ABOUT AL

Arizona horseman Al Dunning, has owned and operated his "Almosta Ranch” since 1970. The Quarter Horse training facility is in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Born in Chicago in 1950, Al’s family moved to Arizona when he was 8 years old.  He began riding horses with his sisters and went on to further his talents with mentors such as Jim Paul, John Hoyt and Don Dodge.  Over the years, Al developed his multi-faceted business with a focus on the development of champion horses and riders.

Al married his wife Becky in 1971.  Becky is a well-known horse show announcer, and co-founded America’s Horse  Cares, a division of the AQHA foundation which focuses on therapeutic riding charities.  The Dunnings have two children, Grady and McKenzie Parkinson and one grandchild, Gracie Parkinson.

Accomplishments:

• Al and his students have won 33 World and Reserve World titles.
• AQHA World Championships in Reining, Cutting, Working Cow Horse and Western Riding.
• His youth and amateur riders have won 11 World Championships.
• National Reined Cow Horse Association Open Bridle Champion.
• Finalist at the NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman Contest.
• Champion at Tropicana Cutting Futurity, PCCHA Derby, NCHA Western Nationals,and Las Vegas Classic/Challenge.
• Finalist or semi-finalist at every NCHA major event.

Awards:

• Trained and showed the great buckskin performance horse " Expensive Hobby”, who was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2007.
• AQHA Professional Horseman of the Year in 1996.
• Monte Roberts Equitarian award in 2004.
• NCHA Zane Schulte Trainer of the Year award in 2003.
• In 2005, received the "Spirit of Community Award” from the Scottsdale Charros for his contribution to an innovative horse program for children called "Horsense”.
• In 2007, received first place from American Horse Publications Annual Awards in the category of Instructional Single Article for the article "Sitting Pretty” published in the Cutting Horse Chatter.