R8 Performance Horses

The closing of 2025 and a new outcome projected for the future of R8 Performance Horses in 2026. The place I called home/the dream that came true for me in 2020 has been challenging. I have had to make the difficult decision to put my health first. Realizing that living my dream may just take from me the only thing that truly is my reason for living, the love of the ride and horses. In
July 2025 the facility was sold. Downsizing was required to save the chances to ride again.
2026 will be a rebuilding year with my health being put as the main priority. I have completed 2 surgeries to begin the process of my health coming first phase of this transition. Securing smaller less physical demanding acerage for my future has been checked off the list as well. The ride isn't over, the story just has to be rewritten with a better outcome for my future.They always say the comebacks are always the sweetest.. My comeback will be one for the books and all the 🐂 💩 I have been through will have been worth it. "Life ain't always beautiful but it's a beautiful ride." Strong comeback for 2026 💪🔥 Rebuilding takes time... Until we all meet again somewhere down the road.

Today is a day of high emotions. The realtors that I chose to work with listed or "went live" at what I have always said was my dream come true. My physical health has had some unexpected things to say about how a dream comes true and then how you keep that dream alive. R8 Performance Horses is strong and based on sure will power, but needs to downsize to be able to meet some physical health setbacks. I am as strong willed as ever and still as good as ever. Just not as good as I once was... I am posting the link. Comments won't be allowed as this is not goodbye or failure or that sucks post. It is I am passionate about horses,horsemanship and I absolutely love to ride, train and share my knowledge through my lessons and clinics. So to continue to live my life with the gift that God gave me. We pull up the big girl panties and downsize.

https://arrowheadlandcompany.com/property/turn-key-commercial-horse-arena-boarding-training-facility-knox-ohio/65381/

Stay humble. Do the work. It will be hard but worth it...

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

Motivational Wednesday.
Goals and dreams tell yourself you are good enough to reach them.
Now again whisper to yourself I AM GOOD ENOUGH.....

Food for thought: Barrel racing Lessons
Not all of us that offer lessons want to change the way your horse or you child's horse is working or trained. As coaches we identify the weaknesses and set up skill drills that we can work on that skill without subjecting the horse to the barrel pattern. 70% of the time its rider error. Most always its a timing issue. Skill drills set up to work barrel turns is a way to start building muscle memory, slow things down so a rider can process the information and work on themselves as a rider to complete the team as horse and rider...Give them a foundation to build on.

It was a great day yesterday with Lexi Mae Downard and Kendra Rothfuss in the breakaway pen. I love to teach but the real reason I teach is to see the outcome. Quiet horses using the thinking side of their brains. It was a good day...

I stole this from Kayla Kaminski-White. Sorry Kayla it wouldn't let me share it.. This is 100% let's get out of our own heads. Quit being so hard on ourselves. If you don't believe in yourself nobody else will either. Start showing them who you are!!💪🔥🔥🔥🫵🫵