Ponies of the Track - Slinger: More Than Just an Outrider

Sedona Cole is horse-crazy like many little girls, but she also owns a horse that is just as crazy about her as she is about him. That horse – a handsome AQHA palomino gelding named Sixshootingunslinger, or simply, Slinger – has also captured the hearts of many fans in attendance at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, where Sedona’s father, Scott Cole, is an outrider.

“That is her horse,” Scott said. “She just lets me ride him.”

But Sedona is Slinger’s little girl just as much as he is her horse. It was clear from the moment the two crossed paths seven years ago that their partnership was something special – and it all happened by chance.

While picking up hay and straw from a farm in Georgetown, Kentucky, Scott was informed of two foals on the place that were available for sale – both sired by a buckskin stallion. Scott had always wanted a buckskin, so he agreed to taking a look at the foals – one a buckskin and one a palomino. To his disappointment, he discovered that the buckskin was a filly; he had been hoping for a colt.

But while Scott was standing at the pasture, the palomino foal – a colt – appeared.

“And about that time, he came up from behind the hill a little bit and pretty much just jogged right over to my daughter, who wasn't but a few months old at the time herself,” Scott said. “He jogged right over to her and just started sniffling and nuzzling her right away. As soon as that happens, you can't turn one back that does that. That's how we wound up with him. Or, I should say, that's how he wound up with us.”

Slinger has been a part of the family ever since that day, but a few years ago, he gained a new job as well. While Scott was outriding at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, the horse he had been riding came up with a hoof abscess – leaving Scott in need of a horse for the job.

Slinger had initially been intended for use as a stable pony, a horse that is used to escort racehorses. While ponying racehorses is certainly a tough job filled with risks, the task of outriding is one of the most dangerous jobs on the track. Patrolling the racetrack to ensure the safety of horses and riders is not the only duty of an outrider; when a horse gets loose on the track, they are the ones that must pursue it in hopes of catching the horse.

“When you're doing your job, you're looking behind you,” Scott said. “You don't have a lot of time to look in front; you just get glimpses. You just get to glance in front of you, but you're always looking behind you to see what's coming – not where you're going.”

The job certainly takes its toll on the horse as well, and it requires one with the right temperament and skills. Fortunately, for Scott, Slinger fits the bill.

“They get hammered pretty good whenever they have to do the job,” Scott said. “You know, a lot of people just see us standing out on the track and just standing around and all that. But whenever something happens, you go from 0 to 100 as fast as you can. And once it's all over with, you want something that's pretty quiet and docile and can go right back to 0. And he likes that. He has that kind of personality.”

It certainly does not hurt that Slinger also has the speed for the job. Whenever a horse gets loose on the track, it is the outrider’s job to chase after the horse and catch it to assure the safety of the loose horses and others.

“He's got a real quick turn of foot,” Scott said. “He can just be standing there and then, if you have something happen right there in front of him, he's got enough initial speed to get you where you need to go.”

Sedona herself acknowledges Slinger’s skill and work ethic – characteristics of the gelding that only add to her affection for him.

“Slinger is a great horse,” Sedona said. “He's awesome and a good working horse. I love him very much and he loves me a lot!”

While performing his job on the track, Slinger has gained the attention and admiration from spectators who are drawn to the handsome palomino. Many of these fans have visited with the gelding along the rail or in the tunnel, delighted to find that he is as kind as he is beautiful.

“Anybody who comes around him, they're just kinda drawn to him,” Scott said. “I’ve had people walk up to me and ask to take pictures with him, [and] even tell me that they come to the races more often just to see him just because he's a joy to look at. And he likes the interaction. He likes people to come up to him and scratch on him. He enjoys that.”

But Slinger’s number one fan will always be Sedona, and this love is certainly reciprocated.

“She can walk into that stall with him and not do anything and he'll stand completely still,” Scott said. “She can crawl all over and around him, and he will not move a muscle. He'll bend down and start licking the top of her head and loving on her. Until she walks out of that stall, he doesn't move; he doesn't do anything. He just wants her attention. When she's in the barn, he'll hold his head out just so she'll come over there and rub on him.”

The love between Slinger and his little girl is so strong that the gelding can even sense her presence. Every fiber of his being is filled with love for Sedona and because of that, he is drawn to her.

“Last week at Keeneland, we were walking down the hill to the training track,” Ericka Adams Cole, Sedona’s mother, said. “Slinger turned his head and was fixated on Sedona from as far away as the test barn. He never quit looking at her. Also, if Scott is standing with Slinger on the rail and a bunch of people are talking, Slinger won't bat an eye. But if he hears Sedona, he will whip his head around.”

It is clear that Slinger’s true calling is to be with Sedona. While he certainly excels at outriding, the job has its wears and tears and will not be Slinger’s occupation forever. After all, he already has a second career lined up with a partner who cannot wait to join him.

“They're like a racehorse; they don't last forever,” Scott said. “He's got a little girl waiting for him and as soon as she's strong enough and big enough to be able to ride, that's her pony. Whenever she's ready and capable to step on him and go, he won't be on the racetrack anymore. I have to give him back.”