Road to the Horse is an exciting, unique colt-starting event, dedicated to changing people’s ideas and creating a better world for the horse. From March 27-30, 2025, in the prestigious Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., spectators got to watch some of the world’s finest colt starters compete for a world championship title and over $100,000 in prizes. This year’s competition boasted competitors from the United States, Argentina, Canada, and New Zealand, and showcased a wide range of horsemanship types and styles. 

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 filly from the remuda provided by the Pitchfork Ranch. They are then given two days to work with their respective fillies, 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 colt, split up into three days.  

The Wild Card Competition

This year’s Wild Card competitors were Joseph Bentz of the United States, Dustin Sippola of Canada, Cristobal Scarpati of Argentina, and Buster McLaury of the United States. After choosing their Pitchfork Ranch fillies, they got right to work on round 1.  

From the start, the Wild Card competition was going to be a close one. Sippola led the competition after the first session with a score of 256.5, with McLaury a close second with a score of 253, and Bentz right behind him with a 246.5. Scarpati trailed behind with a score of 159.5.  

In round 2, McLaury pulled ahead with a score of 276, in front of Bentz with a score of 256. Sippola was just barely behind with a 255, and Scarpati finished up with a score of 174. Round 3 was no less exciting; Sippola took the round with a score of 382, Bentz was just behind with a score of 379.5, and McLaury was just behind them with a score of 368. Scarpati took home a score of 70 after a tough last session with his filly. 

After the conclusion of round 3, the scores were tallied up and the results were in. Buster McLaury clinched the Wild Card competition with a total score of 897 and would move on to the Championship Competition. Dustin Sippola took second place with a score of 893.5, Joseph Bentz took third with a score of 882, and Cristobal Scarpati was fourth with a score of 403.5. 

“I was so impressed by the Wild Card competitors,” said Road to the Horse judge Jesse Westfall. “The Wild Card Competition was excellent. It was so close. We honestly did not know who was going to win.” 

Horse Illustrated had the wonderful opportunity to interview Cristobal Scarpati after the conclusion of the Wild Card Competition. “It was a whole new experience for me,” he said. “I came here very confident. I was very encouraged to come here and do my best and share with the audience what I do, my philosophy, my method, everything.” 

Scarpati found out very quickly that his filly would be a challenge, and he struggled a bit with changing his game plan to something totally different. However, in the spirit of Road to the Horse, he found a way to put her first. “The philosophy of this event is doing the best for the horse. I tried to get the goals for every session, but I tried to put her first overall. I am not struggling with any guilt because I did my best and I tried my hardest to make it easier for her. Everything I did aligned with who I am, and that is why I am so happy. I didn’t win anything, but I met so many great friends and the feedback from the audience was very generous and beautiful.” 

View our full interview with Scarpati below.

The Championship Competition

Following the conclusion of the Wild Card Competition, the incredible opening ceremonies took place. The audience was treated to impressive performances by Luke Gingerich, Dan James, Broken Spoke Clydesdales, the Wranglers Drill Team, and many other incredible talents. 

Now, it was time to meet our competitors and horses. Vicki Wilson was first up. A New Zealand native, Wilson is a heavily decorated show jumper who has won Road to the Horse twice—in 2017 and 2018. Her holistic training approach focuses on horses’ mental and physical wellbeing, as well as providing them with proper education and instilling a love for their job. After meeting the Pitchfork Ranch remuda, Wilson decided to work with #9, Lil Smart Cattack, a gorgeous red roan. 

Next up was Tik Maynard, a Canadian eventer who found great success in the 2024 Road to the Horse competition, taking home the Championship title. He has a huge focus on educating others, teaching clinics, writing books, joining podcasts, and even becoming an instructor for The Horseman’s University and NOËLLE FLOYD Equestrian Masterclass. Maynard decided to choose #5, a stunning buckskin named Goodluck Suncat. 

Finally, we met our third competitor, Phil Haugen, a classic All-American cowboy from the mountains of North Dakota. He successfully competed in calf roping, team roping, and saddle bronc riding for 20 years, and in 2021 was inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. Haugen’s training methods focus deeply on meaningful communication with the horse and allowing them time to think through situations and understand what is being asked. This was his first time at Road to the Horse, and he chose the lovely #8, Starrin Miss Bamacat, to be his colt. 

Buster McLaury, who joined the Championship Competition after his win in the Wild Card, decided to work with #7, a flashy red roan named Sugar Cattack. 

Round 1 started soon after the competitors chose their horses. McLaury very quickly got his horse haltered and began working with him off of his saddle horse. Wilson wasn’t too far behind, and opted to work on giving in to pressure from the ground. It was clear that Haugen had quite a sensitive horse, so he opted to slow down a bit and work through those issues in a thoughtful manner. 

By the end of round 1, everyone had saddled their horses and had an overall good day. Wilson took the lead with 265. She had several lovely moments with her colt, including some incredible cantering. Overall, her colt seemed to be the most in-tune with what was happening, and that definitely reflected in her score. McLaury took a close second with 262.5 points, with Maynard in third with 258.5 points, and Haugen bringing up the rear with a score of 191. 

Round 2 brought success to every competitor. Each horseman got the opportunity to ride outside of their round pen and felt confident enough to do so. Everyone also took the time to begin introducing their colts to obstacles and scarier items they had probably never seen before, such as a tarp and a ball. Phil’s colt seemed to have a much easier time this round and ended up bringing in a score of 206.5. Buster stayed very consistent and brought in a score of 260, with Vicki trailing behind with a score of 200.5. Tik blew away the competition and brought in a very impressive score of 275. 

In round 3, competitors individually worked with their horses in the round pen, on the rail, and through an obstacle course. As the lowest scorer, Phil Haugen went first. He remarked about how good the horse had been, especially considering the huge environment they were competing in. His horse laid down some lovely rail work and showed impressive confidence through the obstacles. Haugen was able to have fun with this last round and even showed off with an expressive victory lap that riled up the audience. 

Wilson went next. After a good start in the round pen, her colt was a superstar through the obstacles, tackling the tarp, jumps, and pool noodles with ease. He was able to show off his personality a bit, as he got very playful with many of the obstacles. As with most of the colts, there were a few moments of being overwhelmed with the environment, but he recovered quickly, and they were a very entertaining pair to watch. 

Next up, we had our Wild Card winner, McLaury. His colt had a bit of sass in the round pen that he handled well. He also had a great rail work section, maneuvering each requirement with relative ease. His colt handled the first few obstacles confidently, but got a bit insecure with the tarp, pool noodles, and rope. Overall, he had a wonderful round. 

Finally, we had the 2024 champ, Tik Maynard. He had a great round pen session, as his horse was clearly very relaxed and receiving his trainer’s input well. His rail work went equally well, with some very expressive canter from his colt. He had a few anxious moments with the obstacles, including the tarp and pool noodles, but overall navigated the course well. For his finale, Maynard stood on top of his horse while the crowd went wild — the most perfect ending to a wonderful competition. 

Final Scores

After an exceptionally exciting weekend, it was time to learn the scores. For round 3, Phil Haugen scored a 484.5, bringing his final score up to 882. Vicki Wilson scored a 507.5, leaving her with a final score of 973. Buster McLaury brought home a score of 487.5, bumping his final score up to 1010. However, nobody could touch Tik Maynard after he scored an impressive 538.5, making his final score 1072. For the second year in a row, Tik Maynard was crowned the Road to the Horse World Champion. 

The 2025 Road to the Horse Competition was nothing short of exciting, educational, and inspiring. People from all over joined together to celebrate these trainers, horses, and the spirit of horsemanship. One thing is for certain — we can’t wait to see who will get to compete next year. 

This article about Road to the Horse 2025 is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe! 

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But in 2024, Maynard was in for a surprise.

“It was the most stressful thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Maynard says.

As a first-time competitor, he competed in—and won—2024 Road to the Horse, the World Championship of Colt Starting. His partner was an American Quarter Horse gelding named TomCatt.

“There were moments when I didn’t know if I would get through it. I learned a lot about myself and what I can handle,” Maynard says.

Although feeling the crushing weight of stress, Maynard realized it would be detrimental to pass it on to TomCatt.

“I had things I wanted to accomplish and goals, but I didn’t let my horse feel that. I had to be very present in the moment and process-oriented so that I could always go at the speed he needed to go,” Maynard says. “It made me think about the importance of the process and not getting caught up in the goals. You can have goals, but you have to leave them behind once you are working with the horse.”

And Maynard is ready to do it all over again—with a new colt and up against new competitors at the 2025 Road to the Horse, which will take place March 27-30, 2025 in Lexington, Ky.

Growing Up With Horses

Maynard’s love of horses started early and was nurtured by his father, Rick, a Grand Prix show jumper, and his mother, Jennifer, a Grand Prix dressage rider and judge.

“My parents both rode,” Maynard says. “It was instilled in us at a young age what a privilege it was to have horses in our lives. When I was young, what I loved most was the sport—mounted games, show jumping, and eventing. But I never thought I would do it as a career. The turning point was in my mid-twenties. I discovered the world of horsemanship and horse psychology. That was when I started to think of it as a mental thing and not just physical.”

Maynard still enjoyed the excitement of jumping, but realized that delving into the psychology of horses could “become something I could do for the rest of my life. It’s like a puzzle you’re trying to work on and get better.”

Maynard spent years as a working student, learning from Olympians, prominent equestrians, and trainers. He observed what is needed to transform a good trainer into a great trainer, particularly the ability to be an effective, compassionate communicator.

“I think you have to be a good person to be a good trainer,” Maynard says. “Some people are good with horses, but you see them with people, and they are rude. It matters how you interact with people. If a person lacks emotional balance and maturity, I don’t think they have that inner thing that will eventually make them a great horse person or trainer.”

Understanding Horses

Everyone has a different take on what natural horsemanship is.

“Depending on who I’m talking to, I might say natural horsemanship, or horse psychology, or groundwork. It’s how you interact with the horse. For me, that involves trying to work with the horse in a way that is natural for the horse, how they learn and play… Trying to bring out behaviors that a horse does naturally in the wild,” Maynard says.

When it comes to groundwork, Maynard explains, “I do groundwork with every horse I work with, and most of what I do with horses is working on myself. But everyone has a different relationship with their horse. Some want to be a mentor and teacher, a passive leader or a dominant leader; others look for a codependent relationship with their horse. While I think a few of those ways might be unhealthy, I think a lot of those could be good. Depending on which of those things you are looking for, groundwork may not be essential in every situation, but it can help you learn more about yourself and your goals. We all need a little less guilt, a little less judgment, and a little more gratitude.”

Maynard is often asked to help a “spooky” horse.

“Spooky and anxious are quite different things when you think about the horse,” Maynard says. “Spooky can be sharp, in the moment, and then it ends. Rather than acute, an anxious horse is more of a chronic thing. A chronically anxious horse can turn into a physical thing. Horses have evolved to deal quite well with a spook or mild spurt of adversity but do not do well with chronic stress, so I look at the whole horse.

“I think the number one thing that causes a horse stress is confusion. In training, when you have a flag or a stick, it’s not usually one of those items in isolation that causes the horse stress; it’s the not understanding what those things mean. Communicate with your horse. When your horse does something, like get on a trailer or do liberty, see that the horse has the look of understanding in their eye and not that they are just moving around out of stress. There are various ways to get there. Encourage curiosity—curiosity is a great bridge to confidence. Every horse is curious about things. Allow, encourage, and direct that curiosity, and the horse will get less and less spooky. If your horse is scared of the dark corner of the indoor arena, put some cookies on a barrel over there, and every once in a while, give your horse a break and go over and give him a cookie off the barrel. Over time, he will be more curious, relaxed, and associate good things with what he previously spooked at.”

How Tik and Sinead Maynard Work as a Team

Since 2008, Maynard has focused on training horses full-time. In 2016, he and his wife, Sinead—a highly respected eventing rider—merged their equine businesses into Copperline Equestrian in Citra, Fla., and together they are raising their two young children.

Maynard explains what he appreciates most about working with his wife as a partner in a multi-faceted horse business.

“When it comes to the emotional, financial, and time output, if you don’t have a spouse that gets it, that can be stressful to a marriage,” Maynard says. “You need someone who understands that you might have to call off a vacation because you have to go to a horse show. We are both really supportive of each other’s careers. At the end of the day, you can talk about the stuff you’re going through with a horse, bounce ideas off of each other. Sometimes we ride or do demos with each other’s horses; my weaknesses might be my wife’s strengths or vice versa, so it works well for us.

And when I’m at home with my wife and 2-year-old and 6-year-old, I see the need to be fully immersed in the present. If I’m distracted by my phone, then I’m not paying attention to them; I need to be present.”

Learn from Tik Maynard

A gifted communicator, Maynard loves sharing his deep understanding of horses. He is an online instructor for The Horseman’s University and a NOËLLE FLOYD Equestrian Masterclass Instructor. He is the author of the bestselling memoir In the Middle Are the Horseman (published by Trafalgar Square Books) and the highly-anticipated follow-up Starting in the Middle (coming March 2025).

This article about Tik Maynard is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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