Dustin Sippola grew up on a small ranch west of Nanton, Alberta, Canada. Growing up, Sippolaspent all his free time with his neighbor Sid Cook, where he got his first introduction to horses. Sippola was grateful to have Cook in his life, where he was lucky to discover his passion at a young age. Sippola started his first colts at the age of 10 and was riding for the public soon after. Cook helped Sippola create a foundation for his horsemanship, which he still uses today.
At the age of 17, after completing high school, Sippola left to work on large ranches such as the Gang Ranch, Nicola Ranch, Knight Ranch and the Mantario grazing pasture. During this time, he was able to work alongside great stockmen, which had a big influence on who he is today. Sippola learned how to prepare a horse for a job and run a crew, and he developed his love for working stock. In addition, Sippola competed in ranch rodeos, ranch broncs and ropingevents. Sippola received multiple Top Hand Awards and made the Canada Finals Rodeo, but those were never the highlights for him. For Sippola, it was about spending time with horses and close friends.
While at the Gang Ranch, Sippola met his wife, Carmen, and they were blessed with two children, Grace and Hunter. Sippola and his family were grateful to work on outfits where they could include the children in riding and roping activities, working stock as a family. When not horseback, Sippola’s other interests include rawhide braiding, leatherwork and building anything with his hands.
Sippola and his family currently live in Cardston, Alberta, where Sippola runs a colt starting business along with their own horse program. Sippola teaches a variety of clinics from basic horsemanship to colt starting, where he can help individuals develop strong relationships with their horses. Learn more at dustinsippola.com.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to compete in the Road to the Horse Wild Card competition. It’s always good to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. It will be good to meet new people who are genuinely interested in horses and see new country. Looking forward to the experience.” – Dustin Sippola
