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A Little Vulnerable Moment

Monday, December 11, 2023

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get this tee at Neon Daisy Co.
click the picture

I've been thinking a lot about where I want to go with barrel racing, and how I can get there lately. I guess because it's the end of 2023, and I thought I'd be so much farther by now. The end of the year is often introspective for me.

I know where I ultimately want to go, and I know what I need to be doing to get there. It just feels like when I start trying that every single thing in the universe works against me. And it makes me question literally everything. 

I think this all goes back to confidence. 

Ultimately, I don't feel confident or like I deserve to do this. And that is something that I learned and internalized based on outside sources telling me this. This is not something that I truly believe with my heart and soul. This is something that has been told to me so many times that I started to question it. I need to get back to the girl who gave it her all, took care of her horses, and believed that we were an unbeatable team. 

What I know is this: I currently have two really amazing horses. One of which is due with a baby in March to a nice stallion who performs well in the roping pen and has a good head. This will give me three really nice horses to run with. 

I also know that I have years of experience riding, training, and running horses. I know that I can handle sticky situations. I know that I can work with horses and get them where I need them. I know that I can build a team with a horse. 

So what keeps holding me back? 

It's only me. I need to get out of my own head and fall back on the things I know...and push the voices of those who told me I couldn't out of my head. I need to use those voices telling me I can't or I'm not good enough as fuel. Because I can think of nothing better than reaching my ultimate goals, and sending them the video links of me proving them wrong. 

I've been working behind the scenes on this, but I'm ready to start sharing all of my journey publicly. I'm ready to let others share in this journey in the hopes that if they're feeling less than confident it helps them. At least letting everyone feeling down that they're not alone.

Essentially I'm ready to get delulu about what I can achieve. I'm about to be my biggest fan. So, let's go. 



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Melvin, the mini donkey

Monday, December 4, 2023

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Does anyone have some animals where their only purpose is to let you hug them and make you feel better when you have a bad day?

I have a few, but Melvin is basically my therapist when he's not the one causing the need for therapy. I can lay across him, and he will just listen. Sometimes he brays softly as though telling me it's okay, and that he's going to escape tonight.

Anyway, I know I talk a lot about the horses like they're the stars, but I truly love Melvin. He's been one of the biggest blessings to me. He makes me get out of my head and problem solve when I'm trying to teach him things because although they may be similar to horses their brains are completely different. This is good. It's refreshing, and plus look how freaking cute he is! 

Follow the farm socials to see more Melvin HERE! 

Follow Rhonda online here! 

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Horse Fact Friday: Horse First Aid Kit

Friday, December 1, 2023

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We don't want to think about it happening, but the reality is that if you own horses they're going to get hurt. They are literally born trying to un alive themselves. Whatever stupid thing you think cannot possibly happen because there is just no way for them to accomplish it...wrong. They can and they will. 

So here are some must haves that you should always have in your barn for emergency and non-emergency care. Please remember that this advice is not veterinary, medical, or legal advice. And for certain things a veterinarian should ALWAYS be called. 





For full disclosure all of these photos are clickable to my Amazon affiliate account, so I may earn commission if you purchase through those links, but a lot of this you can find at your local feed store or TSC. And some of it you might not need, but there are some things you definitely want in case you need them. 

And some of the things can be hacked with other things. Like if you can't get ice boots, a cold hose works. For me, I need the ice boots because the summer in Arizona means the water temp from the hose is warm already. If your horse is barefoot, you probably don't need shoe pullers. 

Bare minimum I think you need a way to get a wound clean and wrapped for the trip to the vet, and a way to stop massive bleeds until the vet arrives. And it's probably a good idea to be able to dress minor wounds that don't require veterinary attention. 

Next Friday, I'll be sharing minimum items you need to bring your horse home. I'll reference this blog as the equine first aid kit. 

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Shop Neon Daisy and Support a Dream

Monday, November 27, 2023

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 At multiple points in my life I've run businesses. They've provided extra income most of the time and a few times provided the entirety of my income. But the things they've all had in common are that they all are run with the goal of supporting a dream. 

When you see barrel racers or other competitive equestrian sport people out here running side hustles, in addition to their main horse focus, it's because it's expensive to play these horse sport games. And it's time consuming to get to the level that many of us are focused on getting to at some point in our lives. So when you support those businesses, you're not just supporting the business itself. You're supporting a dream and helping to make it happen. 

Neon Daisy is currently my only shop after closing Lust + Lore. I have some other things in the works, but losing the income from L+L was a setback. It was one that I had to do for the sake of my mental health. And we face those setbacks, both in and out of the arena, at times. It's just part of it. 

This blog post is about telling you what Neon Daisy stands for. This shop encompasses cowgirls. And when we say cowgirls...we mean ANYONE who wants to be a cowgirl. It doesn't matter how you dress, talk, walk, ride, or whatever...if you want to be a cowgirl, that's enough. You are one. We don't care if you have forty horses or none. Cowgirl is a state of mind. 

The majority of our items are made to order (excepting boutique and sale items). We choose brands that have eco friendly processes and ethical working conditions. We believe in protecting the planet because it's the only one we have, and we believe that all workers should be treated fairly. Currently most of our items (excepting sale items and boutique items) are shipped directly from our print partners so that we can ensure a speedy delivery. The shipping materials they use are created from post consumer recycled plastics and can be recycled again. 

The designs are either ones we have designed ourselves or purchased from the designer for commercial use. We believe in supporting other small businesses for our boutique items and designs that we purchase. We also have an artist program that allows for artists to submit designs that they get paid for letting us use. 

So when you support Neon Daisy, you are supporting not only my dream but the dreams of other small businesses as well. 

Come check us out! 

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Horse Fact Friday: Barrel Racing Terms for Beginners

Friday, November 24, 2023

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As I was picking out terms and writing this I had to remind myself multiple times to make the definitions short. They are oversimplified, and there is still a lot to learn. However, this will give folks new to the sport of barrel racing a place to start on these definitions. 

I could write an entire blog post on each of these, but then I reminded myself to just KISS (keep it simple stupid), and so here we are! 

I remember when I was super young (like 12), and I had started hitting barrels with the horse I was riding. A lady told me he was "dropping his shoulder" and "cheating me on the backside" and that if I resolved those issues I'd go back to running a clean pattern. I had no freaking clue what she meant by that and because I'm old I couldn't even take to the internet to google what she meant because google literally did not exist. I hope that these definitions help someone just starting out in the sport. And some of these definitions are just general ones used in riding. 

Barrel Racing Terms
  1. The D System: developed by the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) as a handicapping system for more fair competition. The fastest time sets the brackets and is the 1st Division (1D). Then half a second after the fastest time sets the 2nd Division (2D). A full second after the fastest time sets the 3rd Division (3D), and two full seconds after the fastest tee sets the 4th Division (4D). Some producers choose to do a 5D and make them all half second splits, so make sure to read the rules of entry as they can vary slightly at different races. 
  2. Producer: person or people who oversees the event
  3. Bottom of the ground: last to go before the drag
  4. Crying Hole: one out of the money (if an event pays to 10 places this would be 11th place)
  5. Drag: when the tractor goes around the arena to make the dirt nice again
  6. Drug his butt around the barrel: the horse got really low around the barrel and close to the ground using his hindquarters well
  7. Free Runner: a naturally running horse that does not need to be encouraged to open up. May have issues with rating.
  8. Hot: horse is excited, wound up
  9. Legged up: in good physical condition
  10. Performance (perf): a rodeo run with the crowds
  11. Pocket: the amount of space left between the horse and the barrel coming into the turn to give them room to turn it without knocking it over
  12. Push Style: opposite of free runner, this type of horse needs to be pushed to run, and rates well. Also sometimes referred to as "ratey"
  13. Rate: the slowing of speed approaching the barrel
  14. Slack: a rodeo run without the crowd, typically in the early morning or late evening
  15. Sound: healthy horse that is not lame
  16. Standard Pattern: the distance between the barrel and from the timer to the barrels is the same. A standard pattern measures 60 feet from the timer to the first and second barrels, 90 feet between the first and second barrel, and 105 feet between both the first and second barrel and the third barrel. 
  17. Exhibitions/Time Onlies: paid time slot to get in the arena with the barrels up at an event, usually limited to 60 seconds, this is the time to practice
  18. Cheating: horse cuts in on the barrels to make incomplete turns - "cheats" to take less steps
  19. Dropping the shoulder/shouldering: horse leaves the desired path of travel cutting to the inside, there is a fall in elevation of the front end and a desire to turn too soon
  20. Inside/Outside: the inside is towards the flexion, and the outside is the opposite of that. For example, in a left bend the inside would the left of the horse/rider and the outside would be the right of the horse/rider. If a trainer said to use inside rein/outside leg you would use the left rein and the right leg in the left turn or bend. 
If there are any terms you still want defined or would like more information on or videos of please contact me on social media and I would be glad to find those for you! 


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WHEN TO QUIT

Monday, November 20, 2023

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It might sound backwards to say that it's important to know when to quit, but it's honestly one of the most important things to know in life, and especially with animals. 

As I shared on tiktok last week, I had a training session with Bash where I had to get to a positive point, then quit. Bash is one of those horses that is the sweetest thing; he will follow you around and stick his head into the halter for you. However, he also lacks confidence. He's the epitome of the stereotypical goofy bay gelding. And that's fine. It just means I have to approach working him differently than some of the others we have. Getting frustrated with him because he's unsure never helps. Being able to feel myself getting frustrated so that I know when to quit does help. 

It does not mean that you're letting the horse get away with things. As I stated in my video I quit after getting the desired result a few times then end on that good note. 

And not only quitting with training. It's perfectly okay to acknowledge that you are not vibing with a horse and find a different horse. Or a trainer. Or really anything in your life. I recently shut down a successful small shop because it was mentally draining me. 

How do you know when to quit?

Well with training sessions, it's important to quit before you get frustrated and lose sight of the overall goal. End on a good note and try another day. Even if the good note is just practicing something the animal has already previously mastered. It doesn't have to be the something new. 

With overall larger things, like deciding that the animal you're working with isn't clicking with you. Then I say once you realize that it's not a good fit find that animal a home where it is a good fit, and find a horse that is a good fit for you. It does no one any good...you or the horse to try to fit when it's just frustrating for both of you. Only you can judge what is too frustrating for you or if it's just a phase or if you can push through the issues. 

I just personally believe that many horses wind up with issues after being paired with riders or trainers that work against them constantly rather than working with them. If you can't work with them then let them go to someone you can. There are tons of horses out there for you to find one that you can work with. 

Knowing when to quit or pivot can help us so so much in life. We don't have to fight battles that we really don't care about. It's all about defining our goals and then letting go of the things that don't serve those overall goals. 

Until next time! 

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