2025 Road to the Horse

By Shawn Hamilton

Dustin Sippola, a rancher from Cardston, Alberta put in an exceptional effort in the Wild Card Challenge on his first experience with Road to the Horse (RTTH), but ended just shy of a competitor’s spot, losing to Buster McLaury of Texas who went on to finish second overall. The other competitors in the Wild Card Challenge were Joseph Bentz of Oregon and Cristobal Scarpati of Argentina.

Sippola was introduced to horses at the age of six by his neighbour, Sid Cook, and started to help train colts by the time he was ten years old.

“He just started putting me on horses; he looked after me that way,” Sippola explained. Over the years he has worked at many ranches from the Saskatchewan prairies to the mountains of BC, including the historic Gang Ranch. 

About his first experience at RTTH, which took place March 27-30 at the Alltech Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, Sippola said: “It is nice, everyone is here to support everyone else. No one is here to undo anyone’s cinches.”

During the Wild Card Challenge competition Sippola took his time with his filly. “Little things can make a big difference,” he told the crowd during his final round. “Do a little bit and quit.”

In the beginning of the final round, before saddling his filly, Sippola felt her muscles with the flag end of his stick.

“If it bounces back, it is tight,” he told the crowd. He then proceeded to use the stick end of the flag to move areas in a circular motion until they softened. “If she is tight now, she will be even tighter when the saddle goes on.”

When asked what advice he would like to share with fellow Canadians, he replied, “Don’t get stuck on just one trainer. Once you find one you learn best from, try to find others who train in a similar way. Everybody learns differently and sometimes it is just the way someone explains something.”

Sippola continues to offer colt starting and horsemanship clinics. For more information, visit Sippola Colt Starting at Sippola Colt Starting.

Related: Another Win for Tik Maynard at Road to the Horse

Related: FAQ for Road to the Horse Rookies

More by Shawn Hamilton

Photos by Clix Photography

Main Photo: Dustin Sippola in the Wild Card final round.