Barbra Schulte
Barbra Schulte, a Professional Cutting Horse Trainer, Riding and Performance Coach, Author, Clinician, and Equine Consultant, is a renowned figure in the horse industry, with a wealth of experience and a string of impressive achievements.
Barbra has been involved with horses her entire life. Beginning in early childhood and continuing through college, she helped market and showcase many of her family’s 500 horses. She competed in western pleasure, reining, horsemanship, and cutting.
After high school, Barbra went on to gain a master’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology.
In 1983, Barbra’s love of horses led her back to the competitive arena where she embarked on a career as a Professional Cutting Horse Trainer. In 1986, after reading “Mental Toughness for Sports” by Dr. James Loehr of LGE Sports Science, Inc., she began incorporating his training techniques into her own regimen.
After combining the performance-enhancing strategies of the Mentally Tough program with her own wealth of experience as a trainer, Barbra began to see remarkable results.
She captured the 1988 NCHA Derby, the 1992 NCHA Super Stakes Classic, and the 1992 Augusta Futurity – the first woman to wear the crowns for all three championships. Horses and riders trained by Barbra have earned numerous national, regional, and championship titles throughout her career.
In 1994, recognizing the powerful benefits of the Mentally Tough program, Schulte had a desire to share her knowledge about peak performance with other equestrians. She became certified as a Personal Performance Coach by the Human Performance Institute and introduced the Mentally Tough program to riders of all disciplines. She conducted clinics and seminars throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
In 1997, Barbra began producing educational products. Her first was a three-part cutting video training series, and her second was Mentally Tough Riding, a training program for riders in all disciplines.
In 1998, Barbra published her first book, Cutting, One Run at a Time, providing key fundamental information for amateur and non-professional cutters learning to ride and show cutting horses.
In June of 1999, Barbra and Tom’s (her husband) son, Zane, was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer. Despite this devastating blow, in June of 2000, Zane passed on, leaving a legacy of inspiration that is evident in Barbra’s writings and in her life. Her resilience and dedication to her work are truly inspiring.
Also in 2000, Barbra was awarded the prestigious National Female Equestrian of the Year Award given by the American Quarter Horse Association in conjunction with the Women’s Sports Foundation. This honor recognized outstanding performance and leadership in the field of female equestrianism. Candidates for the award spanned all disciplines recognized by the American Quarter Horse Association.
In December of 2007, Barbra published her second book, THE GIFT, which contains 72 personal performance articles she wrote over a six-year period as a monthly columnist for the American Quarter Horse Association’s publication, The Journal. In 2008, she released THE GIFT in a 6-CD audiobook and a workbook study format.
In 2005 Barbra was awarded the National Female Equestrian of the Year Award by the AQHA and the Women’s Sports Foundation.
In 2012, Barbra was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, one of the most prestigious honors possible for women equestrians. She was honored for all of her outstanding career accomplishments.
In 2020 she received the American Horse Publications Equine Industry Vision Award for her positive impact across the horse industry.
In 2021 she received The Western Horseman & The Art of the Cowgirl’s Women of the West Award.
Today, Barbrais is primarily involved in her education business by continually providing new online and live informational training for riders of all disciplines (regarding mental and emotional skills) and cutting horse enthusiasts.
Barbra and her husband, Tom, live in Brenham, Texas.