The Man Behind The Method

Born and raised in Australia, Clinton grew up with a love of horses. Although he lived in the city with his family, he looked forward to the weekends he got to spend on his grandparents’ farm where his grandmother would give him rides on her old Thoroughbred mare. By the age of 12, he began playing polocrosse and was eventually chosen for a national team representing his state. When he was 13, he met Gordon McKinlay, a horseman and clinician who would change his life, and ultimately set Clinton on his career path.

After attending one of Gordon’s clinics, where he learned how to do the groundwork and riding exercises that now make up the basis of The Method®, Clinton began a two-year apprenticeship with the revered horseman. Under Gordon’s expert guidance, Clinton started and trained over 600 horses, many of which were wild horses from the Outback.

At age 17, Clinton graduated Gordon’s apprenticeship and began working for Ian Francis, a three-time National Cutting Horse Association Futurity Champion and five-time National Reining Horse Association Futurity Champion. While the focus of Gordon’s program was on safety for horse and rider and starting colts, Clinton looked to Ian for his ability to get a horse soft and supple and ready to compete on a national level. Clinton worked steadily with Ian for a year and then used his knowledge and expertise to open his own training facility in Rockhampton, Queensland.

Clinton continued running his training barn and teaching clinics until coming to the United States in 1996 for a brief apprenticeship with Al Dunning, winner of multiple American Quarter Horse Association World Championships. Clinton then returned to Australia and his training horse business, where he won the first-go and placed third in the 1997 Australian National Reining Horse Association Futurity on his mare Mindy. Mindy later traveled to the United States with Clinton and played a key role in helping him establish Downunder Horsemanship. She quickly became an iconic horse in the industry.

In October of that year, Clinton made the United States his home and officially launched Downunder Horsemanship and his renowned horsemanship method. The Method^® is based on mutual respect and understanding between horse and rider, and gives horsemen the knowledge they need to train their horses to be safe, consistent and willing partners. A step-by-step program, The Method has helped thousands of horses and owners form safe, enjoyable partnerships. Clinton began touring the country, instructing clinics and creating DVDs and horse training tools to make learning horsemanship as easy as possible for horse owners.

In 2001, he became the first clinician to create a made-for-TV horse training program that aired on RFD-TV. The use of untrained horses and a variety of topics covering common problems faced by horse owners quickly made Downunder Horsemanship the network’s number one equine program. In 2011, Clinton launched a half-hour version of Downunder Horsemanship on Fox Sports Net, a national broadcast station that reaches 80 million viewers. Later that year, he created and released DownunderHorsemanship.TV, an internet TV site that gave horse owners around the world free access to the Downunder Horsemanship television show.

In 2003 and 2005, Clinton faced the country’s best horse trainers and clinicians in the prestigious Road to the Horse, an event that challenges trainers to gentle and ride an untouched horse in less than three hours. Clinton became the first person to win the event twice in a row. 

In 2007, Clinton created the No Worries Club, a community for horsemen who are dedicated to improving their horsemanship and practice The Method. Through a website, exclusive training content, a quarterly publication and nationwide events, Clinton inspires and educates his most loyal followers so they can accomplish their horsemanship dreams. 

A few years later, he established the Clinician Academy for the most skilled and passionate Method followers. The Academy trains horsemen to master The Method and offers a blueprint to build a successful equine business and share The Method with others. Graduates of the program earn certification as Method Ambassadors and may continue to add to their skill level until they are recognized as Professional Clinicians.  

Although Clinton’s primary focus for most of his career was on teaching people and helping them train their horses, he stayed involved in the western performance horse industry as an owner and competitor. He raised and bred elite reining horses at his ranch and campaigned the legendary mare Princess In Diamonds to National Reining Horse Association Hall of Fame status.  

In more recent years, Clinton has become involved in the reined cow horse industry as a trainer and competitor. He enjoys the challenge of learning the intricacies of training a top athlete to excel in all three phases of the discipline – rein work, cow work and herd work. He trains and shows the horses for selected partners who appreciate world-class equine athletes and enjoy the comradery of the western horse community. 

Today, Downunder Horsemanship is based out of Northwest Arkansas where it offers the very best in horsemanship innovation, inspiration and instruction. Our team of Professional Clinicians and Method Ambassadors teach clinics and lessons worldwide and Clinton continues to produce in-depth training content, presents Walkabout Tours around the country and hosts the Uncut & Real Raw podcast. He’s passionate about mentoring the next generation of trainers and spends most of his time focused on training and showing his cow horses and ensuring that Downunder Horsemanship is recognized as a world leader in the equestrian industry.