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Road to the Horse Director of Operations Tammy Sronce conducts a brief colt starting Q&A with Craig and Cole Cameron of Craig & Cole Cameron Ride Smart Horsemanship based at the Double Horn Ranch in Bluff Dale, TX. Cole Cameron will compete as a Championship Competitor at Road to the Horse 2022, which will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY on March 24 – 27, 2022.

RTTH: What is the most important fundamental principle a colt must learn under saddle?

Craig Cameron: I always say that one of the most important things you want to teach any horse any day, but especially a young horse, is – take the fear out of that horse. You know, you’re not going to do a good job if he’s afraid or if he’s scared. To me, you know, I’m not trying to take his instinct of survival away. I just want him to figure out he doesn’t need to use it. In other words, he might have to get scared to realize he doesn’t need to be scared – you know, just like he might need to buck to realize he doesn’t need to buck. So, once we get that brace, that fear, out of that horse, shoot, pretty soon, they’re just working with you, and not against us.

RTTH: Cole, how many rides do you put on a colt in the round pen before you open the gate?

Cole Cameron: Lately, it’s been about one, and actually lately, I’ve even been starting some in the arena.  So, it just depends on the horse, but then, there’s some where we could spend a week in the round pen. And, I’d say my most important thing under saddle with a colt is getting them to go forward.

Craig Cameron:  Control forward movement – that’s exactly right, and I think he’s correct on that other answer. Every horse is an individual, so some horses you feel like you could ride out right away and others just like you say, geez, you might think that he’s  not quite ready for a week or so, so we keep listening to the horse.

Check the Road to the Horse Training and Horsemanship Archives every Tuesday for a new “Training Tips Tuesday” post, and search the archives for training tips and horsemanship wisdom imparted by industry experts. 

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Colt starters mount horses the incorrect way when they grab the cantle, placing a lot of weight on the back of the horse as they shift their weight into the saddle and swing their leg over the horse.

Riders who grab the cantle when mounting a young horse place themselves in danger. Judge Williams strongly advises colt starters to mount young horses while standing by the shoulder of the horse.

“We always want them to step up on the shoulder here – even if they have to turn the stirrup facing the horse,” Judge Williams explained. “We don’t ever want them to grab the cantle.”

Mounting a colt from a position at the shoulder keeps a rider out of danger from the colt’s hind legs and allows for the rider’s weight to be evenly distributed. Grabbing the cantle while mounting a colt is not only dangerous, but allows for an uneven distribution of the rider’s weight, pulling the colt off balance. 

The rider should dismount in the same way so that they end up in the positon that they started the process in, which is at the front of the horse by the shoulder.

Photo: Jeff Williams instructs Beau Rees (from Casper College) how to safely mount a young horse for the first time

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