Meet the two-legged and four-legged stars of the 2010 Road to the Horse Championship of Colt Starting.

Colts in training at Road to the Horse

Friday night, the media got to meet the human and equine stars of the 2010 Road to the Horse Championship of Colt Starting.

None of the three trainers competing in the 2010 Road to the Horse Championship of Colt Starting – Craig Cameron, Ken McNabb and Richard Winters – are new to the event. However, Richard is the only one who has won it (2009).

So what strategies did they bring for competing in this year’s event?

The Journal talked to Ken McNabb, who says it’s hard to compete against your friends in an event like Road to the Horse.

“This is like rodeo,” he said Friday night, “you’re competing against your buddies, but you’re also helping one another.

“I told Craig and Richard I’d even pick their colts for them!” Ken said. “But they turned me down.”

Ken said that this being his second time to compete in the event, he thinks he has a better grasp of time management.

“I know the mistakes I made last time, and I’m not going to make them again,” he said. “I have more of a plan this time. The pressure really isn’t on Craig and me. We figure the pressure is on Richard because he’s the one defending a title.”

Saturday morning, Ken, Craig and Richard will draw numbers to see who gets first pick of the colts.

Get back to the reined cow horse basics with AQHA’s Vaquero Horse Training Tips report. The late Bill Van Norman gives his timeless tips for training your horse to be a winner.

Speaking of the colts, there are 10 3-year-old American Quarter Horse geldings off the Wood Ranch in Heber Springs, Arkansas, that make up the “remuda.” The colts, who trace to Shining Spark, Mito Commander, Docs Solano, Blue Diamond Hancock, Tanquery Gin and Paddys Irish Whiskey, were selected for Road to the Horse nearly a year ago.

So, will the trainers pick the flashy sorrel with the big blaze; the shaggy, but friendly palomino; the bossy bay or one of the four gray geldings? Check back tomorrow for details on the horses that Ken, Craig and Richard each pick.

– Becky Newell
AQHA Editor in Chief