David Rand’s dream was “to be the world’s best horse trainer.” He grew up riding ponies and horses. He was something of a ‘late-comer’ to Morgans. Like many children, Rand started his riding career on a pony. Early formal training came at an Arabian barn, where he did odd jobs in exchange for lessons. He trained his own horse at home and entered into area shows.

When David was about 12, Linda Weber at Hawkewood Farm in nearby Danville, N.H. introduced him to the Saddlebred world. As he progressed as a young trainer, he eventually took the Kentucky route toward what he anticipated would be a career with American Saddlebreds.

His love for New England eventually led him back to New Hampshire, where he worked for the Ramsey family, first as a private trainer and later accepting outside horses.

In 2004, David purchased a farm in Falmouth, Maine. His clients range from the youngest lead liner and walk trotter to more adults of all skill levels. There is a strong sense of family around the business, and David works to cultivate a personal relationship with each of his clients, both horse and rider.

From weanlings to mature show and breeding horses, all get his personal attention. With nearly 70 horses on the farm, the days are busy for David and his staff.

With his over 25 years of experience, David has created his own style of training that has lead him to a career of great success. David is the recent recipient of the Trainer of the Decade Award, and he received the 2011 American Morgan Horse Association Man of the Year.

2018 was a big year for David as he began the year receiving one of the most prestigious awards a horseman can receive, the Richard E. Lavery Professional Horseman Award. At the end of this year he had the opportunity to purchase the farm where he found so much success in York. David, his family and his business now call York, Maine home, making it a full circle.

He may be working with young riders, such as Avery Douglass aboard Cherrydale Accapella, or bringing along four-legged youngsters. He may be coaching Hannah Kelley with Cedar Creek Flambeau or Sandy Hendricks with an up-and-coming Queens River star. He might be leading the four-time World Champion stallion LPS The Boogie Man or riding the World Grand Champion Park saddle star Lamborghini in Black. But whatever he is doing, at the farm or at the horse show, David remains the consummate professional, doing it simply ‘for the love of the horse.’