The Practice Arena Talks: Coaching Moments That Stick
- afenner
- Jul 17
- 2 min read
There’s something sacred about the practice arena.
It’s sunbaked, echoing with hoofbeats, and often scattered with cones, barrels, and coaching echoes. But more than that — it’s where real conversations unfold in between practice runs and water breaks.
At Rad Rodeo, we’ve learned that the biggest lessons don’t always happen in competition. They happen in the quiet after the run, the pause before the practice, or the cool-down walk back to the stalls.
That’s when the coaching that really matters comes through.
Timing Is Everything — and Not Just in the Saddle
You can’t coach a frustrated kid in the middle of a meltdown.
You wait.
You brush horses together. You clean tack side by side. You give them a minute. And then, when the moment’s right, you say just enough to help them:
Celebrate what went right.
Reflect on what went wrong.
See that effort matters more than outcome.
Those conversations — not the loud, emotional ones, but the quiet, thoughtful ones — are where the real trust builds.
Let the Kids Lead
Sometimes the best thing you can do is shut up and listen.
We’ve had more breakthroughs just by asking:
"How’d that feel?"
"What would you try different next time?"
"What do you think your horse was telling you?"
Kids don’t need a lecture. They need space to think out loud. The practice arena gives them that.
Real Coaching Is Personal
You can’t coach every kid the same way.
One might need a push.
Another might need a hug.
Some need a checklist.
Others need a challenge.
The practice arena is where you learn who your kids really are. Where you learn what makes them tick, what shuts them down, and what helps them grow.
Life Lessons Hide in the Little Moments
It’s not always about the horses. Sometimes it’s:
How to shake off a bad run.
How to talk through nerves before a big one.
How to be okay when things don’t go like you planned.
That’s the magic of this life — the barn becomes the classroom, and the saddle becomes the stage for something bigger.
Final Thoughts
At Rad Rodeo, the practice arena is where we coach — but it’s also where we connect.
Because long after they forget that one run, they’ll remember how it felt to talk it through with someone who believed in them.
And that’s what really sticks.
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Ann-Marie Fenner
Ranch Manager, Breeder, Rodeo Mom
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