Colt Challenge and Sale set for April 6-7 at UM Western

Press release

DILLON - The University of Montana Western's Equine Studies Department has scheduled its Second Annual Colt Challenge and Sale for April 6-7.

The event will be held at La Cense Montana, located at 4600 Carrigan Lane in Dillon.  

The Colt Challenge, starting at 9 a.m. April 6, will showcase Montana Western students from the Sales Preparation Class riding their assigned colts. Each student in the class is assigned to one of the colts by their Natural Horsemanship instructor. The Challenge will consist of a trail course and reining pattern event. The colts that are a part of the class are quarter horses donated from ranches in Montana and across the Northwestern United States.

The Colt Sale, held April 7, will feature the sale of the donated colts from the Sales Preparation Class that competed the previous day with their student. The sale preview will start at 10 a.m. and the sale will begin at 1 p.m. Buyers from all over the United States travel to see the colts in the Montana Western Colt Challenge and Sale. All proceeds are reinvested in the program in order to provide scholarships to Natural Horsemanship majors at the University of Montana Western.

The Equine Studies Department at the University of Montana Western offers the nation's only bachelor of science degree in Natural Horsemanship with options in management, psychology, science and instruction, and was recently ranked among the "Best Equestrian Colleges" by ThoughtCo, an online education resource.

The Montana Center for Horsemanship is the first and only equine center in the United States that is devoted expressly to promoting natural horsemanship. With its stables, arenas riding areas, and instructors, the center serves as the primary facility and progressive teaching resource for Montana Western's Natural Horsemanship BS curriculum. 

The MCH teaches the "La Cense Method," which was developed under William Kriegel, owner of La Cense Montana and Haras de la Cense in France. Kriegel is also co-founder of MCH, and he has been involved in natural horsemanship for many years. The La Cense Method is a progressive, step-by-step process that blends the best of traditional horsemanship training with the art of training and riding horses, all in a manner that works with a horse's behavior, instincts, and personality. Taking a positive and respectful approach, the La Cense Method gradually builds trust, and frees the horses to be confident in all they are asked to perform. 

For more information about the Colt Challenge and Sale, people can contact Head Natural Horsemanship Instructor Eric Hoffmann by email at [email protected] or call 406-925-1499.