“It is an honor and a privilege to be invited back to Road to the Horse 2023. This past year’s competition was life changing and I am grateful for the opportunity to build the relationships with the committee, fans, and most importantly Yellowhouse Canyon. The memories made in 2022 are ones I will always treasure. I can’t imagine how, but I am confident that 2023’s competition will be even better. The opportunity to showcase the foundation of trust, respect, and compliance between a horse and trainer is one I thoroughly enjoy. Over the last 60 years of my life it has been a goal of mine to understand the horses I ride and to always learn more about bringing a horse to their highest potential. Horses are God’s gift to us and I’m grateful to work with them.”
Mike Major is every bit the modern-day cowboy with decades of experience lending itself to his success both in and out of the arena. Major was raised as the son of a cattleman and grew up pushing cattle, match racing, and competing in rodeos across New Mexico, Arizona, and southern Colorado. His youth spent working on large ranches, is where his start as a horseman truly began.
As an adult, Major was never far from the cattle-raising or horse training scene, owning ranches of his own in New Mexico and Colorado until re-locating to Texas in 2013. He began raising horses over 50 years ago but took interest in the ranch horse versatility discipline as it came to exist in the early 2000s.
His show career started with a big win in 2006, riding Smart Whiskey Doc to a Working Cowhorse World Championship at the AQHA Select World Championship Show. Since then, Mike’s show record has grown immensely to include three AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse Open World Championships, three AQHA Ranch Riding World Championships, five SHOT Open World Championships, one SHOT Futurity World Championship, two World’s Greatest Versatility Ranch Horse Championships, a Project Cowboy championship, a Battle in the Saddle Ranch Remuda Championship, and most recently, three World Championship titles in the World Ranch Horse Association and a World Championship of Colt Starting title at Road to the Horse 2022.
Major is blessed with seven daughters and one son. He still successfully runs his cattle operation on the TSlash Ranch in Belen while raising and training his horses in Bowie, Texas. Major greatly enjoys sharing his knowledge and skill with his large “extended” family in the horse industry. Learn more about Mike Major at www.MikeMajorHorsemanship.com.
Road to the Horse 2023 takes place at the Kentucky Horse Park on March 23-26, 2023. Tickets are available here or by calling 800-514-3849. Follow Road to the Horse on Facebook for the latest information.
