FORT COLLINS — Brandon Naysnerski has ridden horses all his life.
But he found his greatest challenge so far in a Colorado State University program that matches riders with young, untrained horses.
Into his life came Sixes Trix, a fidgety 2-year-old bay mare who was so green, she jumped at the sound of a plastic bag crackling in a tree branch on a windy day.
“We were both kind of spooked,” said the 28-year-old Naysnerski, a junior in CSU’s Equine Sciences Program.
After months of training, Naysner ski and Sixes Trix will show off their talents in a unique equine showcase. On Saturday, CSU’s B.W. Pickett Equine Center will host the sixth annual CSU Legends of Ranching Performance Horse Sale.
The sale will offer about 60 quarter horses, more than half of them trained by CSU students who were paired with the animals months ago.
Consignors, including some of the largest and best-known Western horse operations, provided yearling and 2-year-old quarter horses in a partnership that allowed students to gain valuable horsemanship and other skills during the 2010-2011 school year.
Next weekend, the horses will be auctioned and the proceeds divided to cover sale costs, contribute to student scholarships and go back to the consignors.
The average sale price last year was $4,700. The top price was $20,000.
More importantly, the experience gained by the students in the Equine Science Program is invaluable in helping sustain an industry that puts $1.6 billion into the Colorado economy, according to organizers.
“The education the students get in sales, showmanship and marketing is invaluable,” said Jerry Black, director of undergraduate programs at the Equine Sciences Program. “There is nothing like this in the whole country.”
Begun in 1986, the Equine Sciences Program was the first in the United States to offer a four-year equine-science degree. Nearly 400 undergraduates from 39 states now are enrolled.
Students train animals to work in the cattle industry or on other farms and ranches. Others will appear in show rings, and an increasing number are used as therapy animals, said Megan Grieve, coordinator for the Equine Sciences Program.
The equine students, meanwhile, move onto veterinary school or they work in the horse industry.
Naysnerski worked for six years as a professional hunter-jumper rider at Blue Cloud Farms near Longmont. He rode warmbloods and thoroughbreds that often cleared 4-foot fences on tight, timed courses.
He garnered plenty of honors and ribbons but decided to trade his English saddle for a Western one and enroll at CSU’s equine program to stretch his capabilities.
Naysnerski and Sixes Trix worked out three times a week, then four and then they were together six days a week.
The time together is paying off. “She was just a baby before,” Naysnerski said. “But she likes to learn, and she’s always going forward, she never hesitates and holds back.
“This has been the biggest learning experience of my horse career,” Naysnerski said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
