McNally Show Horses

08/23/2026

Independence! Confidence!

💛I’m Going to Let Your Child Struggle 💛

When your child comes for lessons with me, I’m going to let them struggle sometimes.

They may have never fastened a buckle on a piece of tack. A saddle might be heavy and awkward. Their lead rope may be a tangled mess. And something that would take me ten seconds might take them five minutes.

I’m not going to immediately step in and do it for them. *Unless its a safety issue.*

Because someday, I want your child to walk into the barn, catch their own horse, tack up, and head out feeling completely confident in their own abilities.

Why?

Because they’re learning that they can do hard things.

So yes, I’ll help when something is beyond a child's physical ability. I’ll encourage, demonstrate, and keep them safe.

But when they *can* do it? I’m going to give them the time to fumble with the buckle. Untangle the rope. Try again. And figure it out.

Parents, I know watching that can be hard. You’ll want to jump in and make it easier.

But sometimes the greatest gift we can give a child is not making the hard thing easier.

It’s standing beside them long enough for them to discover:

“I can do this myself.”

💙 ~Abbie

08/23/2026

Arizona just did what Washington won't: actually protect its wild horses.

A New York Times investigation this month exposed how federal wild horse sales have skyrocketed under Trump, with the Bureau of Land Management offloading roughly 3,700 horses in 2025—more than double the previous year.

Buyers promise not to send them to slaughter, but critics say that pledge falls apart the moment a horse gets flipped to a middleman who never signed anything. Advocates told Newsweek some of these horses have turned up in "k!ll pens," the last stop before slaughter buyers. The Interior Department maintains BLM "does not sell or send wild horses or burros to slaughter."

Arizona isn't leaving it to chance. Gov. Katie Hobbs just halted all removals from the Salt River Horse Herd through 2027, scrapping a plan that would have pulled 25 horses a year from the wild. She's also bumping the herd's target population from 120 to 170 and lining up funding for state universities to study what these horses actually need to survive — pending a Board of Regents vote scheduled for August 27, 2026.

"I am taking action to ensure the sustainability and health of the Salt River Horse Herd for generations to come," Hobbs said.

The reversal comes after a summer of pushback, including a Capitol rally where advocates pressed Hobbs to let science drive the herd's future instead of a fixed removal timeline. Simone Netherlands, who runs the group managing the herd, welcomed the news: "This suspension of removals and new study will allow us to continue our successful management of the herd and ensure that the Salt River Horses are healthy and thriving."

Washington's still looking away. Arizona just showed everyone what actually stepping up looks like.

08/22/2026

08/16/2026

So applicable to working with horses. 💕

08/16/2026

Happy days

08/08/2026

Create your profile.​