Road to the Horse

Craig Cameron of Bluff Dale, TX was crowned the 2010 World Champion of Colt-Starting in Murfreesboro, TN March 7, 2010. Richard Winters, Cameron and Ken McNabb competed for the coveted title in a display of supreme horsemanship and at the end of the day, Cameron, known as the original cowboy clinician, came out the winner of the seven year old event which gives three top clinicians a little over three hours over two days to gentle three unbroken colts using their own styles of natural horsemanship.

When clinicians were allowed to pick their horses on Saturday, Cameron surprised everyone by picking a small 2007 AQHA palomino gelding, WR Shining Alamo.

“He was the little ragamuffin of the remuda, but he was low-headed, curious and brave and I was lucky to have him. I didn’t think the first day he was such a good choice in the first half hour, but in the end, he made me use all of my skills and gave me a lot,” said Cameron.

In announcing the winner, Darrell Dodds publisher of Western Horseman (who is a presenting sponsor of the event), joked that as in so many things, at Road to the Horse, the third time was the charm. Cameron, who has competed at Road to the Horse twice before says his victory couldn’t taste any sweeter.

“Every time I’ve competed at Road to the Horse, I’ve left a piece of my heart in the arena. Now I’m getting a little bit of that back. I truly believe winning Road to the Horse is going to change my life. I am 61 years old and now I am a world champion and no-one can ever take that away from me. This may be the best day of my life,” said Cameron.

Road to the Horse producer Tootie Bland said that Cameron’s win carried special meaning for her. “Craig and my late husband Steven were very close and it would just mean the world to him to see Craig win this,” she said tearfully.

The colts gave nothing for free and all three clinicians experienced road blocks along the way, but each competitor said they were pleased with the heart and effort their colts put forth.

Cameron and his colt, who he had nicknamed Troubadour after his favorite George Strait song entered the obstacle course with the goal to “make a little music together”. The pair accomplished that goal in spades. As the equine champion of the 2010 event, this AQHA registered colt received The Traveler award from the American Quarter Horse Association, honoring his willing nature.

The second to choose his colt after Cameron, McNabb chose a gray colt WR Turning Diamonds, which he would later nickname Jerry on the suggestion of a fan. “A lady walked up to me and said you need to name that colt Jericho, because he’s going to see the light in the end,” said McNabb, chuckling. Though the colt was nervous and had head-shyness issues, McNabb was pleased with his progress enough to purchase the colt and said he will use him for ranch work and travel with him over the next year and then sell him at the annual Diamond-McNabb 2011 ranch gelding sale in Douglas, WY.

Winters chose a sorrel colt, WR Shiners Flashback. In a surprise move, Winters’ wife bought the gelding for him during the second round pen session – ironically right before the colt started a two-lap-around-the-round-pen bucking spree, which Winters quickly brought under control.

Though all the horses made slow progress on day one, the clinicians made progress with their colts in leaps and bounds in round two on Sunday and it was clear going into the freestyle competition the race would be close.

Each competitor showcased their colt adeptly through the required rail work and obstacle course. Adding to the “you-never-know-what-they’ll-come-up-with-next” nature of the event, the clinicians had to navigate a surprise obstacle which turned out to be a person sitting in a chair wearing a gorilla costume. Surprisingly, all three colts felt pretty comfortable with the fake ape and breezed through the unusual obstacle without drama.

After completing the required rail work and obstacles, each clinician had time to present a freestyle that they felt best encompassed their colt’s unique talents and accomplishments over the two short days. Cameron rode to his colt’s namesake song, and at one point purposefully dropped the reins at a canter and did his own king of the world move horseback with arms outstretched. McNabb emphasized their colt’s ability to move out in the large arena – hitting a dead run with his colt and bringing him back calmly at the end. Winters once again tracked a calf during his freestyle to, as he said “to give his horse a job”.

Jody Wood, owner of Wood Ranch in Heber Springs, Arkansas said he was honored to have provided the remuda for the second time and that he was pleased with how all three clinicians worked with the horses. Likewise, the clinicians were ebullient in their praise for the job Wood and the AQHA had done in providing the remuda.

“Mr. Wood really has something to be proud of. These are feely horses that can move out and do a job,” said McNabb.

Judging the event for themselves the first time at the 2010 event, Road to the Horse fans had the opportunity to cast their vote for who they thought should win the event. Combined with the expert opinion of judges Jack Brainard, Toni Warvell, Marian Buehler, James Gholson and Eitan Beth-Halachmy, the text message votes compiled from attendees determined Cameron as the 2010 champion.

Besides the coveted title of Road to the Horse 2010 Champion, Cameron received a check for $10,000 from Road to the Horse producer Tootie Bland, a memorial Steven “Dookie” Bland trophy saddle provided by Martin Saddlery featuring conchos by Gist Silversmiths, a handcrafted Road to the Horse buckle by Gist Silversmiths, a CSI saddle pad, and an original “Blue Horse” painting by artist Henry Patton which was featured as the cover image of the event’s souvenir program.

In the end however, aside from the title, prizes and attention, Cameron was quick to say that all of the men were leaving the event with strong bonds, not only with the horses, but also with the fans and one another.
“You won’t find a bigger gentleman that Richard Winters and you won’t find someone with a bigger heart than Ken McNabb. They impressed me with not only their horsemanship but also their demeanor. I would do anything for these guys and will always be close to them, it’s a cowboy brotherhood that we’ll always carry with us,” said Cameron.

Day one is complete, but as Road to the Horse host Rick Lamb said in 2009, “Day two can change everything”.

The day began with demos in the morning, followed by the opening ceremonies. During the open ceremonies, the future generation of Road to the Horse (Tootie Bland’s family along with Ken McNabb’s sons Kurt and Trent and Boss Wrangler Adam Tarpley’s wife, Shortie)  presenting the flags while Mary Ann Kennedy sang the national anthem.

Tootie Bland walked into the arena with canine movie-star Benji presenting Lamb with a box of Wheaties Fuel, the 2010 Road to the Horse Jumbo-Tron Sponsor.

Then came a paramount surprise for an eight-year-old Western Wishes child named Darcee Murphy. Darcee suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis and her wish was to attend Road to the Horse. Not only did Road to the Horse fulfill her wish, but Tootie Bland presented her with a bright pink halter. The ultimate surprise for Murphy was the gift of “Sonny”, a quarter horse gelding that was donated by a couple in Tyler, Texas.

The 2010 competitors were then formally introduced with brief freestyle performances.

Richard’s performance displayed an awe-inspiring reining demonstration with his daughter (and pen wrangler) Sarah.

Craig’s performance featured high speed maneuvers including a “look mom, no hands” spin and lateral movement across the entire width of the arena.

Last, Ken’s heart-felt performance began with his sons, Kurt and Trent, playing in the arena dirt while Ken rode to the song “Seeing My Father In Me” and closed with his own father joining them while the three generations walked out of the arena hand-in-hand.

The boss wrangler then introduced the 2010 remuda, provided by Wood Ranch. Poker chips were then thrown into a hat and the clincians drew numbers for what order to choose their colts for the competition.

Craig Cameron drew the lowest number chip, determining him the first clinician to choose his colt. Cameron chose colt #10, WR Shining Alamo, a 2007 palomino by Shining King Cody out of Alamosa Annie.

Choosing his colt second, Ken McNabb chose #9, WR Turning Diamonds, a 2007 gray gelding by Blue Diamond Hancock out of Turning Commander.

Lastly, Richard Winters chose #1, WR Shiner Flashback, a 2007 sorrel gelding by Shining King Cody by Flashy Flashback.

After a super speedy round pen setup in which Tootie lost a bet that the three pens could not be constructed within ten minutes, the first training session began.

Each clincian worked diligently as they gained their horse’s trust and accomplished as much as possible within the allotted time.

The day ended with the crowd full of energy and each fan debating on who they thought would win the 2010 World Championship of Colt-Starting.

February 9, 2010 – (Amarillo, TX) The American Quarter Horse Association, the official sponsor of the Road to the Horse Remuda, announced today its development of a special perpetual award which will be presented at the World Championship of Colt-Starting. “The AQHA Traveler Award” will be presented to the winning clinician’s horse at the event in Murfreesboro, TN on March 6-7, 2010 and recognizes the aptitude and flexibility of the American Quarter Horse as exemplified at the one-of-a-kind event.

“AQHA is excited to award the top horse at Road to the Horse with ‘The Traveler’ award,” says Don Treadway, AQHA executive vice president. “Named after one of the Quarter Horse breed’s foundation sires, The Traveler [award] recognizes the confirmation, athleticism, gentleness and willing attitude of the American Quarter Horse to excel in any arena. Road to the Horse is a fitting place for The Traveler to be awarded in recognition of the horse that is a ready partner for the winning clinician.

The award is named for the foundation sire known as Traveler. After a successful career as a race horse in Texas, Traveler began producing quality foals with good dispositions, conformation and speed. Traveler made his greatest impact on the breed when he sired Little Joe, Texas Chief and Possum (King). Passing away in 1912, it was estimated that he was 32 years old when he died. Traveler was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1994.

Since it’s inception, Road to the Horse has used American Quarter Horses to educate and entertain horse owners nationwide. Because Road to the Horse advocates the incredible abilities of Quarter Horses, joining forces with the American Quarter Horse Association was a natural fit.

In addition to presenting the Traveler Award each year, the AQHA will assist with the evaluation and selection of the Road to the Horse remuda prior to each event. With the combined efforts of Road to the Horse and the AQHA, one ranch will be chosen to provide ten colts for the remuda each year. These colts will all be born within a few months of each other and will be of similar, well-respected bloodlines. As the world’s largest equine breed registry and member organization, the AQHA has the resources to select the highest quality remuda possible for Road to the Horse.

“I can remember as a little kid sitting on my grandfathers couch thumbing through the well read Quarter Horse Journal. I would have never expected that I would have this incredible opportunity to have the privilege of working with the AQHA and the presentation of the “Traveler Award”. The partnership of the AQHA and Road to the Horse is a perfect fit in both our endeavors to recognize the positive impact of the American Quarter Horse, not only in my life but in all our lives.

The Warvell Family - based in Weatherford, Texas has performed in almost every major American city, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan, Brazil, England, Singapore and even Kuwait. Their spectacular acts have been the highlight of PRCA Rodeos, Fairs and Wild West Shows.

Jim and Jan Warvell along with daughters Toni and Sonna, kept audiences thrilled with acts featuring Roman Riding, Trick Riding, Trick Roping, Comedy Routines and Dancing Horses. One of the most spectacular acts featured Jan riding a beautiful white horse at liberty without a bridle or saddle. Trained by Jim Warvell, ‘White Feather’ and Jan would jump a white Convertible car in the arena in front of a spellbound audience.

Today, 2009, finds the Warvells still active in the horse business. Jim and Jan are owners and trainers of race horses, Toni is active in cutting, training and judging Equine events and since the 1992 Euro Disney opening, Sonna has had the starring role as ‘Annie Oakley’ in ‘Le Legende de Buffalo Bill’, Disney’s largest dinner show located in Paris, France.