A native Montanan whose family’s ranching roots in the Big Hole Valley stretch back to 1894, Greg Eliel is a fourth-generation cattle rancher with a lifelong understanding of the horse–human relationship. Raised as the seventh of eight children in a hardworking ranch family, Greg’s foundation as a horseman was shaped early by responsibility, humility, and practical experience.

More importantly, his horsemanship was shaped firsthand by the source.

 

As a young man, Greg spent time riding with and learning directly from Ray Hunt and Tom and Bill Dorrance—horsemen who emphasized feel, timing, balance, and responsibility over mechanics and methods. From 1989 to 1993, Greg traveled with Buck Brannaman, deepening his understanding of the principles that defined the modern horsemanship movement.

This was not learning from videos or clinics alone. It was time spent immersed in the work—observing, riding, listening, and applying the principles across thousands of horses and riders.

 

Greg earned his Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Montana State University, and over the last thirty-plus years has continued refining his understanding of both horses and people. While many today speak about natural horsemanship, Greg remains committed to preserving the clarity and integrity of what he learned firsthand: helping the rider develop feel so the horse can respond with softness and understanding.

 

Rather than relying on rigid systems, Greg works from principles. He begins with simple, foundational work—often on the ground—then carries that clarity into the saddle. Riders learn how to influence the feet, develop suppleness, straightness, and impulsion, and most importantly, how to recognize what their horse is telling them.

 

His students range from advanced English and Western competitors to dressage riders, hunter/jumpers, ranch riders, and thoughtful trail riders. Discipline is secondary. The focus is always the same: put the horse first and build understanding from the inside out.

 

In addition to his deep foundation in traditional horsemanship, Greg has spent decades studying biomechanics, kinesiology, and the psychology of learning. This allows him to help riders understand not only what to do, but why it works—addressing both the horse’s mind and the rider’s timing and awareness.

 

Today, through clinics across the country and online lessons using tools like Pivo, riders have access to that same level of thoughtful, principle-based instruction wherever they are in the world. Online lessons allow riders to work in their own environment while receiving real-time guidance rooted in decades of firsthand experience.

 

Working with Greg, riders learn how horses think, how to recognize small changes in balance and expression, and how to respond with clarity rather than force. Horses benefit from his feel, patience, and ability to set them up for success. Riders benefit from his steady, practical guidance and the depth that comes from having learned directly from the horsemen who shaped this movement.

In a time when horsemanship can easily become diluted into techniques or trends, Greg’s work remains grounded in the quiet principles that endure.--