Road to the Horse 2026 Recap 

Horse Illustrated was thrilled to be back at the 2026 Road to the Horse competition from March 19-22. Taking place in the iconic Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., spectators watched as some of their favorite names in colt starting competed for a world championship title and $135,000 in prize money. This year’s event theme was Legends in the Making. 

The format of the competition is simple: the first two days, four Wild Card competitors compete for a spot in the Championship Competition. These competitors choose a colt from the Remuda provided by the Pitchfork Ranch. They are then given two days to work with their respective colts, each session awarding points based on twenty different categories, including Catching & Haltering, Overall Horsemanship – Reading of Colt, and Colt’s Demeanor at End of Session. Once a Wild Card winner is crowned, they move on to the Championship Competition to compete against the other three chosen trainers.  

The Championship Competition is set up very similarly; the scoring system is the same, but they get more time with their filly, split up into three days.   

The Wild Card Competition

This year’s Wild Card lineup featured two American trainers, Sadie Fisher and Tiffany McLaury, Canadian Jason Irwin, and Australian Rob Leach. This proved to be an extremely competitive lineup, making for an exciting beginning to Road to the Horse 2026.

Pitchfork Ranch was back again as the Official Remuda Partner and brought a stunning selection of 3-year-old geldings for the Wild Card. Sadie Fisher decided to go with Crack Eyed John, a gorgeous palomino by Metallic Masterpiece. Tiffany McLaury chose Nasty Metallic, a sorrel gelding by Nasty CD with plenty of personality. Rob Leach also jumped on the sorrel train with his pick, Nastys Bamacat by Bamacat. Finally, Jason Irwin selected the beautiful red roan Its Payday Cowboy. 

After two rounds of competition on Day 1, Fisher had a score of 376.0, Irwin had a score of 494.0, Leach had a score of 506.0, and McLaury had a narrow lead with a score of 508.5. 

Friday morning brought the Wild Card Finale, where competitors were given 20 minutes in the round pen and 15 minutes on the rail to show off their training. There was also a bonus obstacle, a bridge that had themed décor around it. 

Every single rider had a lovely ride in the finale, but there was one who shone above them all. Maintaining a lead with a score of 912, and the only rider to get their horse over the bridge, was Tiffany McLaury. She earned herself a spot in the Championship, following in her father Buster’s footsteps from last year’s competition. 

Leach finished with 863, Irwin finished with 846, and Fisher ended with a 707.5. 

The Opening Ceremonies

The opening ceremonies at Road to the Horse are nothing short of spectacular – and this year did not disappoint. Boasting performances from The Wranglers Drill Team, Dan James of Double Dan Horsemanship, Whispery Pines Percherons, Fleur de Lis Vaulters, Jake Durancik, E Imaginations, and Elliot Holtzman of Versatile Horsemanship, each day was an impressive display of horsemanship and showmanship. From liberty routines, to jousting, to full harness teams, Road to the Horse allowed a wide display of different disciplines to come together in celebration horses. 

The Championship Competitors

With the addition of Tiffany McLaury to the lineup, this year’s championship consisted entirely of American trainers. Elisa Wallace, Nick Dowers, and Ryan Rose were three horsemen chosen ahead of the event.

Elisa Wallace is a five-star eventer who is known for her work with Mustangs and off-the-track Thoroughbreds, with wins at both the Extreme Mustang Makeover and Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover. Operating in Reddick, Fla., Wallace blends technical excellence with thoughtful communication, and enjoys sharing her training journey through online platforms. 

Nick Dowers is a two-time Road to the Horse Champion based in Nevada. In 2013, Dowers won the National Reined Cow Horse Association Open Snaffle Bit Futurity Championship aboard Time for the Diamond, his family’s stallion. He believes strongly in developing horses capable of excelling on the ranch and in the arena. Dowers is also a Jack Brainard Horsemanship Award recipient. 

Ryan Rose is a familiar face for our Horse Illustrated crowd, as we were honored to feature him in our September 2025 Webinar. With more than 20 years of experience, and thousands of horses trained, Rose is a respected horsemanship specialist, trainer, and clinician known for his connection-focused approach. With his wife, Dr. Emily Rose, he founded the Rose Horsemanship Center in Wisconsin and Florida. His strong online presence allows him to educate riders worldwide. 

Finally, but certainly not least, is our Wild Card Champion, Tiffany McLaury. Tiffany is a lifelong equestrian from Paducah, Texas who inherited her love of horses from her parents, Buster and Sheryl McLaury. McLaury is very active in the show ring with her horses Wicked and Calf Rope, showing in the ARHA, PRCHA, AWHA, NRCHA, and RHAA, earning multiple world titles. She maintains devotion to the horse in every aspect of her life and training, grounding herself in tradition, respect, and continual improvement. 

The Remuda

Pitchfork Ranch brought 11 stunning fillies for the Championship Remuda. These incredible American Quarter Horses come from royal bloodlines that include Metallic Masterpiece, Nasty CD, and Bet Hesa Cat, tracing back to legendary sires such as Doc Bar, Freckles Playboy, High Brow Cat, and Peppy San Badger. 

Elisa Wallace ended up choosing #10, Tuff Twister, a lovely sorrel by Brother Tuff Wood out of the Bet Hesa Cat mare, Bet Shesa Twister. With a big blaze and friendly eyes, she was definitely a standout. Nick Dowers went with #2, Nasty Tea Pot, another gorgeous sorrel, by Nasty CD out of Shiney Tea Pot Doc. Nasty Tea Pot’s dam produced two Road to the Horse Wild Card Champions, C.D. Wilcox’s 2024 mount Tightfittinblujeans and Buster McLaury’s 2025 mount Playful Tea Pot. 

Tiffany McLaury also joined the sorrel club by choosing #8, Sunny Lucky Cat, by Goodluck Catt out of Ms Becaco Sunny CD. This is another familiar family to the Road to the Horse, as Sunny Lucky Cat’s full sibling, Goodluck Suncat, won last year’s Championship with Tik Maynard. Ryan Rose decided to go against the grain and choose a gray filly, #7 Desire Some Cash. This gorgeous girl is by Cat and Cash out of the Sixes Pick mare, Sixes Desire. 

Now that each competitor had their horse, it was time for the Championship to begin. 

The Championship Competition

Round 1 was filled with the trainers and horses getting to know each other. Tiffany McLaury led this round with a score of 267.5, with Ryan Rose close behind with a 259. Nick Dowers pulled a 250 and Elisa Wallace followed behind with a 231. 

Round 2 shook the scores up, with Dowers pulling ahead with a monster score of 283.5. Rose held steady in second with a 247, followed by McLaury with a 243.5 and Wallace with a 239. 

Round 3, the finale, was where each horse and trainer got put to the test. They got to start in the round pen, but then had to move to rail work and finish with the obstacles. The obstacles were daunting – a medieval-themed course complete with a castle, dragons, and a moat filled with alligators – and would be a challenge to even the most broke horses. 

Elisa Wallace started us off, and though she had an unfortunate unplanned dismount, she absolutely sailed through the obstacle course. Not only did she get through every single obstacle, but she and Tuff Twister made it look effortless. She finished the obstacles with over 15 minutes to spare – a feat that was not matched by any other competitor. 

“She smoked it,” Elisa said in an interview with Horse Illustrated. “I’m totally blessed to have that horse and she was a very good girl.” 

Up next was Ryan Rose with his filly Desire Some Cash. She was clearly a bit overwhelmed with the rail work, but showed great bravery with the obstacles. They ended up crossing the final obstacle, a bridge where the rider had to pull a sword from a rock, with mere seconds remaining. 

Tiffany McLaury was up next with her hunk of a filly, Sunny Lucky Cat. She was the perfect example of true horsewoman, taking the time to work her filly through the overwhelming environment and opting to tackle some of the obstacles in-hand instead. 

Finally, Nick Dowers and his filly Nasty Tea Pot took the stage. Dowers also had a wonderful ride, getting through almost every single obstacle – there were a few sticky points where he opted to go around. But he did attempt every obstacle and made it over the last bridge with plenty of time to spare. 

The 2026 Road to the Horse Champion

The entire weekend had come down to this one moment – who will be crowned the 2026 Road to the Horse Champion? Would it be Wild Card Champion Tiffany McLaury, who held first in the first round? Or Nick Dowers, who won the second? Ryan Rose had the most consistent scoring, but Elisa Wallace had a flawless run through the obstacles. 

In the end, with a score of 1099, Nick Dowers took the title, winning the Road to the Horse for the third time. He was a strong competitor the entire weekend and it paid off big time by the finale. 

Elisa made up a huge number of points in round 3, earning herself a Reserve Champion title. Wallace also chose to bring her filly, affectionately named Windy, home with her to Florida – we’re looking forward to seeing this pair continue in their training together! 

Another Road to the Horse has come and gone. This event never fails to be the most emotional, nerve-wracking, and entertaining event of the year. We’re looking forward to the 2027 event and seeing who will be invited to compete for the chance to be the next Road to the Horse World Champion.