By the time Colby Lovell traded four horses—including his former NFR-mount Vanilla Ice—to Kaleb Driggers for the 2016 Spin To Win Rodeo Head Horse of the Year Fast Time, he was already certain the horse would fit his program. He’d won $109,423 at the 2015 WNFR on the borrowed horse, and he had to have him for his 2016 campaign.
“He was good—he did everything right and never messed up for me,” Lovell said. “He scores, he tries hard, and you can ride him anywhere. Very seldom can you ride one anywhere. Salinas, Cheyenne, the Thomas & Mack, it doesn’t matter.”
The 13-year-old palomino, registered with the AQHA as Sugar Bar Gold Dust and bred by Oklahoma’s Grover Shockey, most recently helped Lovell win the average with Paul Eaves at the Ram Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo and the year end, punching
his ticket to Kissimmee, Fla., for the Ram National Circuit Finals, despite the fact that Lovell says he’s not heading in 2017. Lovell sold all of his other head horses and is en- tered at the winter rodeos heeling for Shane Phillips. But Fast Time is sticking around the Lovell homestead. (“He’s for sale but he’s not on sale,” Lovell said.)
“Get on and hold on,” Lovell said. “He’s gentle, but he knows when it’s game time. When you get him to a rodeo, and there’s a crowd and music, he gets pumped up— his heart starts beating. A #5 or #6 could get on him and have a chance to win. He’s going to give you a good chance no matter what. He’s just a winner.”
Lovell and heeler Travis Graves won Philipsburg and Abilene, Kans., with 3.8- and 4.0-second runs, and then went on to win Caldwell, Idaho, where they had to make three 6-second runs, Lovell said. They didn’t run a practice steer in between, and Fast Time gave him the perfect shot each run. Lovell won $122,245 riding Fast Time at ProRodeos alone last year. At press time, Lovell had won $11,057 aboard Fast Time in 2017, again despite the fact that he’s not planning to rodeo the rest of the year.
“He’s dog gentle, and you can catch him anywhere because he walks right up to you,” Lovell added. “My wife and little girl catch him and brush him. He’s the ideal head horse for anybody. I can ride him in the Open and somebody can get on him right after me and go win the #11. I’ve never owned one like that. Plus, he’s just pretty. He catches everyone’s eye.”
For now, Fast Time will spend his days taking leisurely walks on the aquatred at Crossfit Equine, Lovell’s wife Cassidy’s equine conditioning facility. Lovell said he’d like to see a talented high school rodeo star pick up Fast Time so he could take him up the ranks in the PRCA, but Lovell doesn’t mind still owning his number one, you know, just in case that heading bug bites again.
