Bates Performance Horses

09/15/2026

𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚.

It’s you.

Horses are mirrors. They are a direct reflection of what we’re feeling, what we’re thinking, and what we’re doing in the saddle.

If I’m nervous, my horse feels it.

If I’m bracing, my horse feels it.

If I’m looking at the barrel, my horse knows exactly where I’m asking them to go.

And then we get mad at the horse.

I watch people brace for a turn all the time. They’ve hit that barrel enough times that they can already feel their kneecap getting sliced, so they brace for impact instead of sitting down and riding their horse through the turn to their spots.

Now the horse braces too.

They get stiff through the rib cage, lose their shape, and either hit the barrel or pull off it wide.

Or someone looks directly at the barrel and their horse takes their chest straight to it.

You can’t be mad at your horse for doing exactly what your body told them to do.

You didn’t say it out loud.

But your body language did.

I see it with nervous kids all the time. The kid gets nervous, the horse gets hot, the kid gets tighter, the horse gets hotter… and now they’re feeding off each other.

Then someone else gets on the same horse and suddenly that horse walks around like it’s on a trail ride.

The horse didn’t magically change.

The rider did.

When my students look down while riding, I always ask:

“Do you want to go down there?”

“No.”

“Then look where you want to go.”

It really can be that simple.

Your horse is constantly reading you: your hands, your seat, your eyes, your shoulders, your tension, your confidence.

So before you blame the horse, ask yourself:

What am I telling them?

Because sometimes your horse isn’t the problem.

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧.

09/14/2026

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙒𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙏𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚

I’ll tolerate quite a bit from a horse, especially if they’re winning.

They want to have a personality? Fine.
They’re opinionated? Fine.
They want to get away with a couple things? I can live with it.

As long as it’s safe.

But there is one thing I absolutely will not tolerate:

A horse that walks on top of me.

Dragging me around. Giving me a flat tire. Rubbing all over me. Walking in my personal space like I’m not even there.

Nope.

That’s where I draw the line.

I see it a lot with kids’ horses that come here. And usually, the first week a new horse is here, getting them from their stall to turnout takes a little longer.

If I stop, they stop.
If I back up, they back up.
If I move, they move.

And if they walk into me, we stop, back up, and try it again.

I’ll do it 20 times if I have to.

Because respect starts on the ground.

If your horse doesn’t respect your space when you’re leading them, why do you think they’re suddenly going to respect you when you’re running full speed towards the first barrel?

That horse that wants to run you over on the ground might be the same horse that runs past your barrel, blows through your rate, or ignores you when the adrenaline hits.

You don’t have to take the personality out of a horse.

But you do need boundaries.

Let them be a horse.
Let them express themselves.

𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮.

09/14/2026

🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

09/14/2026

God gave you a dream now go work for it.

09/14/2026

Time for the ice nails this week 🔨

09/13/2026

𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙡 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮?

I’ll go first… $9.09 in Loomis, CA 🤢

09/13/2026

These are the very best reins out there!!! There’s nothing that compares to their feel. Use code ‘Shelby’ for a discount ✨🪩

09/13/2026

09/13/2026

𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜

As we head into a new season of rodeos, jackpots and barrel races, our horses are going to be around A LOT more horses. That means it’s a good time for a few reminders about preventing the spread of disease.

Don’t share water buckets. And don’t stick the end of a communal hose into your horse’s bucket, or directly into their mouth. You have no idea what horse was drinking from that hose before yours.

Don’t share grooming supplies, tack, buckets, blankets, etc. Diseases like strangles, EHV and equine influenza can spread through nasal discharge, saliva, coughing, sneezing and contaminated equipment.

And remember, a horse can be shedding a virus before they ever LOOK sick.

That’s one reason I try to create as much separation between horses as I can. If I’m staying at an event and have the option, I’ll get an extra stall and use it as a tack/feed stall. It gives me more room between my horses and the horses next to me and helps prevent them from standing there touching noses.

Obviously, that’s not always allowed or practical, but when I can do it, I will.

Keep the flies under control. Flies can mechanically carry infectious organisms from horse to horse, so fly control is still important.

I also disinfect buckets, hoses, wagons, grooming equipment and anything else that gets used around multiple horses. Rescue is a great veterinarian professional strength option to use for disinfecting everything.

There are also things your veterinarian can do to support a horse’s immune response around stressful situations like travel. EqStim is an IV immunostimulant that some veterinarians use in certain situations, so it’s something to discuss with your vet.

I know we all love riding around with our friends, and you don’t have to stop doing that. Just be smart about it.

Give horses some space.
Don’t let them touch noses.
Don’t share water.
Don’t share equipment.
Disinfect your stuff.

And if your horse is sick or running a fever, don’t take them to the rodeo.

We can’t eliminate every risk, but we can eliminate a lot of unnecessary ones.

𝘼 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙮.