The Enck family — Brenda, Merrik, & Tad | Courtesy photoN1JAD3Hg
Seeing how he makes his living, one would never guess that Tad Enck was once terrified of horses, but thanks to a pony he refers to as “Satan’s Child,” that was the case. When he was around eight years old, said pony jumped a creek during a trail ride in his home state of Pennsylvania, and Tad recalls, “Somewhere between launch and landing, my fear left me.” After that, Tad developed a knack for horses, paying his way through college riding colts.
After college, Tad worked with horses in various capacities– starting race horses in Wisconsin, riding broncs in professional rodeos, working feedlots and ranches in South Dakota, trimming and shoeing, and training horses on the side. When he was able to buy his own place, Enck’s Training became the main source of income for the Enck family. At the age of 40, Tad began training colts full-time, something he laughs and says “probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but it worked.” Since then, Enck’s Training has become an all-encompassing endeavor– from shoeing to starting colts, working with problem horses to hosting clinics. According to Tad, Enck’s Training covers “about everything involved with a horse.” It is also something he has been able to share with his two daughters and now his son, Merrik, while his wife of 24 years, Brenda, has been cheering everyone on.
Tad’s oldest daughters, Heidi and Dani, got involved in showing horses in 4-H and then later in rodeo. They were active in barrel racing, pole bending, and goat tying. Both girls are grown, and Heidi continues barrel racing. Tad also has three grandchildren that dabble with horses now, too. Merrik, Tad’s youngest son, who is now 11, came along and “got the best of both worlds,” according to Tad. He has “been in the rigs ever since he was two years old, so it kind of came to him naturally.” Because Tad and Brenda homeschool, Merrik is involved in Enck’s Training every day, helping with feeding, chores, breaking horses, and even running his own saddle cleaning business. Tad said, “He didn’t have much choice,” but it’s clear that he wouldn’t have it any other way. It seems to be in his blood.
Merrik was seven when he broke his first pony. That same year, a freak accident with a pony also caused his first major injury, leaving him with a metal plate in his head and a good deal of post-traumatic stress. After his accident and surgery, the doctors ordered at least a four-week break from riding. After two short weeks, Merrik came to Tad ready to get back on, so they saddled up, and like his father before him, a stiff and scared Merrik took the first steps in overcoming his fear. Tad believes “had we not saddled up that horse at that time, he probably would not be riding today.”
Despite this, Merrik wouldn’t call himself brave, but Tad sees things differently. Since his accident, Merrik has continued to ride and has broken 20 more horses. Tad said, “I don’t know of many adults that would climb on a horse after that, and to break 20 after that, I’d say that’s courage.” Once in a while, the fear will resurface, but Merrik resolves to overcome it every time, which Tad sees as part of the healing process.
Just last year, Merrik actually had the opportunity to break the brother of the pony responsible for his accident. This was a unique challenge for Merrik, as it played on his fears, but he didn’t quit. Tad said, “He never laid a horse down by himself, but he laid that pony down by himself. It took him three days, but he got it done.” Merrik has learned a lot of important lessons from his work with horses in his short life, one being: “You get bucked off, you get back on.” He proudly recalls a pony he worked with about a year ago that was hopping and bucking when he got him, and by summer’s end, he was riding it in parades and roping off of him.
Faith is very important to the Enck family and remains at the center of their daily work. Tad said, “I get to see the Bible come alive every day when I work with horses,” noting that “whenever you work with a horse, you have to give free will, and they have to have the right to make that decision,” just like Our Lord allows. He also recognizes the importance of the fruits of The Spirit, in training and in life– primarily patience, self-control, and gentleness– which can be seen in action when Tad and Merrik are working with horses.
PULL QUOTE:
“I get to see the Bible come alive every day when I work with horses.”
– Tad Enck
Many trainers claim a method, but Tad has developed his own program after over 30 years of learning by doing. In Tad’s eyes, the method “doesn’t matter as long as the horse understands what you want,” and his focus is on the basic principles of horsemanship. Tad and Merrik prioritize laying a strong foundation in the horses they train– starting with the basics, such as teaching them how to get caught, how to respond to body language and body position, and exposing them to “life” before focusing on specific events and disciplines. Every horse they work with goes through their groundwork procedures, including round penning, ground driving, foot ropes, and even laying down. They also built their own obstacle course as an added challenge, which includes everything from trenches to teeter totters.
In recent years, Tad has become something he swore he would never be– a teacher– something he says “just sort of happened.” After being asked to give a demonstration for a group of 4-Hers, Tad realized he was learning how to share his knowledge and relate it to people in their terms, and since then, they have hosted many retreats at their place in Carthage, South Dakota. For Tad, the most rewarding part is “seeing the light bulbs on people’s faces and to see the horse’s reaction when people actually start working with the horse, instead of making the horse work for them.” Merrik, too, enjoys hosting retreats. Unlike his dad, he never claimed he would never be a teacher. In fact, he said his favorite thing about the retreats is teaching, and he is always eager to share what he has learned about riding and ground driving. Many people who have left a retreat at Enck’s Training have said they feel like they learned more about themselves than about their horses, to which Tad assures them, “Well, if you do that, then you’ll get along with your horse a lot better too.”
Another unexpected but rewarding thing for Tad has been the response to what he has shared about Merrik’s accident on their Facebook page. They have received messages from people all over the world, telling them how Merrik inspired them to keep trying, which Tad sees as “pretty good testimony.” Tad believes that it is “for these purposes that The Lord keeps [him] around.”
The success of Enck’s Training is a testament to what happens when faith and family are at the heart of one’s mission. The foundational horsemanship— that’s just a bonus. One can keep up with Tad and Merrik on Facebook through their page, Enck’s Training LLC, or on their website, www.enckstraining.com.