Scenes from 2015 Road to the Horse

The 2015 edition of Road to the Horse, dubbed “The World Championship of Colt Starting” is now in the books, and there was no upset this year. With his 2015 win, clinician Chris Cox maintained his undefeated status added a fourth title to his record after previous wins in 2007, 2008 and 2011.

For the uninitiated, Road to the Horse is a unique, invitational competition in which trainers work with an unhandled colt over the course of three days in front of an enthusiastic audience and a panel of judges. Competitors are given scores during each training session in the roundpen during the week. On the final day, each trainer has 45 minutes to demonstrate what his colt has learned. Competitors show basic skills including walk, trot and canter in both directions, stop, back and lead.

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With any time remaining in the final round, the horse-and-rider teams tackle an obstacle course that would test the abilities of many finished horses. Obstacles include crossing a tarp, clearing small jumps, standing while the rider swings a rope, walking through a gate and more.

2014 champion Jimmy Anderson of Canada returned this year along with American Trevor Carter. Carter was this year’s Wild Card champion, earning a spot in the competition through his achievements over the past year with a colt he brought home from the 2014 RTTH.

In an unexpected twist, this year’s three competitors each selected two horses for this year’s competition, meaning judges would have the opportunity to see how the trainers adapted their techniques to different personality types.

Highlights from the event are scheduled for broadcast on RFD-TV on Wednesday, April 1 at 9:30 p.m.

Jimmy Anderson

Trevor Carter

Chris Cox

9 years ago

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View Comments

Ruth says:
March 30, 2015 at 11:05 am
wish someone would post the complete scores
loved watching the show but did not write down the scores and would love to be able to review them
Sherry says:
March 30, 2015 at 11:26 am
Great takes from a fabulous competition. Challenges and Triumphs all weekend long. Thank you for sharing some of the highlights with those horsemen that were not able to attend.
terry says:
March 30, 2015 at 4:05 pm
cool, thanks for posting pics! so wish I was there!
Laurie says:
March 30, 2015 at 4:08 pm
Did they get half the usual time with each horse since they had to work two? Never saw that explained....
Robin says:
March 30, 2015 at 5:04 pm
They posted scores on their facebook page. They might have more detailed info on their website.
Ellen says:
March 31, 2015 at 5:50 am
Thanks for letting me know about the broadcast! I've always wanted to see this live. Someday...
Kylie says:
March 31, 2015 at 10:12 pm
Awesome!
Norma & Bob says:
April 3, 2015 at 5:53 am
Way to Go Chris Cox!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your Tops in our Book. May God Bless you each and everyday.
Galadriel says:
April 3, 2015 at 11:55 pm
So cool!
Karen says:
April 7, 2015 at 7:53 am
This is a great article that more people should read!! I see pastures overeaten everyday and it really makes me sad. It is hard on the ground, hard on the grasses and hard on the horses! Horses eat what is available and it is our responsibility to provide good pasture- even if it means the horses have to stay in a dry lot and eat bales grass! Come on people! Get it together!! Once you start rotating pastures and using the dry lots everyone will be happier!