Snika Ranch

09/01/2024

I recently ran my horse in barrels in a rodeo for the first time. Total bucket list item checked! So fun!

What I noticed:
I was the ONLY competitor who wore a helmet at this rodeo. There were kids entered. I’d personally like to see helmets required for riders under 18 to compete.

Things I know:

1) Head injuries from horseback riding accidents are common and often very severe.
2) Horses don’t run slower because their rider is wearing a helmet.
3) Riders are often much braver when they feel protected by a helmet.
4) Even if anyone ever tells you that you “don’t look your best” in a helmet, I’m pretty sure people who’ve just been concussed or had a traumatic brain injury aren’t looking their best either.
5) If you secure it correctly you’ll never lose your helmet during your run.

08/16/2024

Thanks to the Baker family for branding “our” Tiki girl.
Forever family. 💜

08/12/2024

We left Tiki behind when we moved to MT over 4 years ago and that decision always pulled at my heart strings. It was HARD for me to leave her behind, but I knew we would never breed her with her son, Slick Justice (obviously), and I was really excited about riding Rookie. She was just too nice to be on the back burner.
After being passed around a bit, which was horrible on my heart, Tiki was eventually picked up by our good friends Lori and Troy Utton and I never worried about the love and care she received. They graciously shared her with me when the opportunity arose and that was so appreciated. A move to the Midwest for them took her really far away and there isn’t any gaming there. I couldn’t get her off my mind.
The Baker family came to my barn and dropped Bess right into my heart a little over a year ago. They got scammed and TAKEN on a couple attempts to get her a back up horse that were crushing and downright dangerous. This family and this kid deserve the best horse.
So, I asked my good friends to part with a horse they loved, one that I poured my heart and soul into for the first 8 years of her life, for the sake of making a young girl’s hopes and dreams come true and here they are together!
An amazing horse matched up with an incredible kid. I have known this horse her whole life and I’ve never seen her happier.

Go on Bess and Tiki!
Best friends in the making. 💜
Can’t wait to watch you grow.

Thank you Troy and Lori!!

06/03/2024

Life is better when it’s shared with your best friend

04/21/2024

Our Montana location is for sale!
Jerrod is retired from Federal Law Enforcement and we want to relocate to the Snohomish WA area to be closer to our family and friends.
This is a wonderful, beautiful property we wish we could transport!
The apartments above the shop provide income producing potential as short or long term rentals. I enjoyed being listed on Horse Hotels and Horse B&B as well. I met some incredible horsemen and women travelers and loved hosting their horses.
Please share so we can head “home”!

Homes for sale: 1292 Ian LN, Victor, MT 59875 (MLS #: 30022059) with 4 beds, 7.0 baths, 5205 sqft, and listed for $2200000.

03/16/2024

When a woman makes the choice to marry, to have children, in one way her life begins but in another way it stops.
You build a life of details.
You become a mother, a wife and you stop and stay steady so that your children can move.
And when they leave they take your life of details with them.
And then you're expected to move again only you don't remember what moves you because no one has asked in so long.
Not even yourself.
-Robert James Waller

Lucky is the horsewoman as she has four extra legs to keep her moving.

11/02/2023

This is a great idea!

10/31/2023

A really important message about using treats appropriately from an excellent trainer. & Starring a pretty special pony. 🤠

10/09/2023

As our competition season comes to a close and so many riders are reflecting on their season, the word “homegrown” comes up frequently in relation to the level of pride a rider feels in what they’ve been able to accomplish with their horse. So, I’ve been pondering the price I’ve paid for my “homegrown” horse.
Although she’s only 9 years old, I “bought” her back in 2005 when I purchased her Granddam. I paid for my future by breeding “up”, selecting a running bred stud to cross on that strong foundation line. A beautiful filly was born the next year and I waited and hoped for several more years, started a wonderful horse and learned she did not want to run. I paid by not forcing a horse who did not want to run to do speed events. I paid the stud fee and gambled when I bred that mare to a Jr stallion, an own son of the Dash to Fame line known to be hot ( ). I got my filly and I let her beautiful dam go be a pleasure horse, paying the price of doing right by the horse, regardless of my love for her.
I waited years again for my filly to grow up. I paid for my horse with patience, having no idea if she’d be the first in this line to want to run when she was born. For 6 years I took a lesson a week under almost as many different trainers and watched as many horse training videos as I could get my hands on. I was paying for her with the cost of lessons, but more so with my time and dedication.
I lost my first contender suddenly to a freak accident at only 6 years old and I paid for the horse I ride now with the grief I felt - and still feel - that I never got to find out what I could’ve done on that gelding if only there had been more years on our timeline.
Since she was hot, reactive and quick footed, I always felt like her brain could fry easily if I wasn’t careful about allowing or encouraging speed in just the right way, at just the right time. So I paid for her with both wet and dry saddle pads and knowing when which one was needed.
I have a horse that loves to run and compete. She is a contender. She makes the sport fun and that’s what we all buy into.
She’s homegrown - AND - I have certainly paid for her.

08/15/2023

This is exciting for us and our 3 year old Bud the Stud filly, Riot! 🔥

Ruby Buckle Stallion 2024!!

08/15/2023

The best horses deserve the best feed!
We are stocked up on Montana Premium Forage pellets right here in Victor MT.
$14/bag. Quality and consistency, easy when traveling.
Excellent feed helps horses maintain excellent performance.
We supplement all our horses with it year round and our 21 year old mare, Gypsy, is still sound, healthy and winning on daily soaked pellets due to her dental considerations.
You have to open her mouth and see she is missing teeth to know she’s “old”!

07/24/2023

07/24/2023

Just Riot’s Champion Daddy again…

07/11/2023

Our Riot’s sire! 🔥

05/27/2023

My horses have a pet cow.

03/24/2023

Story time:

Once upon a time a man brought me his child for riding lessons. She was “out-horsed” by quite a bit, struggling with maintaining control while loping. The horse was a seasoned speed competitor and she was a beginner. The trainer she had been working with was trying to keep them under control at all times by not ever loping, which was causing them even more problems. This rider had been bullied a bit and made to feel about an inch tall in crowded warm up arenas when her horse had bolted on her. She was not entirely confident and totally unsure about trusting me. Especially when I told her at her first lesson, “if you have loping issues we are going to be loping A LOT, starting today.” Fast forward a few years and this gal started stacking up her awards and accomplishments with this horse, riding him and showing him in all sorts of events from trail obstacles to in-hand showmanship to the regular speed patterns. The pair was fully committed to each other and he was in his forever home where he retired and eventually passed away. They had a fabulous bond that was heartwarming to witness. I did not teach her all of her skills, but I did help her when she was struggling and not everyone was willing to take on the task. They became very successful. She became a leader in 4H, FFA, WAHSET, and to her two younger sisters. I had the opportunity to work with her sisters and horses as well and they blossomed into well rounded and confident young women.
Now I live two states away and my Father is battling cancer and freezing cold all the time. This lovely man is an HVAC specialist and he drove hours out of his way today when he learned my parents’ furnace was on the fritz. He repaired it quickly and keeps “forgetting” to bill them when these problems arise.
How very blessed am I to have ever met these kind of people?
All because of horses.

12/03/2022

If you like to gift experiences instead of things at Christmas, and are looking for an idea 💡
We have a cozy studio loft apartment available for short term rental and we are about one hour away from Lost Trail Ski Resort!

If you’re not into winter travel we have TONS of hiking and fishing very close by and if you want some trail riding access we can offer nice temporary accommodations for horses when the weather makes a road trip more desirable.

You can avoid a lot of extra fees by booking with me directly or find us on Vrbo or Booking.com.
Also keep it in mind if you are local and are expecting more Christmas company than you can comfortably accommodate.

Note:
Availability of the apartment is restricted by Yellowstone filming. Typically I have no vacancy from Mid March through October 1st or whenever filming wraps up. I hear there are 3 more seasons planned.

I can still accommodate a few horses and an LQ trailer/camping set up when the apartment is occupied.

11/08/2022

Riot’s Daddy! 🙌🤩

10/20/2022

Sound on to appreciate Tazer’s “high dollar snort” 🎶

10/08/2022

Dani and Rookie living like someone left the gate open

10/05/2022

We are excited to introduce “Feature Miss Desi” (barn name “Dani”) she is an AQHA own daughter of Desirio, making her a half sister to Tazer (“High Desire”). Desiro has a speed index of 116. Tazer has proven he can fly this summer breaking the NSCA Arena Race record as well as setting other Montana State records and winning multiple fast time awards, saddles and buckles. In addition to his speed he is a gentle enough horse to teach beginners and children, trail ride and is just an all around good friend to his people.
Dani is a tall (17 HANDS!), beautiful, sweet mare who has settled right in and seems to exhibit many of Tazer’s great qualities.
Jerrod likes the height and is excited to make her his new project this winter. Future plans are to breed her with our own Jr stallion “Slick Justice” and bring another line that’s proven itself for us into an exciting prospect.
Thank you to Rising M Quarter Horses, Mallory Perry, for trusting us with your sweet mare and helping us take a huge step forward in bringing this dream to life.

09/25/2022

My “win” yesterday at the barrel race was having Tazer walk in the arena to make a run with no hesitation. We loped the barrel pattern. But we won my goal!

It’s important to run your own race and celebrate your own wins.
Whether there are 60 or 600 entries, everyone wants to win, but ultimately, everyone has to run their own race to even be one step closer to winning.
And winning doesn’t look the same for everyone and that is OKAY.
Some days winning is that your horse is sound after months of time off.
Some days winning is that your ill horse perked up and whinnied at you when you walked in the barn.
Some days winning is that you drove yourself to the barrel race.
Some days winning is that your horse walked down the alley.
Some days winning is that you left three barrels standing.
Some days winning is that you failed at everything else but conquered that one thing you set out to conquer.
Rarely is “winning” actually WINNING and a lot of wins happen outside of the arena.
Celebrate all of those wins because you worked your tail off and you earned them!
When you treat and rehab a horse for a year and you finally get to haul them to a race, that’s a win, and a dang hard-earned one.
When you’ve hit more barrels than you’ve left standing and you make a clean run, that’s a win.
Don’t compare your win to the girl who took home the buckle, because you never know, that may be just what she needed to not sell out on her dreams.
It is so easy to get caught up in the idea of “winning” that we lose sight of our race, how far we have come, what we have conquered, and the wins that we let slip by us because they weren’t a declared WIN.
Easier said than done, I know, so in case you haven’t heard it or in case you haven’t told yourself lately, CONGRATULATIONS on YOUR win! ❤️

09/14/2022

We have a few adorable Ranch dogs available!

08/03/2022

First ride day for Riot! Having a brave and handy teen around is so much fun! Thankful Hallee Akins was here to help out. Riot acted like all of it was no big deal.

07/25/2022

Don’t minimize the importance of instilling a great stop on a speed horse. I am always telling my students it’s your emergency brake. We play RedLight-GreenLight in lessons and when I blow the whistle riders stop, they have to say “whoa” loud enough for me to hear from any part of the arena, drop their reins and put their hands up. Horses must stand still with no rein pressure before moving off again on a specific cue to go forward. If they go forward on their own they back up as many steps as they took forward and then the reins drop and they are tested again to stand still. The complete release of pressure is their reward for giving the right answer.

Here’s a great story that applies that lesson into a pressure situation.

The first time a young horse goes “to town” can be nerve wracking. You’ve done all the work at home and created a reliable and obedient mount. At some point you just have to decide to go for it! Yesterday was that day for Jerrod and our three year old stallion, Slick Justice. They entered his first Omoksee close to home at a smaller race. We hauled him in the “big trailer” which was specifically decided on because it’s different than the bumper pull trailer I haul him to the clinic for collections in and we didn’t want him thinking about that type of “fun”.
He hauled well, stood at the trailer like a gentleman, looked around the arena like you’d expect a young horse to, did a lot of talking to the horses around him and to us whenever we walked away from or came back to the trailer. He handled it all like the easy to train, kind, eager to please horse he has been since birth.
All very exciting, but here’s what’s really cool.

Somewhere during the second event a Chicago screw fell out and his bridle fell apart. He ran home straight and controlled, Jerrod sat, we both said to ourselves (“oh crap”) and out loud - “WHOA” - and Justice skidded right down to a nice stop leaving Jerrod time to sit and ponder what the heck happened and why his reins felt so strange!

And that’s why we play games that make speed horses stop.

04/15/2022

How do you thank a horse for eighteen years of service?
Our SBR Gypsy Slick (by Slick Tation) turns 20 years old today! 🥳
She has carried my boys, myself, my lesson students and friends to the winners circle for 9 saddles and at least as many buckles. Achieved the Quick and Clean award for the WA PNW O-mok-see in 2017 and won the MT Speed Horse show last year. She has been the first horse ever ridden by so many children and the subject of many middle school Language Arts papers (I wish I had those!) she is a legend among the staff at Centennial Middle School. She birthed my heart horse and then carried my broken heart forward when I was devastated by his untimely loss.
We are so blessed by our little “grade” mare with the biggest heart and the winningest record in the barn. She has influenced our breeding decisions for the past 15 years and her lineage is now incorporated in Slick Justice’s AQHA papers.
If there were a Unicorn registry she would be #1.

03/26/2022

Awww the joy of making

03/22/2022

Peaceful spring morning

03/13/2022

Home of Slick Justice
Run some color!
Justice genetically can not produce a sorrel or bay foal.
2022 Breeding contracts available

02/25/2022

I will be forever grateful for the time I spent training under Lynn Johnson. She was the first to introduce this concept of building a horse’s ego to me and to prove the importance of doing so in the results she could obtain in the way her horses would clock. At the time we were riding together regularly I had a c**t to start that I had bred and was very invested in and she was attempting to rebuild confidence in a horse who had lost theirs. We discussed every session how to show them the right way, reward them for being correct, and then stay out of their way and let them want to be faster. This is around the time I stopped kicking my horses for speed. A confident horse will respond to a shift in your seat or a verbal cue and like a kindergartner in a classroom full of raised hands WANT to show you he knows the answer, and not only that he knows how to do it correctly but that he can do it the fastest.
Some horses will play with their bit, shake their reins, do yoga like stretching down-ward dog maneuvers with front legs crossed before a run. We don’t have to understand it and should not be too annoyed by it, it’s our job to let some of that stuff be none of our business. If their feet are where we’ve asked - at the speed we’ve requested - and the other stuff they’re doing isn’t dangerous - we should just let it be a part of their uniqueness. Stifling it might just squelch some of their confidence.
“Everyone knows that a confident horse wins. You can call it quirks, oddities, or cockiness, but confidence wins. A horse who is confident enough to be quirky or to be an outright jerk, has what it takes to be a winner. My goal is to create a confident horse. When a horse is confident enough to roll at the end of a lead or to start showing a bit of a personality; I do a little happy dance inside. Each animal is an individual and should be treated as such. Some are fractious or anxious while others cool and collected. Some require coaxing and room to be allowed to grow into their own at their own pace and yet others seem as though they were born for their job and the only reason they allow you on their back is so that they can do that; almost a mutual agreement. I’ve had all of the above and even more in between go on to make great solid animals. The secret is confidence. A confident horse is one that’s well broke, well trained, and understands what you’re asking. They aren’t afraid to make a mistake because they’ve been corrected in a manner that doesn’t scare them. Expecting perfection “picking” at them will not allow for a confident horse. No one can hold up under those conditions. Being consistent and realistic in your expectations allows for confidence. Expecting more from your horse and rewarding that behavior allows for confidence. I genuinely believe that horses like to work. When they don’t work; that’s their honesty shining through. Because horses don’t lie. If there’s a hole it was put there. Perhaps training, perhaps soundness, but a hole is a lack of confidence for some reason or other. Aim for a happy horse. Aim for a confident horse. Because everyone knows that it’s the confident horses that win.”
-author unknown