Why We Rodeo: Grit, Growth, and the Ride That Matters Most

I was standing behind the first barrel — camera in hand, dust settling on my boots, and watching one of our home-trained stud lope his first real pattern. It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t fast. But it was perfect.

Because that run was about more than the clock. The horse was learning, his rider was growing, and most of all our program was starting.

That’s what RadRodeo.com is here to celebrate — the honest, gritty, beautiful process behind the scenes of a winning run,. The parts you don’t post on social media, but that define who you are as a rider, breeder, coach, or mom.

Why I’m Writing

My name is Ann-Marie Fenner. I’m a breeder, a businesswoman, a coach’s, and most importantly — a rodeo mom.

I’ve spent my life on the back of a horse, behind the panels of an arena, in front of an ultrasound screen, or behind the wheel of a dually hauling kids and horses to the next event.

And I’ve learned this: it’s not about the winning buckles or titles. It’s about who we become on the road to chasing them.

RadRodeo.com is for the families building something more than horses. We’re building strong resilient kids, we’re building courage, we’re building a legacy — one run, one lesson, one long night at a time.

What You’ll Find Here

This isn’t just a blog. It’s a Western family coaching journal. A collection of stories, advice, and resources for anyone raising riders, raising horses, or just trying to raise the bar.

You can expect:

• Mental Toughness & Mindset Tools for competitors and rodeo parents

• Run Reviews & Coaching Tips for barrel and pole patterns

• Breeding Insights gained the hardway

• Behind-the-Gate Stories from ranch life and rodeo weekends

• Support for Parents coaching youth athletes in and out of the arena

If you’re trying to do right by your kids, your horses, and this Western life — even when it’s hard — then you’re in the right place.

3 Lessons This Life Keeps Teaching Me

Whether you’re searching for embryos or hoping your daughters have clean runs, here are three things I come back to:

1. You Don’t Have to Be Perfect — Just Present

Some days the horse cooperate, Some days your kid doesn't listen or do what you know they can. Some days you want to cry. That’s okay. Show up anyway. Your presence is power.

2. The Mental Game Is Where Champions Are Made

I’ve seen just as many runs lost in the warm-up pen as the arena. Confidence is a skill. And we can teach it — to our horses, and to our kids.

3. The Quiet, Unseen Work is the Real Work

We don’t post the early mornings, the all night drives, the failed practice runs, or the breeding disappointments. But that’s where success starts — in the dark, when nobody’s watching.

What’s Coming Next

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing:

• Coaching-style critiques of real barrel and pole runs

• Mental strategies we use with our own kids and clients

• Breeding tips from inside our program — what works, what doesn’t

• Stories from the road and the ranch — the funny, the tough, and the sacred

We’re also launching a podcast soon — so you can listen from the barn, the truck, or the stands.

💌 Let’s Stay Connected

If you love this life — even when it’s hard…

If you want tools to help your horses, your kids, or yourself get better…

If you’re proud to raise gritty riders and great humans…

Then I hope you’ll stick around.

Subscribe to the blog, follow along on [Instagram] and [Facebook], and let’s build this community together.

We’ve got stories to tell, horses to raise, kids to coach — and a whole lot of good ground ahead.

— 

Ann-Marie Fenner 

Ranch Manager, Breeder, Rodeo Mom 

RadRodeo.com