Horsemen gather in Rexburg to showcase colt-starting skills, honor fallen trainer
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REXBURG – Horsemen throughout the area will descend on the Madison County Fairgrounds this month to showcase their skills in starting young horses.
Darci and Bob Parry, along with James and Katie Barnes — the organizers behind the Teton Horse Experience — are hosting the 2026 Invitational Colt Starting competition. The three-day event is happening at the Madison County Fairgrounds in Rexburg from Sept. 17 to Sept. 19. Ten trainers will demonstrate a variety of skills each day. Among them is Jason Jarvie, of Blackfoot, who’s been training horses for 25 years.
Other professional trainers include Justin Pierce, Garth Brinkerhoff, Mason Duncan, Spencer Jarvis, and others listed in the flyer below this article.
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Darci tells EastIdahoNews.com each of the trainers will select a colt, which James is gathering for the event, work it in a round pen in sessions over the three days. There will be three round pens in the arena, and spectators can choose which trainer to watch.
It will culminate with an obstacle course on the third day to demonstrate what the colt has learned.
“It is a unique opportunity for the community to watch some of the best horsemen in the area put their knowledge and experience to work,” Darci says.
While the event is free, Darci is using the occasion to help build a fund that will provide financial assistance to people injured in horse-related accidents. She’s naming it the Wayne Peebles Memorial Fund. Peebles, a longtime horse trainer from Sugar City, was killed in a potato truck accident in October 2025.
Darci says she and Peebles’ daughter, Sharee — who died in 2022 — were best friends. Sharee also trained horses, and Darci regarded her as a mentor in horse-related endeavors.
Darci and Krista Stafford, the only novice competitors at the event, will be starting two of Wayne’s colts.
“Krista and I have both had PTSD over injuries sustained in horse accidents. Each of us will start one of Wayne’s baby horses,” Darci says. “We’re doing it to let people know that you can … face your fears.”
‘Wayne was passionate about horses’
Wayne’s son, Corbett, says his dad was two weeks shy of his 62nd birthday when he died. Madison County Sheriff Ron Ball told us that on Oct. 10, Wayne was driving a potato truck south of State Highway 33 and hit a power pole.
Corbett says his dad had a variety of jobs throughout his life, but he had a side hustle as a horse trainer. It’s an interest Wayne inherited from his dad, Stephen. Corbett says Stephen was the county agent for 4-H in Fremont, Madison and Jefferson Counties for many years and started the Alpine 4-H Horse Camp in Lincoln County, Wyoming.
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Wayne and his brother, Todd, started training horses as teenagers. In July, the Fremont County Pioneer Days Rodeo began with a tribute to Wayne, who was involved in getting it started in St. Anthony years ago.
“Back in the day, the 4-H program they were involved in (had a hand) in creating that,” Corbett says.
Corbett says Wayne got more involved in training horses when Sharee started showing an interest in it. She was 35 when she passed from an autoimmune disease in 2022 and Corbett says Wayne immersed himself in horses to deal with the loss.
Corbett says Darci’s efforts to start a memorial fund in his dad’s name to help those injured in horse-related accidents is a fitting way to honor him.
“Wayne was no stranger to the risks and injuries that come with working with horses, and this is our way of honoring his memory while giving back to the horse community he was such a part of,” says Darci.
At the time of his death, Wayne had two colts that were too young to start. Darci started working with them and Corbett says he’s glad that she’ll be showing them at the event.
Tickets will be sold at the colt starting competition for a pig and gun raffle, which will help grow the memorial fund. Proceeds from a baked food sale will also go towards the cause.
AG AT-A-GLANCE
New U of I degrees prepare students to lead the future of smart manufacturing and AI
The following is taken from a news release from the University of Idaho.
MOSCOW, Idaho – University of Idaho students can now pursue a bachelor of science, master of science or master of engineering in industrial and systems engineering through the College of Engineering.
The programs prepare them for careers in some of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy, including manufacturing, artificial intelligence and automation, healthcare, transportation, agriculture, food processing and supply chain management.
The programs offer flexible options for students in Moscow and working professionals throughout Idaho. The master’s programs are available entirely online. Bachelor’s degree students may complete their first two years at U of I or an Idaho community college before completing their upper-division courses entirely online.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of industrial engineers is projected to grow 11% from 2024 to 2034, more than three times the projected 3% growth rate for all occupations. The agency projects about 25,200 openings each year and reported a median annual wage of $101,140.
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