sundays

A team at the end of the day
A MATTER OF TRUST
DON HUTSON'S "THE COWBOY SOLUTION"
BY JAKE BUCKLER
By allowing area executives to interact with his gentle
yet majestic horses, Don Hutson has been helping
these business people become trusted leaders among their
colleagues. This is the essence of The Cowboy Solution, Don’s
Montgomery-based corporate team-building experience that
continues to transform hearts and minds. While he has much
to be proud of, Don is often quick to credit his horses, not
himself, for the life-changing experiences that they’re able to
transcend. This down-home humility and love for his animals
cannot hide the contribution he provides in helping others
find their inner leader.
Texas native, orchestra conductor and horse trainer Don
Hutson has found the solution to help anyone become an
effective leader, and he calls it “The Cowboy Solution.”
Though his Stetson hat, denim clothes and soft,
Texas drawl practically scream “cowboy,” Don Hutson is a
renaissance man of sorts. He holds a doctorate in music and
has taught the subject at the collegiate and high school
levels, and he’s also been a successful corporate mogul.
These days, Don continues to do his best life’s work with
his latest venture, The Cowboy Solution. It’s an experiential
leadership development training company that uses horses
to teach ways to build powerful partnerships based upon
trust. It’s already touched and transformed the lives of many,
and the program’s emotional depth is the result of Don’s own
search for himself … a search that began on a small ranch
home in Eastern Texas and has taken him the better part of
a lifetime to master.
A Solid Foundation
Born December 5, 1949, Don was the oldest of Robert
and Lois Hutson’s four children. Like most people in Lufkin
at that time, his family had some horses and Don grew up
riding and handling the animals and learning about life
through his parents’ guidance. Little did he know it then, but
the foundation for The Cowboy Solution was already being
formed. “Whenever I had a problem,” said Don, “I would go to
my father and he would say, ‘What’s it supposed to look like?’
By forcing me to imagine what things were supposed to be
and placing that mental picture over my problem I was able
to see what was wrong and fix it.” He describes both of his
parents as caring, loving and willing to do anything to help
their children succeed.
From his upbringing, Don took many things forward into
life including his love for music. It started when he was a
young man attending church services and eventually inspired
him to earn his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music
education in 1971 from Stephen F. Austin State University.
“Once I discovered great classical works,” he said, “I wanted
to become a conductor so I could recreate them and share
it with people. I always loved it when people would hear
great music and it made a difference in their lives if only for
a brief moment. To me it was all about the experience.” After
graduating from college, he returned to Lufkin and taught
music for three years. This passion inspired him to earn a
Doctorate in music from the University of Oklahoma in 1979,
before going on to conduct orchestras and teach music at
Phillips University and the University of Southwest Louisiana.
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1/28/2014 1:23:02 PM