Start--and ride--a barely-been-touched 3-year-old in front of thousands of spectators? Talk about nerve-racking. But this is the basis of the juggernaut that has become the Road to the Horse Colt-Starting Competition (RTTH). If you're not familiar with the event, here's the lowdown: Three renowned trainers each select an unbroken colt from a band of 10 horses. Throughout the two days of competition, the trainers have three hours to establish a rapport with their colts. Using their individual horsemanship methods, the trainers must desensitize their horses enough to mount up for a final test of skill via an obstacle course. A team of judges determines the winner.
Horse & Rider On the Scene
Editorial Coordinator Erin Sullivan Haynes and I were pumped to attend the 2009 RTTH (read Erin's personal account as a RTTH newbie). And, a fun time, we did have. Barring a minor inconvenience (my luggage missed our flight from Dallas to Nashville), Erin and I made it to RTTH's new locale, Williamson County Ag Expo Park in Franklin, Tenn. No competition takes place on Friday night, but the trade show is unveiled--and is immediately mobbed by hundreds (if not thousands) of drooling shoppers, whether they're looking for bargains or splurges. This scene is, however, utterly torturous to those of us with thinner wallets. Occupational hazard, I suppose.
A Chance Encounter
After making the traditional trade-show lap, Erin and I emerged empty-handed, but had the good fortune of running into Dan Keen and his wife, Kelley. Dan is a life-long trainer, who coined the term and principle of "Wenglish," a combination of Western and English training (more on this in an upcoming issue of H&R). Dan builds willingness and confidence by teaching first the horse, then the owner, how to build a foundation to ensure success in any discipline, at any level. His talents were on display at last year's Extreme Mustang Makeover at which he finished third with his superstar Mustang, Troubador (watch a video of Dan's ride). Dan and his family currently live and operate out of Round Top, Texas. (To read two of Dan's recent articles in H&R, see our January '09 issue for "The Buck Stops Here," and our April '09 issue for "Cure That Spook!" For more info on Dan and his training program, go to dankeenhorsemanship.com.)
Erin and I had quite a bit of fun chatting with Dan and his wife. By the time our conversation ended, I think we'd devised some seemingly absurd plan in which Erin and I were going to bring our horses to his place for f-r-e-e training--being that she rides Western, and I do the hunter/jumper thing. We do, however, feel that Dan has a lot to offer our readers and plan to work with him more in the future.
And, Erin and I have to admit (no disrespect to Kelley), but Dan is one super-cute cowboy. Those pics in the mag don't quite do him justice. And, by the way, Dan's the nephew of another "Keen" you might of heard of, songwriter Robert Earl Keen.
Countdown Begins
Exhausted and starving, we booked it to the hotel for a late dinner. It was an excellent eavesdropping opportunity, as many of the hotel diners were RTTHers... interesting to hear their opinions and winner predictions after a cocktail or two. After gleaning some juicy gossip, we called it a night.
Saturday, March 14: Almost game time. The preliminaries were over (RTTH's producer Tootie Bland always puts on a fab opening ceremonies show including a blow-out performance by the All-American Cowgirl Chicks and this year's country singer, Susie Dobbs).
Erin and I got to hang in the private press room (with free coffee and cookies to our delight) and chat with Tootie, several of the RTTH judges; Randy Dunn, who provided the Remuda horses from his Bath Brothers Ranch in Laramie, Wyo.; and RTTH emcee, the venerable Rick Lamb.
I consider myself a semi-RTTH veteran, this being my third competition to attend--and I have to say I really could offer no predictions on this year's winner. As day #1's competition began, I grabbed my camera and hit the dust of the Williamson coliseum to get up close and personal with this year's competitors.
If you missed this year's "Road," or want a recap, here are some 2009 RTTH stats and a photo gallery of the event.
2009 RTTH FAST FACTS
The locale: Franklin, Tenn.; Williamson County Ag Expo Park
