Bates Performance Horses

12/13/2025

The rain is coming in late Tuesday evening, and then we are going to be rained out for awhile. If you want to get in on lessons, I’d get scheduled for Sunday - Tuesday. We won’t be dry for awhile! ☔️ ☹️

https://calendly.com/shelbybates/privatelesson

12/13/2025

12/12/2025

12/12/2025

Needing something for the barrel racer in your life? I have two cheetah/pink tail bags available, as well as gift cards for lessons available too 🎄🎅🏽

Tail Bags / $20 each
Gift Cards / $100 per hour

12/11/2025

I absolutely love my Bemer, and I ordered through Owen Equine & Co. If you’re needing one, be sure to contact Kaeley and let her know I sent you 🎄

12/10/2025

There’s a million things I do to keep my horses comfortable on the road, but here are a couple simple ones that you can do too -

Concrete. My horses don’t know what standing on concrete feels like. I bring a stall mat with me everywhere, and they absolutely love it. If you don’t have a mat, I’d recommend some Cloud Boots or Soft Rides, even just a bag or two of shavings. Standing around on concrete all day will make a horse sore, so anything you can do to make them more comfortable will benefit them!

Hauling. I have a four horse trailer, but it often turns into a two horse trailer. My stud stall is primarily used for storage of hay, my mat, buckets, shavings, etc so I’ve already lost one stall. My second stall in the trailer has a manger in the front and the wheel well in the back so it isn’t huge. If I’m only hauling 1-2 horses, I will open this stall up to give that horse more room. I bungee the divider back to the last divider in the trailer. A stall & a half can make a difference in how these horses travel. The last stall in my trailer doesn’t have a wheel well and it is the widest stall in the trailer. So when I haul two horses, I make sure that I give my horses as much room as I can give them to ensure they are as comfortable as they can be.

It’s the simple things that add up in the long run. If you can keep your horses comfortable, the better they are going to perform for you 💫

12/10/2025

Even though it’s cold, foggy, and miserable out - keep riding your horse! The next rodeos are coming up soon, a fit horse is going to outrun the ones that are out of shape, every time. A fit horse is less likely to encounter injuries too. Get bundled up and ride your horse 🩵✨

12/09/2025

As a reminder, all private lessons must be booked online. I will no longer be doing any scheduling through text or messenger. The 10 day weather forecast looks great, so make sure to get on the schedule. The link for lessons will be permanently linked to this page to make it easily accessible 😊

https://calendly.com/shelbybates/privatelesson?month=2025-12&fbclid=IwRlRTSAOkcihleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe1i5E3f0a7mhBMszuwdb6SI6JDWrSnoe6k2kzhQaEZOCpEgI1FWpyhVRwHf8_aem_xtgzfUtFB0bfZp-dPZ6DGg

12/08/2025

12/08/2025

Fun fact about my horse Sherlock - he helped Stevi Hillman qualify to the NFR in 2019 💚 While he never ran down the alleyway of the Thomas & Mack, he was one of five horses that Stevi brought with to Vegas that year. Here he is in an interview that Barrel Horse News did that year 📹

12/08/2025

I pay attention to every detail of gamesmanship in our sport. Some seemingly small decisions are important year-round. But no rodeo matters more than this one, with gold buckles on the line at this little $13,501,505 cowboy contest we call the National Finals Rodeo. Shad Mayfield’s won more “Money” than anybody here in a single event—two Ws and big checks in every round to the total tune of $120,201 in just the first four.

Who’s Money Mayfield got in his corner here? Two-time World Team Roping Titlist Junior Nogueira, who won the 2016 World All-Around Cowboy crown with money also won in the tie-down roping. Junior lost his dad at 5, but Lucinei Nunes Nogueira Sr’s roping DNA—those who watched him work say he was like “The Trevor Brazile of Brazil”—runs hot in Junior’s veins.

So, Mr. Money Mayfield, why’d you choose Junior to stand in your corner with you under these scorching-hot spotlights at the Thomas & Mack?

“I want someone who wants to see me win, as well as someone who can pay attention to make sure everything is right with my horse sitting in the corner and that calf in the chute. I pick Junior, because I know he’s on my side, and you can see his reaction when I make a good run. He knows how to be a winner, and he’s got my back in the box.”

Our innermost circle—who we trust with absolute confidence to have our backs—is everything in this life.

Who’s in your corner?

~


Thanks for sharing the ride, Las Tunas Performance Horses and Reliance Ranches. Great shot, Lara St Jacques Photography.