Dickie Gardner

Dickie Gardner is a horse trainer from Shelbyville, Tennessee. Gardner began his career training Tennessee Walking Horses, but switched to Spotted Saddle Horses, a related breed, in 1993. He has won several World Championships, been Trainer of the Year 11 times, and is in the Spotted Saddle Horse Hall of Fame.

Personal life Gardner was born in Florida in 1961/1962. The couple have twin daughters, Cheyenne and Dakoda, who were born in July 2007.

Career

Gardner grew up with horses and became a professional trainer at the age of 18. He initially trained Tennessee Walking Horses and competed in the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, while working for notable trainer Joe Fleming in Tennessee.

Gardner shows with six different horse breed or sport associations and has been named Trainer of the Year a total of 11 times. In 2010, he was inducted into the Spotted Saddle Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association Hall of Fame. In a 2014 interview, Gardner discussed the 2007 fire that destroyed his stables and said it had taken "hard work, a lot of time, and good health" to return to winning. That year he again had 30 horses in training.