Rafter J Equine & Cattle Company

08/04/2026

Alright... alright... my turn.

Phoenix... Out. Scoot.
You've had enough screen time...

There. Much better.
Name's Bumblebee.... Bee for short... Future legend, Snack enthusiast, Professional troublemaker.
Mom says I have "main character energy"
The other horses call it "being obnoxious."

I dont know what any of that means but it sounds about right.

Now, Phoenix keeps bragging about being "formerly wild."

Cool.

You survived the desert.

I survive Batman acting like he's Mom's favorite every single day.

I'd say we're about even.
And Batman...
Brother...

You may be the seasoned veteran around here...

But every superhero has to pass the cape eventually.

Just saying. Anyway...

Mom rolled this weird pedestal into the arena again today.

She looked at me.

Looked at the pedestal.

Then back at me.

I looked at Phoenix like, "Is she serious?"

He just shrugged.

Typical.

I walked around it once.

Twice.

Maybe three times.

Not because I was scared...

I was inspecting the engineering.

Safety first.

Then I stepped up.

Boom. Nailed it. Smooth. Balanced.

Handsome.

Basically everything you'd expect from a stallion with my pedigree.

Mom got all excited. Said something about "the best boy"

Duh mom obviously....

Phoenix mumbled something about, "It took you long enough."

Batman just stood there trying to look unimpressed.

Nice try, old man.

I saw you watching.

But here's the cool part.

Mom says the pedestal isn't really about standing on a block.

It's about answering God's call.

Trusting your Handler.

Taking that first step even when you don't know exactly what's next.

That's something every one of us can learn—horses and humans alike.

Deep. I know.
Didn't think I listened, did you?

So here's your mission.
Friday, August 7th.
6:00–9:00 PM.
Galesburg Christian Church Block Party.
Galesburg City Park.

Mom, gramps, and I will be sharing our very first showing of:

"God's Pedestal: A Horseman's Step Up to God's Calling."

Now listen carefully...

You'll only get to watch ME do my pedestal demonstration ONE TIME...
During dinner at 7:00 PM.

Miss it...

And you'll have to wait until next time to see this level of greatness.

The good news?

The fun doesn't stop there.

Batman, Paris, and Cherokee will be hanging out all evening giving horse rides, so there'll be plenty to do before and after I make my grand entrance.

They're pretty cool.

I guess.

Don't tell Batman I said that.

And if you can't make it in person...

No worries.

Mom will be livestreaming right here on this page Rafter J Equine & Cattle Company, so you can still catch the show.

Alright...

Mission accepted.

Pedestal conquered.

Crowd...

You're next.

See you Friday.

— Bee 🐝⚡🏎 🐴

08/04/2026

🔥 Day 37 of the Bluegrass Mustang Makeover Challenge 🔥

Howdy again, internet! Phoenix here... your favorite formerly wild mustang. 🤠🐴

Well... y'all seemed to enjoy me taking over Facebook yesterday, so I figured I'd borrow my human's phone again before she caught me.

Today's adventure? The farrier came!
Now, I know what you're thinking... "Phoenix probably had a meltdown."

Wrong.

Turns out I'm a pretty fast learner. I mean... I was wild just over a month ago, and I'm already handling this stuff better than at least half the domesticated horses my human knows. (Her words? No. Mine? Absolutely. 😏)

A huge thank you to Tuker Davis with Sunflower Horseshoeing for taking such good care of my feet! We're working on correcting a little chip in one of my back hooves so it'll grow out nice and strong.

Now... Tucker brought out this thing called a hoof stand. Listen... nobody told me there'd be a random metal contraption involved today. It was slightly terrifying. I gave it the appropriate amount of suspicious side-eye before deciding it probably wasn't going to eat me. Once I figured that out, I stood like a gentleman.

After all that hard work, my human let me spend some time grazing. 🌿

I thought I'd officially won the day...

Then she grabbed the hose.

Unlike some horses, I actually LOVE bath time. I don't know why everyone acts like getting clean is such a big deal. Cool water on a hot day? Count me in! I stood there soaking up every minute of it before heading in for dinner.

Speaking of dinner... all this learning is powered by Tribute Equine Nutrition , and my human gets it from our friends at Cleaver Farm & Home. The grown-ups keep talking about things like quality nutrition, low starch and sugar, and helping me build a strong, healthy body while I learn all these new jobs.
I just know it tastes good... and if it means I get to keep getting bigger, stronger, and proving that formerly wild mustangs can do anything, then I'll happily clean up every last bite.

I'd say today was a success. My feet got fixed up, I survived the terrifying hoof stand, got to graze, enjoyed a bath, cleaned up my dinner, and proved once again that being wild doesn't mean you can't learn.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some beauty sleep to catch. My human says we've got big dreams to chase, and I plan on looking handsome while we do it.
— Phoenix 🐴🔥

08/03/2026

Howdy, internet. Phoenix here... your favorite formerly wild mustang. 🤠🔥

Day 36 of this whole Bluegrass Mustang Makeover thing, and I have someone to blame for this little social media takeover. If you follow Fallon Taylor, you know she occasionally lets her horses take over her social media. Well, my human saw that and thought, "Phoenix should definitely be in charge of the internet." Fallon... if you're reading this, I have questions. Mostly why you gave my human this idea. I was perfectly happy keeping my opinions to myself. Now apparently I'm an influencer.

Today's list of questionable life choices included:

🐴 Opening and closing a gate. (Spoiler alert: the gate survived... barely.)
🪢 Chasing a twirly rope around like it wasn't trying to eat me.
🎯 Walking over a tarp... again. Apparently if you walk over it enough, humans get really excited.
🪵 Hopping over jumps. Was it graceful? Absolutely not. Did I clear them? Also yes.
🚜 Dragging a pole because... reasons.
🚩 Carrying a flag like I was leading a parade.
🐮 Hauling around my new emotional support cow, Sir Moo-dini. (He's suspiciously quiet, but I guess that's better than talking.)

Then she made me march over logs, work on sharper turns at the walk and trot, and act like I knew what I was doing. I deserve extra snacks.

Now here's where things got weird...

Apparently my future includes mounted shooting. So naturally, Tyler and little Riggin started tossing fireworks around me. Honestly? I've lived wild in Nevada. Those tiny pops weren't even worth lifting my head for. I think they expected a bigger reaction. Better luck next time, humans. 😎

I even graduated to taking a lap outside the arena today! Turns out the world doesn't end outside the fence. Who knew?

And because everyone else in Barrel Betty Land gets fancy gear, I may have... borrowed... okay, stolen... okay, borrowed... Nash's custom Arrow S Custom splint boots and bell boots. Don't worry, he'll get them back... probably. If I'm going to do ridiculous things, I might as well look good doing them. 💅

A huge thank you to my official feed sponsors, Cleaver Farm & Home and Tribute Equine Nutrition! They've been keeping this formerly wild mustang fueled with Kalm N EZ. It's low in starch and sugar, packed with protein and fat, has Uptake Technology® to help me get the most out of every bite, and Constant Comfort® to support my tummy. A happy stomach means I have more energy to keep my human on her toes.

Until next time...

Stay wild,

🐴🔥 Phoenix

P.s. my human says there are supposed to be videos attached to this.....Sue me im still learning how to use the keyboard okay she is helping me figure out how to attach videos give us a few minutes.

08/02/2026

Today has been a awesome horse day!!

Day 35 of Bluegrass Mustang Makeover Challenge.

Phoenix rode around like hes been doing this his whole life. We walked, trotted, stopped and backed and worked on our directions. We even walked and trotted over some poles and had a minor "ahh" moment over the tarp but we're able to quickly get back under control.

Make sure to go vote Phoenix as the fan Favorite.

https://bluegrassmustangmakeover.com/mustangs

Then we got Bumblebee to put all four feet on the pedestal 3 times tonight. And he stood for the last one for at least a good 30 seconds.

Thank you to my sponsors
Arrow S Custom Designs Use code RILEEJ for 20% off all custom or instock orders

Cleaver Farm & Home & Tribute Equine Nutrition check out their line of Tribute Equine nutrition. Phoenix is a fan of the Kalm N' Ez line with low starch & sugar and Uptake & Comfort Technology Tribute is the superior equine nutrition. Buy a bag today and support our troops each bag bought helps support PATH (Proffesional Association of Equine Services for horses) and its mission to serve veterans through equine assisted services.

Official event guide for the Bluegrass Mustang Makeover — schedule, mustangs, results, auction & map.

07/30/2026

Come see us at High Stakes Rodeo Crawford County Fair, Girard, KS Coal Miners Rodeo tonight at 7 and then again in Girard at the Crawford County Fair Rockin’ CF Productions Bulls and Barrels.

Friday night the Rockin CF crew will be rolling into the Crawford County Fair, Girard, KS for the Crawford County Bull Bash! Some of the best barrel racers in the area will be battling for their share of $1000 added. Not to be outdone, the bullriders will grit’n out for their share of $3500 and hoping to make a big jump in the Bull Riders, Inc. standings for finals. It is always a big fun crowd so come on out and we promise there will be plenty of parking!
7s bucking bulls
LaHaye Bucking Bulls
Dickerson Bucking Bulls

07/30/2026

Day 32 of Bluegrass Mustang Makeover Challenge.

We put the 1st official ride on phoenix. We got some walking and some trotting and some stops and backs!!!

His lunging improved to where I could get him to walk, trot, lope, and stop off of vocal cues alone. I felt comfortable climbing on we started out on the lunge line walking in circles and then some trotting then I had Tyler Fletcher take the lead rope off and we did some walking, trotting, stopping and backing off the line! Phoenix did amazing with everything i asked of him.

Thank you to my sponsors
Arrow S Custom Designs
Cleaver Farm & Home
Tribute Equine Nutrition

07/29/2026

Day 31 of Bluegrass Mustang Makeover Challenge.

We did a short lesson this evening as we had arrangements with my church prepping for our upcoming block party where one of my horses will be featured as a part of the entertainment portion of that event.

However we did play around with phoenix in preparation for his first farrier appointment with Tuker Davis from Sunflower Horseshoeing . I am not a proffesional but I wanted to make sure Phoenix wasnt going to try and hurt Tucker so I cleaned his feet out with the hoofpick and used the pair of nippers my mom has to piddle around and test phoenix's resolve. He did very good. I also made Tyler Fletcher mess with his feet again to make sure again that he would do it for someone else not just me.

Tonight my goal is to get on and start walking in a circle on the lunge line as well as go walk over some logs and the bridge. Stay tuned to see if we are successful.

Huge thank you as always to my sponsors:
Arrow S Custom Designs
Cleaver Farm & Home
Tribute Equine Nutrition

07/28/2026

Our story will be airing today! There will be a short bite for the 5& 10pm news. And the full story will be on at 6&9pm!! Tune into KOAM News Now for our story!!!

07/28/2026

Day 30 part 2 of Bluegrass Mustang Makeover Challenge.

We got some more lunging in tonight and got on phoenix again. We were able to get several small steps. Unfortunately my camera guy is also my helper on the ground. So we didn't get any video. But we will get some tomorrow!

I also had Tyler Fletcher work with phoenix to make sure someone besides me can mess with him. I had him lunge Phoenix both directions, stop him, back him, trot at halter, picked up all four feet, unsaddled him and then hosed him off.

He did very good for Tyler.

Then we ended the night with dinner thanks to Tribute Equine Nutrition donated by Cleaver Farm & Home.