champion title on Ima Commander. After turning Pro in 1985, John competed successfully in NRHA open events and began his profession as a Non Pro coach and teacher.
Today John resides in Greenwood, Florida. Located about an hour west of Tallahassee in the Florida panhandle, John and his fiancé, Pamela Dickinson, operate John Rosi Reining Horses. This beautiful 40+ acre horse ranch with magnificent live oak trees, grassy pastures, high dry ground,and excellent training facilities makes it the ideal place to train his horses and work with his accomplished Non Pro riders.
John's passion is working with riders of all skill levels. His belief is to teach a person “to ride”, not just how to get through a reining pattern. His lessons focus on teaching his riders to understand how a horse responds the way it does relative to how the rider rides it. If you know John you know that he is a stickler for detail, but with his remarkable sense of humor, commitment to excellence, and “let's have fun” attitude, it's safe to say that everyone who rides with him not only gains a wealth of knowledge, but also have a very good and successful time.
