Nostalgic for some, overpowering for all, the Gateway of Champions loomed over the nation’s top four collegiate horsemanship riders. As they walked through the dark tunnel, the weight of their university’s good name rode on their shoulders; the chance to be called ‘the very first’ was right within reach. Then, they emerged in the Jim Norick Arena, where nothing but two cones, a wide open pen and a worthy adversary stood between them and the AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge championship.

Click here to read the rest of the article by Tara Christiansen of The American Quarter Horse Journal