Al Dunning

In the early 1980s, Al worked with Hall of Fame trainer Don Dodge to learn about cutting horses. He has since shown multiple horses to AQHA and NCHA World Championships.

During his career, "the horse won 29 of 32 hackamore classes and finished first in more than 100 reining or cow horse events. One of those finishes was an AQHA World Championship in working cow horse in 1976. He added AQHA World titles in senior reining and senior working cow horse in 1979. He also won the NRHA Open Championship at the 1980 All American Quarter Horse Congress and earned an AQHA Superior in cutting.”

In 1970, Al started his own professional training business, focusing on halter, reining and youth all-around. Al’s most famous horse was Expensive Hobby, a 1971 gelding.

Al won his first major reining class at age 19 on Stormy Pink, a 1963 palomino mare by Sugar Bars.

From 1962 to 1968 Al showed at both American Quarter Horse Association and American Horse Show Association shows in reining, working cow horse, horsemanship, trail, western pleasure, hunt seat equitation, jumping, calf roping, and horse showmanship.

Al Dunning grew up outside of Chicago, Illinois, then in 1958 moved with his family to Arizona and took lessons at Siminoff Stables where he learned horsemanship and roping.

Al Dunning (born March 5, 1950) is an American horse trainer specializing in western performance horses. He has trained multiple world champions in reining, cutting, working cow horse, halter, and all-around. His most famous horse was Expensive Hobby. He was inducted into the Arizona Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame in 2016.