Tom Curtin grew up in the Big Sky State of Montana where his father had an outfitting and packing business. Tom was extremely fortunate to be around and work for some of the most famous ranches of the west; among them being The King Ranch, The Four 6's , Johnson Ranch and the 7D Ranch. Along with beneficial settings for horse training, Tom also had the chance to learn from many inspirational men in the horse world. Buster Welch, for example,had a significant influence on how Tom now views and trains the horse. Ray Hunt and his wife, Carolyn, also played an active role in the formation of Tom's horsemanship. Ray showed Tom how to look at things from the horse's point of view, an invaluable aspect of horse training that Tom still honors today. Along the way, however, a constant figure in Tom's life was his father who remains today an exceptional and an accomplished  horseman