Rafter S Bar Performance Horses

08/12/2025

For everyone who I have talked to about lessons this summer or those who have been asking about lessons for this fall unfortunately 2025 has not been kind to us at the Rafter S Bar. We have had some major setbacks and are now dealing with some cleanup and rehabbing some injured animals so we will not be doing any lessons or training the rest of this year.

The remainder of 2025 is just going to be spent focusing on our family, our animal family, re-prioritizing, and rebuilding. I apologize to everyone who was looking forward to lessons or needing some training but we plan to be back in 2026 better than before!

08/08/2025

Dear Horse Industry,

Stop being awful.

Stop putting others down for the sake of one's own prosperity.

Stop the snarky remarks behind closed doors.

Stop with the clicks and underhanded complements.

Stop with the need for newest and latest fashions or tack sets but never riding your horse for fear they may get dirty.

Stop manipulating others' words or actions.

Stop normalizing poor sportsmanship and start normalizing folks who work hard.

Chances are, if you've had horses long enough, you've encountered some sort of this. From the competition world, to trail riders, to rescues, to top level riders...it's everywhere. And it's terrible. And it's got to stop. It has to.

I've met riders, young and old, who are terrified to ride in front of people because, somewhere along the line, someone told them they weren't good enough. I've seen talented people quit because of gossip, and I've seen people give up on what they believe in because someone made them feel as if they were only 1" tall.

When you see a rider kicking themselves after a bad ride, tell them great job for hanging in there. Maybe give them some tips if they're open to it.

When you see that girl show up in the rusty old bumper pull, know she likely put everything she had into her entry fees.

When you see an organization fighting for what they believe in, fight with them if you believe in the same.

When you see the girl too shy to ride, ask her to help you out by hopping on to keep your horse company because it would be an awfully big help.

When you see the girl scared to death in line-up, remind her why she is there and that she has this.

When you see the girl discouraged over progress, remind her how far she has come.

The world is full of ugliness. Horses should be our escape, not a place we feel belittled. We are all incredibly blessed to have horses in our lives. Become a better horseman is hard enough without having others tear you down.

Start normalizing raising each other up and encouraging one another.

07/20/2025

Today is horse show day at the Dickinson County Fair! Rafter S Bar is happy to once again sponsor a Fastest Horse in Dickinson County Award for the 4-H youth. This award will go to the horse and rider team that has the fastest average time over all the speed events of the show. We have some very talented riders in our group so I think this is going to be a very close competition!

Once again Rockin King Customs knocked it out of the park with the gorgeous buckle that will be awarded to the winner today!

07/20/2025

The Dickinson County Fair Barrel Race has been rescheduled to Monday July 21 at 6pm!

05/08/2025

Hey everyone! So it's been a crazy spring for us so far, but I have had a few people asking about lessons for the year. I'm getting back to competing a little more this year and spending a little more time on my personal horses so I'm trying to figure out a plan for my lesson program this summer. That said, I'd like to see what kind of interest I have for the year and go from there. If you might be interested in riding lessons for this summer comment here or send me a message. I'll put you on my list and contact you to get a schedule in place! Thanks for your patience!!

07/26/2024

Well, the Fastest Horse in Dickinson County award at the fair actually ended up coming home with our mare Daisy who was jockeyed through the events by our daughter Addison Anderson! They make such a great team! We are so proud of both of them! It was a very close competition and could have gone multiple ways on Sunday! We have a great group of talented kids and horses in Dickinson County! We will definitely do this award again next year! Congratulations Addison and Daisy!

07/18/2024

Rafter S Bar Performance Horses decided this year we wanted to donate to our county 4H program and present an award. Since we specialize in raising and training barrel and performance horses and many of our lesson students have barrel racing aspirations we decided to present an award for the fastest horse and rider duo in Dickinson County. This will be awarded to the horse and rider with the fastest average time from all the speed events on show day. Rockin' King Customs knocked it out of the park with this gorgeous buckle and I can't wait to present it to the winner on Sunday! There are some very talented hard working kids in the horse project in Dickinson County!!!

04/25/2024

I'm getting a late start on things this year due to some life circumstances and other commitments but we're gearing up to get our summer riding lesson program started for 2024! Right now I am looking at holding lessons on Monday and Tuesday nights. If I have more interest I will look at opening up an additional night during the week. Hour private lessons are $50 per week and half hour private lessons are $30 per week. There is a possibility of a group lesson depending on rider ages and abilities. If you're interested in getting on the schedule send me a message or text me and let's talk!

04/29/2023

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

04/24/2023

Looking forward to another great year in Dayton!

Here are the official flyers for 2023 Match of the Broncs Series! We will be having cowboy church each weekend on Sunday mornings! We are looking forward to another great year! Can't wait for our first rodeo in 2 weeks!

02/15/2023

I searched for the definition of horsemanship today and was disappointed in the result. The result continually stated it was a skill in riding and handling a horse.

I believe that horsemanship is more an art of communication. Horsemanship is understanding and being able to communicate with the horse through body language. It’s common sense and reading a situation. It is understanding how they think and how to help them understand what you are trying to teach them. Every horse is different and their level of sensitivity changes the way we need to communicate with them.

What is your definition of horsemanship?

—Joy

www.betweenthereins.us



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