3D Ranch and Training

12/30/2025

We’ve almost made it through this saga of a year!! And I think I’m the only one to be carted off in an ambulance! I would love to see your lesson, training, clinic, horse pics from this year!

12/24/2025

In April Cookie lost his best friend Oreo. We were worried how he would take to being an only goat but here we are in December and he’s doing great. Hangs with the horses. Daily reminders to keep the barn door shut. Chore helper. He’s pretty old too but he’s doing great on his own! Merry Christmas to our merry 🐐.

12/22/2025

1 board spot available Jan 2 - Pen and shelter, tack closet, trailer parking. $400

1 short-term board spot available Jan 2-April. Pen and shelter, tack closet, trailer parking. $400

Please PM if interested.

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12/17/2025

Sometimes we spend our ride just wandering and looking and being a horse as much as one can with a rider. He also enjoyed doing his “Walk About” at a trot and a lope (not recommended unless advanced)… this is where I throw a loose rein to him and let him go wherever he wants in the arena. (At a lope I made sure to slow him down at turns/corners for both our safety).

12/14/2025

I hear is the day of the horse. I feel like this happens like 5 times a year. 🤣. But here’s our herd. Each one means something special to me!

11/29/2025

I ponied Classy and then Steele off Rosa today (ignore the Luci tag, I only use the free version of the app). There’s no way I could have planned the time on these two like this!

Both the horses being ponied had the equiband on.

11/26/2025

Today was walk the driveway in the equiband day. Somebody, who I shall respect by not naming names, was too fat for the English girth and the surcingle so he got it under his regular saddle. Before this the pups and I played fetch up and down the driveway so I’m well on my way to guilt free pumpkin pie tomorrow! 😋

11/26/2025

Ride the crap out of your horse.

What do I mean by that? I mean Go. Ride. Your. Horse. 4-5 days a week. Every week. Doing something different, never the same ride back-to-back. Some think I am mean to say this, some think I don't care. Some think I mean to go ride 3 hours a day, 7 days a week (which, to be fair, real ranching horses do this).

Why not the same work out back-to-back? A lot of reasons actually. The weight lifters should understand this - you are no longer building when you do the same thing all the time. Ever see a chunky mailperson? The ones that walk their routes? They should be skinny right? They have become accustomed to their workout and it is no longer work. (If you think I am being hateful, please see yourself out, just look at the general analogy).

Another reason - Your horse is going to become bored to death. The equivalent of a glazed-over look from a stoner. If you are bored, I can almost guarantee your horse is bored. Yes, the success comes in the boring practice, but when you have the mental ability to change things up, do it. Your horse is just doing what you tell it to.

"But Lisa, you always have stuff you're doing in your rides, we aren't that creative." Listen. Err, or read this. I come up with random crap all the time so I don't get bored. SO my horses don't get bored and want to work and are excited about life. Sometimes I do straight conditioning. 2 miles, long trotting and loping or hand galloping. OR. 15-20 minutes long trotting. Or I make up drills (oh Lord, here come the DRILL folks for me who hate the word and equate it to 3rd grade Mad Minute math worksheets). Drills. Say exercise. Or other ways to work on barrel racing elements that is NOT the barrel pattern. You know, collection and extension. Circles. Lifting the shoulders. Lead changes. Straight lines. We rarely do the barrel pattern, it is a minimal part of our workouts.

But... you can set the barrel pattern up. Lope some laps, breeze the pattern, go back to long trotting. Serpentines have SO many variations. Set up barrels or poles or strategic piles of horse s**t. Circle it.

Set up gaming patterns. Set up Ranch riding patterns. Ground poles (I can't even tell you how many options there are with ground poles).

But until you can do ALL the things at a walk, jog, trot, lope and more or less a run, without overtly thinking through it all every time, you have not rode the crap out of your horse. You are not clicking with your horse and their foundation is not in place if you can't do allll the things automatically. Luci is 4. I can do all the things with minimal schooling. I immediately know what correction he will need if he needs one. Rosa is 9, and while she is not my main mount, I can do all the things on her pretty automatic. Steele. We don't need me to go through every horse I have owned or rode, but you need to have the saddle time and patience to really click with one before you are going to be out there running your best times consistently.

Lessons givers and friends want you to do your best. But NOTHING, nothing in this world, will beat consistency. On the days you don't want to, on the days when your friends are off doing "fun" things, look in the mirror and think, "Am I really doing what I need to to meet my goals?".

11/19/2025

Hello Everyone! Because of the recent outbreak of EHV, lessons for the next two weeks are canceled at MMS. IF we can ride at my house we can continue lessons but it will only be lesson horses allowed in the arena. Boarders will have to ride outside of lesson times. If weather does not cooperate, lessons will be cancelled all together.

Boarders, please do not haul out for two weeks (unless to vet, which I realize is even risky but will be the only allowance). If you haul out, please plan to be gone for two weeks with no refund in board fees.

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11/15/2025

’Twas the night before futurity, and all through the barn,
Every prospect was restless, all keyed with alarm.
Saddles were polished and pads stacked with care,
In hopes that a clean first barrel soon would be there.

Riders lay sleepless with nerves running deep,
While dreams of 1D checks refused them their sleep.
My hat tipped beside me, boots tossed in defeat—
Tomorrow’s the draw list I have to beat.

When out in the alley arose such a sound,
I leapt from my cot and ran toward the ground.
The tractor was grooming with perfect precision—
Fresh, fluffy dirt set for a winning decision.

Horses lined up with their eyes big and bright,
Colts quivering soft in the cool arena light.
I swung on my prospect and whispered, “Run true—
Let all of this training come shining on through.”

He hunted first barrel and smoked it with pride,
Wrapped two and three in a beautiful glide.
Then blasted home flying like sparks in the night—
A clean, honest run that just felt right.

The clock flashed a time—our fastest one yet,
A futurity moment I’ll never forget.
And as my c**t pranced with a snort full of might—
“Happy Futurity to all… and to all a clean night!”

Now... I am not a ride or die futurity girl. I just want a nice clean run and am not setting out to win the race. We have waited to run and made sure his pattern is solid. But it can all fall apart or come to shine when the time actually matters. My Lucifer boy has never done me dirty on the pattern and tries hard. I am really excited for his first official barrel race tomorrow!

11/13/2025

Unfortunately the rain is here. While we try to keep up on the holes in the driveway, it’s a never ending task in winter. Please do not drive in the grass on the side of the driveway to miss the holes. It creates mud and more of a mess. And on the nice days, our boarders ride at the arena and use the grass on the sides to walk to arena. Thank you!

11/10/2025

Riders, if you ride in a helmet, please have it fitted correctly. I see darling photos of kids in helmets but the brim is at the top of the forehead or the chin strap so loose it will fall off in a wreck. We don't need a helmet causing a fracture or concussion from being on incorrectly! Just like all things in horses, don't just go through the motions, but be precise and correct!