Liz Parkman Performance Horses

09/07/2024

You'll wait forever for the time to be right. It doesn't matter if it's not perfect, just begin!

Start today. 💪🏼🙌🏼

09/02/2024

So often people speak of the Great horses as the ones with the accolades - the championship ribbon, trophy, money earnings - and often forget about the ones that start our journey for us, and that takes a different kind of greatness.

I have a mentor that once spoke candidly about the reality of the Equine Industry and its future as a whole. Speaking of the average citizen, and youth in the US, how are people able to experience horses, or be introduced to them in real life? Truthfully, at the time, I hadn't given it much thought.

The reality is, in daily life, the average person has no exposure to a live horse. Why is this significant? How is our industry meant to grow and continue if the average person, or youth, growing up in the city or suburbs has no access to live horses? Their experience with horses is that TV show, movie, video game, state fair or carriage horse in the city. Perhaps they are traveling with family and see them in a field while driving down the road and are struck by their particular kind of magic.

For those that are financially able horseback riding lessons are one of the only consistent ways for them to be introduced to horses. Horses that are “qualified” as beginner lesson horses have one of the most difficult jobs, not because what they do is always physically difficult, but because not only must they be safe enough for a beginner to handle on the ground, they also must have an infinite amount of patience while a new rider develops balance, strength, timing and coordination to ride.

Not only must they be trained to know all the cues of what they should do, they must also know what unintentional signals they should not respond to, or what an appropriate response is in the event of incorrect cues. New riders can bounce, lean, and grip tightly with their hands and legs. As prey animals many horses will increase their own tension and be reactive instead of slowing, stopping, or otherwise helping an inexperienced rider. The best ones know how to help a new rider, yet challenge them enough as they advance to require the rider to work with increasing precision to get the desired maneuver from the horse.

Last week we unexpectedly had to make the heart wrenching decision to humanely euthanize one of our main lesson horses, Sasquatch. He was one of the great ones that understood his role no matter the rider or the job put in front of him. He was a joy to be around, a goofball and full of kindness, but challenged riders as they advanced, and made them step up to the plate. He only stepped into the show pen once, and handled it like an old pro. He rode out on the trail as well as he did in the arena, and never said no to a new job. Not many will carry anyone from 2 to 70 and keep them safe. I have lost count of the number of lives he has touched, he was well loved, and will be sorely missed for years to come. Thanks for the rides Bud.

“The best horses in heaven have no tail. This is a rule they all know without fail. For when a new horse arrives with a short cut bob, they all know that this horse did a very good job.”

Out of respect for those mourning, please keep comments to condolences only. Please PM me directly if Sasquatch had touched your life and you would like to know further details.

08/16/2024

𝙏𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘿𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙞𝙚 🖤

As our Cow Horse qualifiers enter the pen at The Run For A Million tonight each of them will be sporting a black wild rag in honor of the late, Doug Williamson. For those who knew Doug his signature style always included a wild rag.

Dawson Performance Horses LLC | Justin Wright | Kelby Phillips Performance Horses | Koch Cowhorses | Volmer Cutting & Reined Cow Horses | Steffen Performance Horses | Trahern Ranch | Home Ranch Performance Horses | Sleeping Dog Ranch | Jake Telford Training | Erin Taormino Performance Horses | Rice Performance Horses | Corey Cushing Performance Horses | Parkinson Performance Horses

08/14/2024

A true legend.

07/28/2024

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒅...
We all have that image in our heads. The new winner wraps their arms around a sweaty horse with gratitude as they catch their breath. The dust from the winning shot still lingers in the air while the crowd cheers and photographers rush to capture the flood of happy emotions.
What we don’t often see captured in the photos is 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲. What we don’t often see in the photos is 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁. What we don’t often see in the photos is 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. We all know it, and we know it well. Whether it's team roping, another discipline, a business, whatever, failure, if you're doing anything is, at some point, inevitable. Why? Because as Billie Jack Saebens stated, “You're going to lose way more than you win. We all think about the winners when they win," he reflected. "We don't think about the losers when we win.”
Billie Jack had six runs in the highest paying Rope Horse Futurity in history on Saturday, and he didn’t catch one steer. Not one. He was mounted on some of the best heel horses in the country. He was prepared. His horses were prepared. Yet, he didn't get one score. This is a guy who works sun up to sun down. A guy who ropes nearly every day. This is a guy whose word matters. A guy that does right by his customers and right by their horses. A guy who recently ranked in the top 10 on ARHFA’s list of Top Riders for 2024. But on this particular day, he just could not get it together. He, by definition, failed.
So what goes through someone’s head after a day like that? For Billie Jack, failing is fuel.
“I have to get better. It’s that simple. I need to work harder," he said the morning following the event. "Yes, I’ll go back and watch the videos and try to see what happened and where I can improve, but for me it comes down to work. I’ll work harder. It’s easy to beat yourself up, and I’ll do my fair share of it. I have an 18-hour drive home to think about what I did wrong. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s ok. My horses were good. They felt as good as they ever have going into this deal. It just didn’t work out.”

Something else that wasn’t captured in a photo that day, something else that won't go into a database with a chart value or dollar sign on an ad was a valuable memory.
“I was walking Bigs back to his stall, and this kid came up to me and asked for my autograph," Billie Jack recalled. "He said, ‘I’m sorry you didn’t have a good day.’ His dad said they were thinking about breeding to Bigs next year, and we visited for a minute. It was pretty cool. Things like that will remind you real quick what’s important.”
We felt it was important to share this and give people an insight not just to the wins, but also the losses. It isn't the losses or the failures that define us. It's the comeback and it's the lessons we learn along the way that shape us.🖤
📷 EC Equine Marketing

07/26/2024

07/20/2024

Thanks REO for handling our Insurance needs!!

Never 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 quit

07/17/2024

We spent this last weekend in Brenham at the 2nd Annual Chasin Cow's Classic put on by NavaRio Ranch Horse Productions. We had a great time at the live cattle practice Friday evening, and had a great experience for one of our young horse's first show on cattle. A little tough luck kept us out of the running in our open fence run class.

Big thanks to everyone for putting on a fantastic cowhorse jackpot!

Thanks Ayla Kiepert photography service for the fantastic photos!

07/04/2024

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Independence Day!

06/07/2024

Well said.

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

05/20/2024

We had a busy weekend traveling and horse showing!

Our goals were to get some of our young horses out into a show environment and we also had a first horse show for one of our students in our lesson program!

Saturday, we spent our day with Cross Timbers Pain Horse Club, putting some of our youngsters in the show pen, and exposing them to a new facility and show environment.

Sunday we made our way to Arrowheart Ranch for their May show, and what a turn out!

Congratulations to Carsyn and Sugar My Cat, aka "Papaya," on their winning run in the Youth Walk/Trot Ranch Riding, and their second place in their Ranch Rail class!! First horse shows are nerve racking and we set our goals on just showing to learn what horse shows are like and be as correct as we have practiced, knowing that she was going to do her best and all of her hard work showed!!

Sugar My Cat, "Papaya," pulled double duty and brought home second in the Open Ranch Riding Jackpot class with Liz.

What a fantastic weekend!!

05/15/2024

It's been great to step back into the show pen this year! Thanks Tri-County Stock Horse for putting on some fantastic shows! Looking forward to the rest of the show season this year with Tri-County Stock Horse and others with some fantastic horses!

Photo credit: Steed and Hound Photography

05/14/2024

The tools we use to communicate with our horses establish the baseline for our relationship with our horses. Is the way we utilize our tools establishing a clear form of communication and is it leaving our horse with a positive or negative feeling about their job? What we do daily decides a horse's outlook on their work and the amount of try they will offer in the future.

“𝘼 𝙗𝙞𝙩,” 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝘽𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙮 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣, “𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚.”

The legendary California trainer explains the mechanics and uses of the most basic bit of all: the snaffle.

Read all about the snaffle bit and its uses ⬇️ Link in comments

03/08/2024

I never would have imagined..

We want…… more….

That’s the current way of thinking in the horse industry. Heck every industry. We live in a culture so caught up in social media visuals that we don’t even take the time to appreciate the life we live right now.

More Opportunties.
More Money.
More Visiblity.
More Inclusion.
More Participation.
More Main Stream Headlines.
More Cowboys.
More Cowgirls.
More Horses.
More Cattle.

And so…. There are people in our industry that have the capability to fill these needs.

New Incentives.
New Events.
New Headlining Sponsors.
New Concepts.
New Program.

And then… We complain.

Not enough opportunity.
Not enough money.
Not enough support.
Not enough inclusion.
Not enough live streaming.

And then it’s…

Too much money.
Too many events.
Too much production.
Too many rhinestones.
Too many lights.
Too many cameras.
Too much entertainment.

It’s simply the time we are living in globally. Everyone is “connected” by a phone, tablet, laptop, or iPad yet we don’t even know 70% of our friends if they walked by us in public.

While big new events and new ways to produce them are a big change and may seem to limit some I challenge you to take a step back and change your lense to an attitude of gratitude. Be grateful for the people that are willing to funnel so much money into cowboy culture that it’s “cool” globally. So cool in fact, super stars like Beyonce (love her or hate her) want to be part of it too. As you complain from your keyboard about costs, limitations, growth etc think about that little kid that’s never seen a horse work like ours in their lives mesmerized by one of our All Stars on one of the 3 milllion TV’s an event like the Teton Ridge Performance Horses TAPH will reach.

Just as you never know what mare will produce the next game changing champion. We never know what pair of boots will change our industry either or what road they walked to get there. Be it asphalt or red dirt, diamonds and rhinestones or starched jeans and pearl snaps, when one commits to the cowboy culture it’s good for all.

I don’t know about you but as a Mom. I love no more than seeing my little girl walk into a major league sports stadium to watch her heroes in cowboy hats play in the dirt with unicorns at the highest level. If someone would have told me as a little girl… that my little girl… one day, would get to watch her favorite riders compete for millions on national television I would have told you that you were crazy.

Yet here we are….

Long live cowboys and cowgirls…

02/29/2024

Thank you Bar 10 Custom Leather for putting this saddle back together! So happy to have this one back whole again!

Sometimes the wear and tear we put on our gear adds up...30+ years of wear and tear and she still has a long life left now!

02/04/2024

Internship/ Job Opportunity

We have one internship/job opportunity available for the right candidate.

Ideally already local to Ft. Worth Area. Looking for someone available Monday - Thursday. Hours can be somewhat flexible depending on individuals availability (for example: willing to work around a student's class schedule).

Duties will include but not limited to: catching & turning out, grooming, bathing, clipping, saddling, lunging, warming up & cooling down, bathing, feeding supplements, cleaning tack, packing trailer, occasional stall cleaning, etc. Some travel to horse shows possible. Riding opportunity will depend on experience. Ability to bring a horse, or additional monetary stipend dependent upon experience. No housing available at this time.

Prior experience with horses necessary - we work with a variety of horses from green c**ts to finished show horses. Must be a self starter and a team player with a good attitude. We will work hard and have long days.

APPLY to: [email protected]
1. Send a short resume of your experience.
2. Why you want the position and when you could start
3. Include 3 references.

01/31/2024

“Are you going to ride today?”

That is a pretty simple six word question. There are just two possible answers, yes or no.

So think this through---There are 365 days in a year, or 366 this year, and imagine being asked that question each one of those days.

I did the math---

If you answer yes 95% of the time, and you ride one horse, you will ride about 346 times in 2024.
90%----328 rides.
80%---292 rides
70%---255 rides
60%---219 rides
50%---182 rides
40%---146 rides
30%---109 rides
20%---73 rides
10%---36 rides
5%---18 rides.

If you ask almost anyone who is good at some type of physical skill, most of them will tell you that practice is one of the main ways to improve. For riders of horses, at its most basic level, that means riding.

Pretty basic, right? This is not a judgement laden discussion. There are all sorts of reasons why some can answer “yes” more readily than others. But it does point out the inescapable math, practice yes or practice no.

And to really understand this, factor in riding more than one horse, and do that math---

01/14/2024

All of our horses are VERY well taken care of at 4 Hearts Ranch. We are so grateful to the 4Hearts crew for all their tireless work in the cold!

I will be doing some additional checks on our horses, throughout the cold, but everyone has stayed tucked in and toasty!

At 4Hearts Ranch equine boarding community in Fort Worth, Texas, we're busily preparing for the coming Texas Deep Freeze with winter weather precautions and strategies that will set up our on-site crew for success.

01/01/2024

Happy New Year!

We have wrapped up the last details of 2023 and are looking forward to 2024! Thank you to all of our clients that have supported us this year. We are looking forward to continuing to help you reach your goals for the new year!

11/23/2023

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

So incredibly thankful for all of our clients that make living our dream possible! Thanks to all of our individuals and fellow businesses who help us keep our horses happy and healthy! We wouldn't be able to do it without you.

4 Hearts Ranch Thompson Farrier service Weatherford Equine Medical Center, PC Equine Unbound and so many more...

Photo Credit: David Pollard - Photographer

10/01/2023

Something to strive for. 💪🏼

09/02/2023

🚨🚨ATTENTION Banamine Recall🚨🚨

Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside of the United States and Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), is voluntarily recalling three batches of BANAMINE® / BANAMINE®-S (flunixin meglumine injection) 50 mg/mL in the United States, used for injection in cattle, swine and horses to the consumer level due to the presence of particulate matter.

➡️LINK TO ARTICLE IN COMMENTS

Batches:

- BANAMINE 100mL, UIN 065474, NDC 00061-0851-03, Batch 2834102, exp Oct. 2024 (Distribution dates: March 6, 2023, to May 3, 2023)

- BANAMINE 250mL, UIN 065476, NDC 00061-0851-04, Batch 2864102, exp Nov. 2024 (Distribution dates: June 21, 2023, to July 11, 2023)

- BANAMINE-S 100mL, UIN 065477, NDC 0061-1838-30, Batch 2834103, exp Oct. 2024 (Distribution dates: March 20, 2023, to May 16, 2023)

08/27/2023

Rest but don’t quit. ♥️

08/25/2023

Morningtime amongst the herd. Out to catch my next equine gives me the opportunity to see some of the most beautiful times of day.

Thanks David Pollard for helping edit my photos!

08/06/2023

SOLD
For your consideration

Dodger is a 3-4 year old GRADE gelding. He is a big, strong, stout gelding ready to go in any direction you need. This guy has tons of personality, and looks to boot. Wants to stop big. A pretty enough mover he could go do some cowboy dressage, or ranch versatility and get you noticed; big enough and strong enough you could go rope off him on the ranch. He has been exposed to cattle and started on the flag. He will ride out alone or with others. He has been starting to ride one handed. Not a finished horse, he is still intermediate rider and up recommended. Hauls, ties, bathes, stands for farrier, good for vet. UTD on vaccines, coggins, feet. Located in Ft Worth, TX. Delivery for additional fee possible. More photos and video on request. Call/text or PM for more info.

08/04/2023

Because a dream without a plan is just a wish. 😉

07/30/2023

✨TRAINING SPOTS AVAILABLE✨

C**t starting (90 day minimum), tune-ups (30-60 days), full-time training & showing

Whether it's starting a c**t for the first time, tuning up an older horse, I want to help you meet your goals with your horse.

I have a limited number of training spots available c**t starting, tune ups, and full-time training & showing. I focus on creating a working horse that has the ability to be truly versatile weather it is a trail ride one day, riding out to check cattle, or heading into town to a horse show.

Show horses are focused on ranch riding, ranch horse versatility, and cow horse events.

Free evaluations/consults offered within a 30 minute radius. To hold your training spot, there is a non-refundable deposit required with a signed training contract.

Contact me directly via call/text or message me here on our page with any questions or inquiries.

07/30/2023

We'd like to introduce a new face to our main team!

Please welcome Sasquatch, our new lesson horse!

Sasquatch was originally started in our program, and we recently bought him back as we have been in need of a lesson horse for some time and have not had a horse that fit the bill.

We are now offering a limited number of lessons thanks to this kind, patient guy. Beginner to advanced lessons are available, beginner adults are welcome.

From basic horsemanship for beginners to advancing into the show pen, lessons focus on building a foundation on all around horsemanship from basic care and grooming to advanced riding techniques.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about horses and riding, shoot us a message, call or text!

07/27/2023

We had a great time at the Chasin Cows classic put on by NavaRio Ranch Horse Productions last weekend. It was such a great opportunity to get out into a new arena and meet some new folks! We are looking forward to some of their fall series shows!

Photo Credit: Caballo Creative Co.

07/19/2023

We are lucky to know some great people and be able to call them friends!

We had the privilege of having Chelse Freeman of Equine Unbound out this morning to work on a few of our horses. Chelse is a certified Equine Massage therapist that combines her lifetime of experience with horses with traditional Chinese medicine to help your horse feel and perform their best.

We so appreciate Chelse's visit today and plan to see her more in the future. We loved getting to see her work and can't wait to see how much our horses benefit from her visit, thanks Chelse!