Horse whisperer: Utah equestrian trainer up for another challenge

FARR WEST — Marty Simper stood silently next to his new student and tried to hear her name.

That's tough to do when the student and teacher don't speak the same language.

Simper is a horse trainer, and his student? A wide-eyed, smart, but slightly skittish and suspicious 2-year-old mare.

"She told me her name is Ginger," he said, looking down at the dirt and smiling. He knows that sounds, well, a little weird. The horse told him her name and all. But his wife, Chelsea, believes it's bad luck to change a horse's name.

So he listens.

"Last year, the horse told me she wanted to be called Modern Day Millie," he said. "So we called her Millie."

And last year, Millie helped Simper win the first Trainer's Challenge at the Utah Horse Expo. As the winner, he was the only one of the four trainers allowed to return for the second annual Trainer's Challenge, which begins with four hand-picked 2-year-old horses meeting four hand-picked trainers in an Ogden round pen and ends

60 days later with a three-day competition at the Utah Horse Expo this weekend at the Equestrian Park in South Jordan. For nine of the 11 years, the Utah Horse Council hosted the Expo. The council offered training clinics taught by some of the nation's most renowned and popular trainers.

"Two years ago, we decided we wanted to focus on the local talent and quality trainers we have here in the state of Utah," said Matt Bartlett, president of the Utah Horse Council. "We wanted to give the local trainer, who we think is every bit as talented as anyone in the country, a chance to show their skills to horse owners."

He said the first year was a hit with horse owners, who attend the Expo in hopes of learning how to take better care of their own horses and enhance their own experience as riders. The Expo also features classes in dentistry, trailer loading and chiropractic clinics. This year, for the first time in Utah, there will be a World Champion Blacksmith and Farrier's competition.

"We have about 40 contestants," said Bartlett, "from as far away as England. They'll be seeing who makes the best shoes, the fastest."

In addition to daily competitions, there will be clinics starting at 8 a.m.

Still, one of the main attractions is the horse trainer's competition, which is only in its second year.

"I thought it was really, really exciting," said Bartlett of the inaugural year. Especially popular was Sunday's relay race where Bartlett gave the trainers a series of tasks to complete with their young horses that they may not have practiced.