Wayne Peebles Memorial Colt Starting

Starting a Colt Right

 I began my colt starting career in 2001 in Aztec, New Mexico. In my first year, I bought an 'Oh To Go ' filly and put 45 days on her before the Ken Beck show and sale in Ignacio, Colorado. She sold, and I picked up McEntire Quarterhorses along with Bedford Quarterhorses.

 Two top Breeders in the area. By my third year attending the sale, I became the most recommended colt starter at the event. . In my career, I have started over 200 Colts in ranch, cutting, roping, trail... I build horses on trust and feel. Building confidence in the horse along with purpose. 

 My experience with horses started when I was a teenager in Montana on our family ranch. I have trained and started horse ever since and enjoy learning from each horse I start. Gary Erickson from Salmon, Idaho taught me how to start colts and since that instruction I have watched countless videos of Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman, Les Voight, Monte Roberts and many others. My technic mirrors that of Monte Roberts because I do not like to scare a colt when I start it. Starting a colt is like teaching someone to speak a new language. Communication is the key to good colt starting. Becoming the colts friend and leader is how you be successful in helping the colt to understand what you are asking it to accomplish. Time and patience goes a long ways in making a well trained horse. One percent improvement per day and in 100 days you have a trained horse. I enjoy being kind and gentle with a colt and allow it to progress at it's own pace. Todays well bred horses are smart and easy to train if given the correct start. 

 Ninja Performance Horses  

 We have a rather unique start to finish program. With a herd of roughly 25 brood mares, I have taken babies from insemination all the way to finished performance horses. I'm a NRCHA and NRHA money earner. My wife Taryn is a very accomplished 4* and grand prix rider and trainer. She takes all our warmblood babies, that I start, and shows them very successfully in their respective show jumping or eventing discipline. I had great opportunities to cultivate my love for the horses that began all the way back doing pee-wee barrel races. That grew to calf roping, team roping (heeling) and riding bucking horses. In my 20's I rode for some very large, well known ranching operations in Oregon, California, Nevada, and Nebraska. My colt starting program is necessity based. With a horse first, task oriented approach, my colts are ultra user friendly, to be able to go on to whatever their future job will be. 

 I was raised in a family that has had many generations of training draft horses for pulling competitions and always had a few good broke farm saddle horses around, I have always been fascinated with how much a horse is willing to do and how much effort they will put in if they enjoy what they are doing, I keep that my main focus when working with horses is keeping them interested and engaged, I do not like to think of it as training but more so pattern recognition to gain confidence. I began working with colts when I was 13 when I thought I had something to teach them and over the next 25 years I discovered it was the other way around and that they had something to teach me. My family and I have  competed all over at some of the biggest events in the country. I have won a few colt starting competitions  and enjoy competition side of them as a way to push my self to learn more because if you have the fundamentals and correct communication with the horse it doesn’t matter what the environment is, you and the horse enter a different state where everything else around just becomes the background to your dance 

Mason Duncan was raised in the Uintah Basin of northeastern Utah he now

resides in Texas. He is a sixth-generation horseman, colt starter and cowboy with

a foundation in ranching, breeding, raising, and training horses. Over the course

of his life, he has started more than 700 young horses and helped riders achieve

success at both regional and national championship levels. He has shared his

expertise through horsemanship clinics across the Intermountain West and

served as a judge for the 2017 Colt Starting USA World Championship.

In addition to his horsemanship work, Mason is an accomplished auctioneer,

announcer, and educator. He is widely respected for his ability to bridge the

communication gap between horses and riders, helping both develop greater

clarity, confidence, and trust in their partnership.

Mason is honored to be part of the Teton Horse Experience.

 Grew up on a horse ranch, and I intend to die a horseman on my own ranch. With a family that owns 150 horses, I’ve seen so many different styles of training and eventually went, and branched out to riding Reiners with level 4 open champions from the NRHA. I believe a horse should enjoy that job as much as we do and always find the release when presenting an honest try. 

Mary Kitzmiller is a professional horse trainer specializing in mustangs, colt starting, and performance horses. She has worked with top professionals across the industry and is known for her thoughtful, horse-centered approach that blends positive reinforcement with practical horsemanship. Mary was selected as a Wild Card Competitor for the prestigious Road to the Horse competition in 2014 and 2015. She went on to train her mustang, Remington, to the finals of the Extreme Mustang Makeover, and today competes successfully in ranch horse events. Through her work, Mary is dedicated to developing willing, confident horses while helping riders build a deeper understanding of their partners.

Never say never" are words I've learned should never come out of my mouth.

Growing up on a farm and ranch, competing in local horse events, and surviving some life altering horse wrecks has taken me on a journey I never expected. If life were a documentary, there would be plenty of chapters filled with life's ups and downs

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Today, I'm a woman in my 40s living with severe PTSD from horseback accidents. For years, fear stole the joy I once found in riding. Over the last several years, I've been rediscovering the horse girl I thought I'd lost, rebuilding my confidence one ride at a time, and learning something I never imagined would be so difficult: how to simply breathe while sitting in the saddle.

Colt starting was never part of my plan. Why would it be? I had Wayne!

 Last summer, I had the privilege of watching my then 11 year old son start his very first colt under Wayne's mentorship. Seeing my son accomplish something I never thought I would attempt was both inspiring and humbling. My son kept encouraging me that one day I needed to start my own colt. . At the time, all I could say was, "Maybe someday."

This is that someday.

Stepping into this competition is far outside my comfort zone. I have never started a colt before, and there are moments when fear still whispers in my ear. But I've learned that life gives us a choice: we can become bitter, or we can become better. I'm choosing better. I'm choosing to learn new skills, face my fears, and fulfill one of Wayne last wishes.

This competition isn't just about starting a colt. It's about proving to myself that fear doesn't get the final say.

To every horsewoman carrying the weight of past wrecks, PTSD, or the reality that we don't bounce like we did in our 20s, this ride is for you. I hope my journey reminds you that healing isn't about becoming fearless. It's about finding the courage to do scary things anyway, even when people are watching.

Here's to the encouragement of my son, a little push from Wayne, and the courage to say "yes" to something I never thought I'd do. I'm here learning how to start colts, honoring a promise, and proving that it's never too late to become the horsewoman you were always meant to be.

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Hi, I'm Trent Price from Whitehall, Montana. I grew up helping my parents at Diamond P Mules, where I've spent the past several years working alongside my dad starting both horse and mule colts. With his guidance, I've also had the opportunity to start several of my own horses and mules, building my confidence and horsemanship along the way.

I've been fortunate to sell some of the mules I've trained through the Chrome in the Canyon Premier Mule Sale, and I enjoy continuing to learn with every colt I work.