X7 Performance Horses

08/11/2026

A glorious fog-fresh morning it was.
I was enjoying the view & blending up a smoothie.
What do i see through my bed-head bangs?!

Roaming Rhonda 🐄

(aka Green Tag #18)
She's at it again!

(she says it was a 'social call', brunch if you will).

Roaming Rhonda just wanted to see if I could run fast in floral pj's, a winter jacket (it's cold at 7 am!) and flip-flops. Yes, flip-flops. 🩴

She found out. 🏃‍♀️ I'm currently searching for the flop I lost (I have flip) in the final dash for the gate -- I'm fast half barefoot too!)

She crawled in from a -different- pasture this time. FRESH pasture. In her defense, a busted lawnmower has the lawn looking a lil like pasture at the moment. But, my guuuuurl, have you heard of fences?!

I think she secretly likes me & wants to be a yard pet. If she keeps it up, I'm going to halter train her & turn her into a yard pet/milk cow. And get her a bell. And put her in a goat-safe page wire fence.
Cream & butter for everyone! 🧈 ...or steak 🥩
Make good choices tomorrow Rhonda!!

07/27/2026

THE STALLIONS THAT BUILT THE BREED — USA🐎
Not another generic ranking. This is the list a true pedigree man would keep in his pocket.
The roots (pre-1950)
• Fair Play — sire of Man o'War, foundation of the American line
• Man o'War — 62 stakes winners, sired War Admiral
• Nearco — unbeaten 14/14 in Italy, then England: the universal genetic hub
• Nasrullah — son of Nearco, leads to Bold Ruler
The golden era (1950-1980)
• Native Dancer — "The Grey Ghost," maternal grandsire of both Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector
• Nearctic — son of Nearco, sire of Northern Dancer
• Bold Ruler — leading US sire for 8 seasons, sired Secretariat
• Raise A Native — unbeaten at 2, sired Mr. Prospector and Alydar
• Northern Dancer — 635 foals, 123 stakes winners
• Mr. Prospector — the most widespread male line in modern pedigrees
• Danzig — leading US sire 1991-92-93
The transition (1980-2010)
• Storm Cat — the most commercially sought-after stallion of his era
• A.P. Indy — pillar of the Seattle Slew line
• Medaglia d'Oro, Tapit, Curlin, S**t Daddy — foundation sires still dominant today
Today (2026)
• Into Mischief — 7th consecutive North American champion sire title
• Gun Runner — the dirt reference point
• Flightline — record-breaking first crop, c**t sold for $10,500,000 at the 2026 OBS
A hundred years, two continents, one bloodline running all the way to today.
Which one is missing from this list? Tell us in the comments 🐎

07/27/2026

07/18/2026

Well shiiiiiii.....bet the mare woulda loved if it had arrived yesterday. I was westbound n down ~ 3 hours before delivery.
So sorry girl ...also just discovered it says floral 🤣 sorrytwice

06/24/2026

There I was at 9 pm this evening, humming a lil tune while finishing up the dishes -- when a streak of black bovine dashed past the kitchen window.... 🐄

You'd have to know the layout to truly appreciate the adventurous lark this heifer took from her pasture, to bring her to the front yard. Gardens, hedges, water hoses, garden shed, wood shed, StarLink satellite cables....paths & sidewalks.

But here she is! Green tag #18 (Roaming Rhond) herself! Looking mighty pleased, while poking holes in the freshly rained on lawn.

There's nothing like yearling heifers, to cause you to question your life choices. While providing you with an 'opportunity' for evening exercise & practicing every cuss word you've ever learned.

Pajamas & sneakers, off I go a'runnin'! 👟

Alternately calling & chasing we made our way through 3 gates on the way to where she belongs. Only a truly seasoned rancher knows the magic combination of flailing your arms like you've got a nest of hornets in your hair & employing noises borrowed from an exorcism to get one heifer ~in~ without spilling the other 39!

06/14/2026

I don't have a camera roll full of 2026 X7 foals. My social feeds aren't covered in clips of this season's horse shows and competition runs. I've been at the vision board, in the trenches, deciding, planning, and building what comes next.

What I do have is a brimming inbox.

I received two more wonderful updates just this week! I got to hear from a lady that purchased a 3 yr old palomino mare bred by X7, that she owned for 21 yrs. She just lost the mare at the age of 24.

The second update is from a family who purchased a very special mare from me ~10 yrs ago. I bred, trained and futuritied this mare, she meant and means a lot to me. To get regular updates on her (and now her foals!), knowing how beloved she is in her 2nd home has been an incredible journey.

As a breeder and a trainer (and a coach!) updates and being kept in the loop has my cup running over. Keep 'em coming!! 🥰🤩

03/06/2026

Begin at the Beginning
In relation to horsemanship, I really advocate the teaching approach of Dennis Reis (natural horsemanship), Bob Avila (reining, cowhorse). Their programs/training series emphasized breaking down the steps to achieving body control. Building on those steps, and making the correlation to performance benefit.

In Bob Avila's series, it correlates to the reining horse. Each building block, building on it, to a maneuver. Body control is the fundamentals of a well broke horse, of any discipline.
Horsemanship instruction in direct correlation to barrel racing would be beneficial.

A beginning point for the green horse, a re-start for the mature horse with 'holes in their program.

I personally have not come across a barrel racing training series/program on the market, that takes that really small step fundamentals approach -- to creating a well broke horse, and~then~ how they become a solid barrel horse. I feel it would be correct to say, most barrel training series begin with an already well started individual as the starting point. It would be fantastic to see a series made, that began at the beginning.

We want your opinion—

Our goal is not only to help individuals on their barrel racing journey, but also to elevate the success of the industry as a whole.

Horsemanship is, and always should be, the foundation in every equine discipline. We want to know one change you would like to see in the collective horsemanship of the barrel racing industry.

Please keep comments and suggestions kind and positive.

www.betweenthereins.us

03/05/2026

Why “bred in the purple” doesn’t always = produces in the purple. Pedigree shows what could be there genetically. Production shows what actually gets passed on consistently. Some of the prettiest papers in the world produce very average horses. Some quieter papers build entire programs.

Why do some mid-level mares outproduce elite show mares? Being a great athlete and being a great genetic transmitter are not the same skill.
Some mares win because they are exceptional individuals. Some mares produce because they are genetically predictable.

Why do maternal lines matter more than most people think? Stallions get the spotlight. Maternal lines build programs. When you see multiple generations of producing mares, you pay attention.

When linebreeding is smart vs when it’s ego breeding?
Smart linebreeding = reinforcing proven, desirable, repeatable traits.
Ego linebreeding = chasing a famous name hoping greatness magically doubles.

Why do some crosses look perfect on paper and fail in real life?
Paper doesn’t show:
• Mental compatibility
• Structural trait stacking
• Weakness doubling
• True athletic style match

Genetic Potential vs Genetic Probability
Potential = what could happen.
Probability = what usually does happen based on family trends.

Hard truth:
Breeding success usually comes from predictability… not lottery tickets.

The best breeders aren’t chasing the loudest pedigree. They’re stacking the most repeatable ones.

02/16/2026

Clinical Instructor at Colorado State University’s Equine Reproduction Lab, Chelsie A. Burden, DVM, MS, DACT said there are advantages and disadvantages to both foaling in stalls and foal in the pasture.

Find more here: https://bhnmag.co/pasture-foaling

02/15/2026

processing cattle in the February 💩 soup.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone. 🐃🐂🐃💘
Cheers 🍻 ima go pour horse shampoo on my carhartts & hose everything off that I wore today.