More Than a Time: Why We Celebrate the Ride
- afenner
- Jun 21
- 2 min read
You can run a perfect pattern and still leave the arena without a check. You can knock a barrel and still walk out proud. That’s something we remind our kids — and ourselves — every single weekend.
We chase time, yes. But that’s not the whole story.
At Rad Rodeo, we believe the ride itself matters more than the time on the clock. We ride for progress, for partnership, and for the lessons that show up when things don’t go as planned.
The Win You Can’t Measure
There’s no stopwatch that captures:
A kid riding through nerves for the first time.
A young one handling pressure like a pro.
A parent high-fiving a rider who just had an amazing run.
Those are wins. Even if the timer says otherwise.
Some of our proudest moments came after "losing" runs. The ones where:
A horse finally "ran" the whole pattern.
A kid kept their composure during an unexpected mishap.
We held our heads high and supported a teammate who ran faster.
That’s competition. And that’s what we’re here to teach.
From the Stands to the Dirt
As a rodeo mom, I’ve seen my kids cry in the trailer and celebrate like they won the NFR in the same weekend. Sometimes in the same day.
We remind them:
Your time isn’t who you are.
Your mistakes don’t define you.
Your effort is always worth cheering for.
The arena is a classroom, not a courtroom.
For the Long Haul
Rodeo isn’t a single season. It’s a journey.
You don’t know which run your kid will remember 20 years from now.
You can’t predict which loss will build the most grit.
You won’t always see growth in the results — but it’s happening.
So yes, we set goals. Yes, we work hard to improve times and clean up patterns. But more than anything, we celebrate the effort from the rider who keeps showing up.
Final Thoughts
It’s okay to want to win. Trust me we do too. But don’t forget: every single run is part of the bigger story.
Celebrate the ride. The effort. The comeback. The courage.
Because what lasts longer than a check is the rider you become chasing it.
—
Ann-Marie Fenner
Ranch Manager, Breeder, Rodeo Mom
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