Cowboys, Westerns, and riding horses are trendy again in American culture. Celina has its own real cowboy, Punk Carter. Punk Carter is anything but trendy, rather a legendary horseman.
If you have spent any time in Celina, you’ve probably heard of Punk Carter, but you may not know his story. Exactly who is Punk Carter and why is he so important to Celina?
Punk (short for “Punkin’”, a childhood nickname thanks to his daddy) is a well-known horseman specializing in cutting horse training, roping horse training and basic horsemanship. What is cutting horses exactly? According to the National Cutting Horses Association (NCHA), cutting horse means the act of separating one cow from a herd of cattle. Through the years, better horses and riders made it an elite competitive sport.
Born in Sherman, Texas, Punk found himself attending thirteen different schools including Pilot Point and Celina. His Dad, finding better jobs, required many moves during his school years. Punk’s family settled in Celina during his junior year in high school.
Celina is where Carter met his wife, Rita, a native of Prosper. They married just after high school and Punk continued to follow in his dad’s footsteps. At the time Punk was already training, showing and selling horses ready for competition. The Carters eventually made Celina their home and Punk continued cutting horse training and his involvement with the NCHA. Punk gained national and international recognition for his expertise. His reputation grew and he has trained people from almost every state and at last count, they have welcomed visitors from 23 countries to their property. He is proud to say some that he taught have won prestigious events like “Australia’s Greatest Horseman” and “Road to The Horse.”
His years of training and successes resulted in Punk’s induction into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the NCHA’s Member Hall of Fame. Furthermore, he has judged prestigious competitions like the “Road to the Horse” contest from the famous 6666 Ranch. Punk said he was “very fortunate and blessed” to be a judge.
Punk donates his training services to fundraisers by working with celebrities who jump at the chance to be trained by Punk, making his coaching quite popular. Some of the celebrities that he has trained at the ranch include Christie Brinkley, Forrie J Smith of Yellowstone fame (and friend for over forty years), former Dallas Cowboy Randy White, Ed Sheeran, Jon Pardi and Tanya Tucker.
A life like Punk’s might change a person, but he is unassuming and modest. It’s Rita that talks about his achievements as Punk would rather tell you about his daughters’ records and high school cutter horse championships. Furthermore, he puts more value in helping others like getting front row seats to American Idol for a cancer patient or housing horses of hurricane victims.
It's that community spirit that Punk likes about Celina. He enjoys seeing new families moving here, “good people keeping the town’s traditions”. Punk and his family continue the business now in its sixth generation. The Carter’s are celebrating 57 years of marriage enjoying their time with daughters, Colleen, Cassye, and Caimey, plus six grandchildren and (almost) seven great-grandchildren.
Punk Carter is a true Texas treasure that Celina is fortunate to call our own. Don’t be surprised if he invites you out for a ride, because that’s the kind of guy Punk Carter is.
PunkCarterHorsemanship.com
