Lexington, KY - This year’s Road to the Horse (RTTH) competition began at the Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas. It ended at a new destination, the Kentucky Horse Park—one more economic legacy of the Alltech 2010 World Equestrian Games.
Now in its tenth year, Road to the Horse had outgrown its previous location in Murfreesboro, TN. RTTH’s director Tootie Bland was pretty sure that the Horse Park’s new facilities and location would allow her event to grow and reach a larger audience.
Judging by the enthusiastic crowd that filled most of the seats in the Alltech Arena, the unique three day competition of professional “horse whisperers” was a success its first time here.
“This is an excellent venue here in Lexington,” said Glenn Blodgett, DVM, who directs the Horse Division of Four Sixes Ranch and supervises the care of the ranch’s famous American Quarter Horses.
The King Ranch might be better known to Kentuckians because of its former Thoroughbred division here and members of the Kleberg family who are still involved in the Thoroughbred industry. But Four Sixes Ranch is well known in the West.
The ranch began in 1868 when Captain Samuel “Burk” Burnett bought 100 head of cattle and the rights to the brand itself. The brand’s stylish four 6’s are open—the numeral’s bottom loop doesn’t close to the vertical descending mark.
Burnett’s son Tom and later his granddaughter Anne directed the Four Sixes in turn, acquiring other ranches to increase its size to about 300,000 acres. Anne Burnett helped establish the American Quarter Horse Association.
Since 1980, the Four Sixes has been run by her daughter Anne Marion. Along with raising superior Black Angus cattle, the ranch is a breeding facility for top quality American Quarter Horses, for both racing and ranch work.
The three year old gelding colts which the RTTH competitors tame come from championship Quarter Horse bloodlines. At Four Sixes they’ve had minimal contact with people—never been bridled, let alone had saddles or riders on their backs.
Blodgett said the horses and his crew made the trip to the Horse Park very easily. They laid over at a ranch in northeast Oklahoma, which gave the colts a chance to run around a big corral overnight.
Two of the four competing “horse whisperers” are experienced trainers, Guy McLean and Dan James, who also works with Thoroughbreds at Taylor Made. The others—Obbie Schom and Sarah Winters—are two young women who more than held their own.
“I’m tickled to be a part of all this,” said nineteen year old Schlom.
The colts run into the arena in a remuda—a herd—of about twelve. Each competitor took less than the allotted three minutes to choose a colt to tame. Then they worked with their colts, each in a separate pen, at the same time.
On each of the three days the competitors have only one hour—less mandatory break time to rest the colts—to work at taming the animals. They are not allowed to talk to or see the colts at any other time. On the final day they must also ride their horses through an obstacle course.
Watching the four trainers using different methods, seeing the colts respond to these people they’ve only known for minutes in a strange place—all at the same time—is a bit like watching a three ring circus. Look at one pen for too long and you’ve missed an advancement by another team.
When only 20 minutes had elapsed, McLean already had his colt comfortable enough with the saddle on to be able to mount him. About 17 minutes later the colt stood quietly while McLean stood up on his back.
After trying different tactics with his buckskin colt, James put a surcingle (a band of heavy fabric that circles a horse behind its withers) on him. That turned the colt into a bucking broncho.
At the end of the first day’s hour, James’s colt was still getting used to the surcingle, but the other three colts were carrying their riders around their pens. When the judges posted the scores, the two cowgirls were ahead of the older, more experienced cowboys.
The judges award points not only for how much progress the trainers make with the colts, but for how they go about it. On the final day McLean won the championship, with enough time left to read a poem to the audience while his young horse stood quietly by.
RTTH has a following as devoted as the UK Wildcats’ and also called a Nation. The trade fair was heavy with the scent of leather—fine saddles, belts, purses. Some serious shopping took place, but hardly any local businesses were there to profit from these customers.
Road to the Horse is another indication of the growing interest here in western riding and horses. Kentuckians tend to think of Thoroughbreds and American Saddlebreds first. But there are more Quarter Horses in America than any other equine breed.
Road to the Horse will return to the Horse Park in 2014 and for several years beyond.