Have skills, will travel: Training horses and people is what this Guardsman does

Neal Stephens does what it takes to support his family. That includes driving to Helena.

Stephens has a variety of skills, but training horses is his livelihood. But he also trains people.

He leaves Bigfork on Mondays around 7 or 8 a.m. and returns home by 4 p.m. on Fridays.

“It’s what you’ve got to do to get by,” he said. “I live in my horse trailer when I’m over there. We train for all sorts of disciplines. My main focus is training cow horses. There’s not a horse we can’t get along with,” he said, noting he trains horses for barrel racing, roping, ranch work, jump and English riding, for example.

“It’s really hard to find an in-door arena (in Flathead County) that’s affordable,” he said. “I get paid a salary, and I don’t have an overhead.” He’s been working for Jordan Cattle Co. for two months. Prior to that he worked as a warrior cadre for the National Guard in Helena.

Stephens, 33, has been training horses since he was 13. It’s something he learned while growing up in rural Illinois. “I started training colts for trail riding and pleasure riding,” he said. He is now part-time reserve with the National Guard. As a guardsman he deployed to Iraq twice, 2004-2005 and 2009. In that capacity Stephens worked as a truck driver, something that he’s done for a living when not training horses.

“My first deployment was full of action,” he said. Stephens hauled fuel and water. “I spent more time as a gunner than as a driver. I ran shotgun for a private contractor.”

Stephens met his wife, Leann, through the National Guard and deployed with her in 2009. His second tour ended Dec. 31 that year.

Leann works as a certified nurse’s aid in Bigfork, but they may end up moving to Helena at some point. “If I could find a horse training job here, I would stay here,” Stephens said. Leann works five or six days a week and frequently works 12-hour shifts, he said. The couple relies on Leann’s mother to watch their two children, Teian, 3, and Arianna, 2.

For extra income, Stephens offers personal self defense or safety training. “My philosophy is: I will teach you how to survive your worst day scenario.” Drawing on 13 years training in the National Guard, Stephens offers trainees options that he learned while working as a warrior cadre, which involved teaching pre-deployment tasks to deploying units. “Shoot, move and communicate” is how Stephens describes the subject matter. “I taught people how to survive in war,” he said.

Stephens comes from a military family. His dad and brother served in the U.S. Air Force. His brother was in a special anti-terrorism unit in the 1980s. “I always thought I wanted to be a Navy Seal,” he said. “When I was 16, I was trained by some Navy Seals for two years. My brother was a prison guard and they worked with him.”

In two hours of training, Stephens will teach a trainee techniques that will enable one to survive personal attacks.

“I will come to your home and teach you there,” he said. “I will teach you to defend your house safely. I will teach you how to set your house up so it can be defended.”

Stephens decided to start teaching personal self defense training after his cousin had an experience in Kalispell.

“My cousin heard sirens in his neighborhood, turned the scanner on and heard police chasing someone,” Stephens said. His cousin went outside and encountered a suspect in his backyard. His cousin took a flashlight, but during a scuffle, the suspect was able to gain control of the flashlight and began beating the man on the head, Stephens said. His cousin was able to get the suspect in a headlock, but didn’t know what to do at that point. The cousin’s girlfriend came outside and struck the man over the head with the butt of a rifle, Stephens related. Police then came and took the suspect into custody.

“That’s what I train people for,” Stephens said. “I train people to subdue the attacker long enough for someone to come along and help them. If my cousin would’ve had two hours of training, he would’ve been able to subdue the guy without a beating with a flashlight.”

For most people, Stephens recommends owning a 20-gauge shotgun and bird shot for personal protection. “It’s key to safety because it doesn’t go through walls. It’s not likely to hurt other people if you fire it at close range,” he said.

Stephens also offers firearms training, but will only shoot a live round with a trainee after they have trained for 20 hours together. “I need to get to know you on a personal level,” he said.

Protection for Stephens is personal. “I’m the youngest of four brothers, so I was always scrapping when I was growing up. My wife and I combat all the time. I’ll come home from work, and she’ll hide and jump on me. It’s just to keep ourselves on our toes.” Otherwise fear takes over, he said. “Defense is the key to everything.”

Stephens charges $20 an hour with a minimum two-hour session. Group rates are also offered. For more information, call 890-4585.