Our Team
Derek
Derek has over 40 years experience, and has worked and ridden in most disciplines. He started riding at 6-years-old at his local riding school and spent as much time as he could with the horses (and that still wasn’t enough). At 16, he started taking group hacks out, as well as working with horses and their owners to overcome their challenges. He’s competed in a variety of both Western and English riding disciplines, and since backing his first horse at 19 years old, has backed over 350 horses.
At 20 years old, Derek discovered Western and Bull riding and has previously won national championships for 7 years running in every Western discipline, including Bull Riding. Whilst competing, Derek continued to back and train horses and help/train riders and often says that “it’s a way of life, and a passion, not a job”. Derek is also a fully qualified judge for a variety of Western disciplines.
Kate
Kate married Derek in 2023 and helps out with the horses, and does a lot of the organisation behind the scenes at Western Ways. She’s loved horses from an early age and originally trained as an English rider due to the lack of opportunity for Western Riding Lessons but has always been a self-confessed cow-girl at heart.
Kate got introduced to Western riding when she met Derek, and is the first to say she has grown so much in knowledge and confidence since working with and being with Derek. She’s often said that “every day is a school day” since she’s discovered WEstern riding but it’s safe to say she loves every minute, and Kate loves passing on her enthusiasm and passion for Western riding to those we work with.