It’s Not Just a Phase: What Horses Teach Teens About Purpose
- afenner
- Jul 16
- 2 min read
Teenagers get a bad rap. “They’re lazy.” “They’re lost.” “It’s just a phase.”
But when you raise teens around horses — on a ranch, in the arena, hauling to rodeos — you see something different. You see fire. You see focus. You see kids who wake up early, stay up late, and care deeply.
At Rad Rodeo, we don’t believe it’s just a phase. We believe it’s the making of something lasting.
Horses Give Them Purpose
Horses aren’t hobbies. They’re responsibility, rhythm, and reason to show up.
You don’t hit snooze when a horse needs fed.
You don’t skip practice when you’ve got a futurity horse to ride.
You don’t ghost your run when you’ve entered up.
Teenagers thrive when they feel needed — and horses always need you.
They Learn to Work Toward Something
In a world of instant everything, horses demand the opposite:
Progress takes weeks, not hours.
Breakthroughs come after plateaus.
Winning means doing the boring stuff — daily.
And teenagers who stick with it? They start to see the value in long-term effort.
They Build Real Identity, Not Just Image
On the back of a horse, there’s no filter. No algorithm. No chasing likes.
Just you, the saddle, and the run.
Teens grow into themselves in the saddle — not as a persona, but as a person. Confident. Capable. Clear on what matters.
The Arena Is a Safe Place to Struggle
Every teen struggles. With emotions. With expectations. With who they are becoming.
The arena gives them a safe space to:
Fail forward.
Blow off steam.
Feel proud of something they earned.
That’s more than sport. That’s therapy with a cinch.
Final Thoughts
At Rad Rodeo, we don’t see teen rodeo life as a phase to grow out of — we see it as a path to grow into.
Because the lessons they learn here — commitment, responsibility, identity, grit — will stay with them far beyond the last high school rodeo.
And we’re proud to saddle up beside them.
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Ann-Marie Fenner
Ranch Manager, Breeder, Rodeo Mom
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