Bates Performance Horses

10/16/2026

𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥.

It’s easy to talk about putting your horse first. It’s a lot harder to do it when it costs you something.

Six hours down the road. Entry fees paid. Your horse ready to run. And you turn out because the ground isn’t safe.

That’s horsemanship.

But it isn’t just the big decisions. It’s the little things most people never notice.

A new scratch on a leg.
Feed that takes longer to finish.
That horse that isn’t acting like himself.
The little change in movement that tells you something isn’t right.

Those things are important.

Whether it’s a horse in for training, a boarders horse, or one of my own, I pay attention.

I’m the one up first thing in the morning feeding and turning horses out. I’m the one bringing them in at night, blanketing, checking legs, and handling them day in and day out.

I know what’s normal for these horses. And when something changes, I want to catch it.

Because sometimes, the smallest details are the first signs of a much bigger problem. And sometimes, what you catch at home makes all the difference in the arena.

You can be the most talented rider in the world. You can win the buckles, cash the checks, and have all the pictures to prove it.

But being a good rider and being a good horseman aren’t the same thing.

Your horse depends on you to recognize when something isn’t right. He depends on you to make the hard decisions, even when they cost you an opportunity.

It takes a real horseman to know when the horse matters more than the outcome.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥.

10/15/2026

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣?

If you haven’t set them yet, there’s a good chance you’ll be beaten by someone who has.

Goal setting is a common habit among successful athletes. They don’t just show up and hope for the best. They know what they’re working toward.

Maybe your goal is to qualify for a finals, run your first 17, win a championship, improve your consistency, or finally fix something in your run that’s been holding you back.

Whatever it is, write it down.

There’s a difference between saying you want to accomplish something and actually having a plan to make it happen.

Set goals that challenge you. Track your progress. Give yourself something to work toward when the wins aren’t coming and the progress feels slow.

You can’t control every run, every time, or every outcome. But you can control what you’re working on, how you prepare, and the effort you put in every day.

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚.

10/15/2026

Excited to be apart of the team, thank you velocitybrandhalters 🤎 You can use code “ShelbyB10” for a discount when shopping at https://www.velocity-brand.com.

10/14/2026

𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣.

Maybe you won fifth, and that was your goal going into the weekend.

Maybe you finally kept your horse from diving into the second barrel.

Maybe you turned the first tighter than you ever have, or made a run where everything finally clicked.

But instead of being happy with your progress, you’re already focused on what went wrong and what you still need to fix.

We do this all the time. We accomplish something we’ve been working toward, and instead of enjoying it, we move the goalpost.

There’s always a faster time to run, a higher placing to get, and something else to improve.

That doesn’t mean you stop pushing yourself. It means you learn to recognize progress when it happens.

You can be proud of your run and still want to be better. Those two things can exist at the same time.

𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙪𝙥 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬.

10/13/2026

New things coming… cannot thank Howdi enough for the work they’re putting in on my website and lesson schedule 🫶🏼

Another website/software creation for a top of the line Cowgirl and her program...
Coming soon! 🖤💟

10/13/2026

𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙.

You know when you make your best runs? When you quit thinking about winning and just ride.

Your muscle memory takes over. You ride your horse stride for stride, focused on one thing at a time.

Turn the first. Turn the second. Turn the third. Straight through the eye.

Personally, when I have time to think, “I need to go faster,” I know I’m in trouble. I need to trust my training and let my muscle memory do its job.

I see so many competitors get so caught up in winning that they forget to focus on the run they’re actually making. They’re thinking about the girl before them, the time they need to beat, and whether they’re going to win.

You can’t control who shows up or what time wins.

You can control how you ride the horse in front of you.

Quit worrying about the outcome. Trust your training. Trust your horse. Focus on your next move.

𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚. 𝙁𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙩.

10/12/2026

If you’re paying for a trainer’s opinion, are you willing to hear an answer you don’t like?

Sometimes that answer is no. That horse isn’t a good fit for you. It isn’t ready to enter. Moving up isn’t the best decision yet. Another month of training won’t accomplish much if the work isn’t maintained once it goes home.

Those conversations aren’t always comfortable, especially when someone is excited about a horse or has a goal they’re determined to reach. But part of my job is looking at what’s realistic for both the horse and the rider, then explaining what needs to happen to get there.

I want my clients to succeed. That’s exactly why I can’t agree with every decision just to keep them happy in the moment.

There should absolutely be room for questions and discussion. A trainer should be able to explain their reasoning, and a client should feel comfortable asking about it. But if saying no puts the entire relationship at risk, how honest can that relationship really be?

When you hire a trainer, do you expect them to speak up—even when it might cost them your business?