Rafter 7C Ranch

07/11/2025

Today we said goodbye to the most amazing horse ever. Joe’s Little Uno was one of a kind, and his nickname of “Uno” reminded us of that every day. He was 26 years old. He taught more children and adults how to ride than I can remember over the past years. Everyone trusted his old soul and easy way of going. The smallest riders could lope him easily. He was an all-around horse in the show pen. He was the fist horse Robert bought for me on Christmas Eve when Uno was a scraggly, gangly 2 year old with more white than I cared to wash. He was terrified of Walmart bags and tarps, but more than willing to do whatever his rider asked of him. He was gentle with calves, patient with everyone, hated being alone, and loved to be pampered and ridden. His last lesson was about a month ago when he told us he was done. Retirement didn’t last long, but his work ethic wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. The good ones are rare. We were blessed for 24 years to know him. God is so good to have lavished us with such a perfect gift of Uno, the horse that paved the way for future riders and their horses. God is good.

07/11/2025

If you know LB, you know that she is the hardest person to wake up in the mornings, often finds excuses to steer clear of chores, and values downtime. However when it comes to horse show days all of that changes! She was up first, worked hard, and is the most excited person I know today! What a blessing she is to see such passion and fire!

It made me think about our passion and fire to share the gospel with others. For this girl, she will talk just a much about Jesus as she does horses. It’s a lesson for me today. Focus on what’s important: every individual having an opportunity to choose Jesus as their Lord and surrender all to Him! So thankful for this opportunity this weekend!

07/09/2025

Love these young riders showing off their skills in their Rafter 7C Ranch outfits. Ball caps are available in 4 colors for only $25 ($20 for current riders). Get yours today!

07/09/2025

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

💪🏻

07/04/2025

As we celebrate our nation’s Day of Independence, I pray we never forget the true eternal freedom found only in Christ Jesus alone.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭36‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.8.36.ESV

Thank you Alana and Rio for the photos of a lifetime.

06/29/2025

Whatever the discipline, balance of the seat is fundamental!

“Today, the School’s Riders and First Riding Masters, who have served a long apprenticeship in their profession, are such guardians of tradition. They started as pupils in the stables wearing a simple gray uniform. They then learned their trade, and a good seat in particular, on the so-called “Professors”, the old, tried stallions of the School, because learning to sit comes before learning to ride, and only from a secure, pliant, well-balanced seat comes a feeling for the correct aids. Those fine, invisible signs by which the rider communicates with a horse were in fact learned from well-ridden horses who would not dream of acting upon a false aid.
The seat – the rider’s weight which must at all times be fully balanced with the horse that bears it - is of fundamental importance because an incorrect seat will cause the rider’s weight to distort every movement of the horse.

The last word on this, the true basis of all riding, comes from the Director of the Spanish Riding School, Kurt Albrecht, in his book Dogmas of the Art of Riding (1981).
It sounds almost too simple: “The rider must seek to distribute his own center of gravity over the horse and maintain it there throughout every movement, whatever the gait he may require of the animal…”

However, it is no easy thing when the horse canters, gallops, turns, bends, and rising on its hind legs, or even makes a frightened sideways jump. In all circumstances, however, Albrecht says, “…security of the seat is not a matter of keeping a grip with the legs or holding the reins, but entirely of maintaining balance in the saddle.”
Quote courtesy of the book THE SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL: Four Centuries of Classic Horsemanship by Hans Handler

Photo of Oberbereiter Klaus Krzisch and Siglavy Mantua I courtesy of the book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dressage (Martin Diggle)

06/26/2025

Thank you Kaycee Rippey and her amazingly patient photography skills (ever try to get a mule’s ears to stand up when he doesn’t want to?)! We are so excited to see where this wild and crazy group of riders goes this fall. Fun times ahead wherever God leads, whether in the show pen or for fun. God did this and we are so blessed!

06/26/2025

Hot days call for trail rides and barn classes. So thankful for so many opportunities to get out and learn about God, our character, and His creation every day!

06/23/2025

An amazing clinic with the MTSU Horse Science Program Ranch horse team and many wonderful people and horses. A sudden heavy downpour even added to some water fun on the trail course! Getting the opportunity to learn, connect, and grow together was enhanced by a special time sharing the Word of God in such a wonderful setting. God did this and we are so blessed!