Wade was born on the Stampede Ranch in Nevada and spent the early part of his life on the Winecup Gamble Ranch managed by his Dad, Martin Black. The Winecup Gamble ranch is a 1.25 million acres ranch, that ran 10,000 head of cows and 400 head of horses when his Dad managed it. At a very young age Wade learned horsemanship, stockmanship and roping skills used in the Great Basin through working with the cowboys on the ranch. At age 10, his family moved to Idaho, where they bred, raised, and trained horses for the public. The Black family maintained between 30-40 brood mares, 2-3 studs and had an average of 20-30 outside horses training for the public during the summers. During middle school and high school Wade tried to spend as much time as he could returning back to Nevada, or Eastern Oregon taking horses from the family business to do day work and help ranches brand their calves. Wade helped his dad start colts, and rodeoed in high school, becoming a state and national high school rodeo contender. Wade earned a rodeo scholarship in Saddle Bronc riding at Montana State University, where he received a BS in Equine Science, and a MS in Equine Nutrition and the Behavior and Training of Horses. Wade also taught colt starting classes at MSU for two years. After gradating TVCC Wade took the material from His masters and continued to expand on it through his own business which he grew to one point having 35 outside horses and 4 to 5 riding employees. It was during this time that Wade and his wife Amaia began to develop TQA, or Training Quality Assurance. After the tragic death of Sonny Hansen Wade was hired by TVCC to take over their equine program and over the last 10 years Wade has continued to expand on his research in working with horses on a daily basis. He has also branched some of this research to working cows. Wade has worked with OSU on a calf branding study and has taken the research he developed in working with horses and applied it to working with cows.
Wade directs the Equine Program and offers an Associate of Science Degree, an associate of Applied Science Business Degree and Horse Production and Training Degree at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Oregon. For more information on the Montana State Research on setting a solid foundation on a horse and how Wade has expanded it over the years, watch the videos below.