Biography

Bryan (Bj) Smith is an Equine Canada & Certified Horse Association riding coach. An experienced horse trainer, riding coach, packer, guide, clinician, survival expert, and Canadian Ski Patrol instructor, he has taught equine wilderness topics at the university and college level. Following a full career in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, where he experienced years of service in the Arctic, Bj supervised criminal investigations for the Government of Alberta, instructed for the Lethbridge College Criminal Justice and Environmental Science programs and sat as the President of the Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association. He routinely guides groups of wilderness travellers on horseback through the Rockies, often on week long trips of a hundred miles or more. His skill and knowledge as a packer and horseman has been recognized by the Alberta Trail Riders Association and private equestrian clubs who have enjoyed his clinics. He consulted with the Rafter Six Ranch Resort near Canmore, Alberta to expand their back country overnight horse business and instructed the Olds College Continuing Education Equine Program, ‘Wilderness Wrangler', focused on back country horsemanship skills. Bj's lectures and presentations are never boring or difficult to follow due to his other profession as a Western Entertainer. A winner of the Academy of Western Artists Will Rogers Award for best cowboy poetry CD of the year, his performances have been featured at Cowboy Poetry Gatherings and Festivals across western Canada, the USA, and on cruise liners. Bj has authored three books and is often featured on radio and television shows.