Big Dreams, Small Towns: Making a Life in the Middle of Nowhere
- afenner
- Jul 19
- 2 min read
People love to ask, “Why don’t you move somewhere bigger?”
More opportunity. More races. More horses. More chances to “make it.”
But at Rad Rodeo, we know that the middle of nowhere is exactly where big dreams get built — because small towns have a way of shaping people with grit, guts, and staying power.
We Don’t Need Big Crowds to Chase Big Goals
Sure, we may not have a fancy indoor or a big-name trainer down the road. But we’ve got:
Dirt that’s been worked by us.
Horses with heart, not just papers.
Kids who know how to ride, feed, and rebuild pens all before lunch.
Our goals are big. Our dreams are bold. And we don’t need a city skyline to chase them.
We Make the Most of What We Have
Living rural means you get creative:
Turnouts become training pens.
Bales double as bleachers.
Your family become your best friends
There’s pride in doing more with less — and a whole lot of skill in making it work.
Community Still Means Something Out Here
In small towns, people show up. When a kid qualifies for Nationals? Everyone knows. When a kid puts in the work and it shows? Folks take notice and talk about it for weeks.
We don’t have to advertise our success — it rides with us to the jackpot, the local feed store parking lot, and the warm-up pen.
We Build the Dream Brick by Brick
Some folks inherit ranches. Others like us build them from nothing. Some put up pipe corrals by hand, one panel at a time. However it starts — we earn it.
And we teach our kids to do the same:
Don’t wait for perfect.
Don’t whine about what you lack.
Work with what you’ve got.
Because dreaming big doesn’t require moving far — it requires showing up, every day, right where you are.
Final Thoughts
At Rad Rodeo, we don’t need bright lights or big cities to prove anything. We’ve got big dreams right here — among the sagebrush.
This life isn’t easy. But it’s ours. And we’re proud to chase the dream — glitter, grit, and all — from the middle of nowhere.
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Ann-Marie Fenner
Ranch Manager, Breeder, Rodeo Mom
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