Canadian Bridlehorse Association
2025 Skills of the outfits

meet our judges

We are pleased to present our 2025 Skills of the Outfits  competition Judges. This year, Head Judge Miles Kingdon is joined by Dave Shadlock and Richard Kowalzik.

Miles Kingdon

          Miles Kingdon was born and raised on a mixed farm in Southern Saskatchewan, riding from an early age and starting colts at 13. He moved out to British Columbia soon after high school to cowboy on some of BC’s largest and most prestigious cattle outfits; Douglas Lake, Nicola Ranch, Empire Valley, the Gang Ranch, the Bar K, Quilchena Cattle Company, eventually becoming cowboss and manager of several. Tim O’Byrne (owner/editor of Working Ranch Magazine) once stated, “Miles has certainly worn out his share of custom saddles”, and that he has.

          Having spent his life ‘ahorseback, learning from the top hands with whom he rode, and also from the school of hard knocks, Miles was always searching for a better way to be with his horse.

          He now teaches workshops on horsemanship, stockmanship and the art of the Bridled Stockhorse, based on the traditional style and values of the old Californios. It is a subtle, signal-balanced ride built on feel, followed by impeccable timing, ultimately resulting in the horse’s  complete understanding of what is being asked of him…an almost imperceptible connection of horse and rider.

dave shadlock

  Dave Shadlock has been riding since shortly after he started walking. Or maybe a little before that; nobody really knows for sure.

He’s been a working cowboy most of his life, using hackamore and bridlehorse methods in his day to day work. He and his wife Kim ranch with their family near Debdin and Big River Saskatchewan.

Dave was the Open division winner at our first ever Skills of the Outfits – East of the Rockies in 2022 and has been part of the organizing crew with the Canadian Bridlehorse Association since our beginning.

Richard Kowalzik

Richard’s family always had horses and they rode them everywhere.  If you asked him, Richard would tell you “I don’t recall the first time I saw a hackamore horse but I knew then that’s how I wanted my horse to work.  When I was 13 years old I stacked hay, picked bottles, trapped gophers etc. until I had enough money to buy my first hackamore for $13.00.  It was a good one for the time.”

While he didn’t have anyone to show him how to use it, somewhere along the way he found the O’Connell Hackamore books.  Richard also remembers reading Louis Ortega’s book California Hackamore. Years later, it’s evident that those played a part in forming him into the horseman he is now.

“I always strive to make my next horse better than my last… I guess that’s why I enjoy riding young horses. I respect the history and tradition of transitioning a young horse from the hackamore to the Bridle.  To me, there is nothing like riding a true finished horse “straight up in the bridle”. -RK