Lead Horse Trainer & Riding Instructor

Dave Welch stands as a testament to the power of purposeful partnership—both with animals and people. As co-founder of The Cactus Rose Ranch, Texas’s “biggest little horse ranch,” Dave and his family blend rugged Texan grit with heart-led horsemanship to solve behavioral challenges in horses and riders. Their philosophy? “If you don’t know how to ride properly, the horse can’t understand how to behave.”

A self-proclaimed maestro of “whole-body communication,” Dave teaches riders to harmonize with their horses through subtle cues, body alignment, and energy awareness—not brute force on reins. For problem horses, he specializes in behavioral correction rooted in trust, helping them overcome fear, stubbornness, or trauma by redefining leadership in the saddle.

But The Cactus Rose is more than a ranch—it’s a family legacy incubator. Homeschooling six children on 40 acres, the Welches turn daily chores into life lessons, blending faith, hard work, and play. Princess-dressed daughters wrangle cattle with the same gusto they bring to bible study, embodying their motto: “Work Hard, Play Hard—with purpose.”