Blackburn Legacy Ranch

11/09/2026

These two right here…I could be wrong but I think they will be amazing. They both want you to come get them from the field and do something with them. Tawny surprises me the most. She watched Tony work with Butter and never batted an eye about anything. Butter is just top notch. He has all the looks! He got the best from both Butter and Chaos. I can’t wait to see what they do! We can’t forget about Missy….I haven’t seen a thing phase her! And that donkey at the end…HE HAS MY WHOLE HEART!

11/08/2026

Here are some pics from our ride yesterday. I highly recommend Collie Ridge Loop (at least the part we rode) for an easy ride.

11/08/2026

I know most people don’t read long posts anymore…I’m often one of them, so if you stick with me, I will be humbled.

It took me years to realize, with help, that the gospels in the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) were just written from 4 men’s different perspectives. Many think their accounts are contradictions in the Bible but when you realize it’s 4 men just sharing their own story, it just makes sense.

If you’ve followed us very long, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that Tony mostly posts on Ironman’s page and I mostly post on the farm page. His posts are going to be very different from mine. He’s a confident rider and so proud of his horse. I’m the less confident rider and just trying to find the right horse for me. Definitely different perspectives from both of us!

Thursday was our 33rd Anniversary and we didn’t get to celebrate that day. So when Tony asked what I wanted to do yesterday, my idea of a fun getaway was to go trail riding. I haven’t gone on a ride in 5 years and prior to that probably even longer than that. Before the kids were born, that is what Tony and I did for fun about every month. So we packed up and went to Mammoth Cave, which is about an hour and twenty minutes from us.

I thought about a trip we took before the kids were born. A group of us headed to Mammoth Cave and there was ice on the ground in many spots. I had to wear my bibs it was so cold. Back then, it didn’t matter what the conditions were, if Tony said he was going on a trail ride, I was going with him. I worked myself up so much that day I almost threw up. We got there only to see a sign that the trails were closed. Thank goodness. But we did find some safer trails closer to home and still rode that day. As we rode yesterday, I thought about all the rides we used to take, and on some of those rides, I rode some bipolar horses. It didn’t matter…I was going.

We rode almost 9 miles yesterday. A lot of time to think. I was in the happiest place I could be, but I thought about Tony the whole time wondering what his perspective might be. It can be painful for both of us to ride that long. I started on Ironman who is usually slow as a turtle with me, but all of his senses were elevated on this ride. He has only been on one trail ride believe it or not. When we met horses, his studliness was coming out. He was manageable, but I don’t wanna be a stallion manager and it just made that part of the ride not so fun for me.

If you told me prior to the ride that I would be riding Lady, I would tell you absolutely not. She is a double whorl mare and if you know me, I’m always checking out those whorls! I watched Tony ride her and she was just as chill as can be. She’s only 3 and acted like a seasoned trail horse. Tony asked if I wanted to switch and I finally gave in. I thought about all those bipolar horses I rode and how much more experience I have now and thought what do I have to lose? She never missed a beat. She had strange horses and a side by side come up behind her and was still such a chill girl. I give credit to her breeding and Tony for all of it. I was so relaxed and the happiest girl on the planet.

So imagine my surprise when Tony shared about our ride on Ironman’s page and the video was me riding Ironman with my reins out of whack. 😆😆😆 perspective. And why wouldn’t he? He is proud of his horse. I am proud of Lady (he is too) and overcoming lots of fears yesterday. Such a big win and a great day. We have the same perspective on that. 🤠

Happy Trails y’all…

11/07/2026

Heading to Mammoth Cave to trail ride. Anyone got any GPS apps they use for Mammoth Cave?

11/05/2026

AFRAID OF FAILURE? WHAT IF FAILURE ISN'T WHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK?

What if the biggest thing standing between you and the life you want isn't failure itself, but your fear of it?

How many opportunities have you passed up? How many possibilities have you dismissed? How many times have you convinced yourself you couldn't before you ever tried?

Here's something I've learned: You can be willing to take risks, push boundaries, and even live recklessly, yet still be a prisoner of your own fears.

I know, because I've been there.

When I was young, I was wild. More times than I care to admit—or can probably even remember—I did some pretty stupid things. Things that could, and perhaps should, have changed the trajectory of my life.

But looking back, I realize something. As much as I was willing to take chances, I wasn't truly free. I was still shackled by my own fears. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what might happen if things didn't work out.

Then a mentor of mine said something that changed the way I looked at life.

This man was affectionately known as the Energizer Bunny. He was the kind of guy who earned his commercial pilot's license simply because he wanted to. He'd push the limits racing go-karts at 55+ mph just because he could. He built multiple businesses, pursued new adventures, and never seemed to let the possibility of failure hold him back.

One day, he said something I'll never forget:

"There is no such thing as failure; there is just the way you now realize didn't work."

Think about that for a minute.

Those words helped unlock the mental shackles I had placed on myself. I began looking at life differently. Instead of being afraid to move forward, I became willing to try, to explore, to make mistakes, and to learn along the way.

Failure is only fatal if we allow it to be. And I'm not going to let it kill my willingness to live, learn, and grow.

I've carried that mindset right into my horsemanship.

Think about how often we do the very same thing with our horses. We get worried about what might happen, so we tighten our grip, hold our breath, overthink the situation, and try to control every possible outcome.

We become so concerned about making a mistake that we stop allowing ourselves to feel, learn, and respond.

But good horsemanship isn't about having every stride figured out ahead of time. It's about being present, paying attention, making adjustments, and having the confidence to move forward when things don't go exactly as planned.

Sometimes we ask too much. Sometimes we ask too little. Sometimes we miss the moment. That's part of learning. The important thing is recognizing it, making an adjustment, and moving on.

The same is true in life.

I've learned to look at problems differently, to think outside the box, and to see obstacles as opportunities to discover solutions.

And yes, when someone tells me something can't be done, it sometimes motivates me even more. Not because I need to prove someone wrong, but because I don't want someone else's limitations to become my own.

So let me ask you:

Are you living with shackles that you alone have placed on yourself?

I've tried living that way, and I can tell you it's suffocating.

I don't believe that's how God intended us to live.

2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us:

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Maybe it's time to quit worrying so much about what might happen if things don't work out. Maybe it's time to take that next step, try something different, and trust God with the outcome.

Whether you're navigating life or navigating a horse through a difficult situation, fear has a way of making us hold on too tightly. Sometimes the answer isn't to grip harder, control more, or worry about every possible outcome.

Sometimes we need to trust what we've learned, make the best decision we can, and move forward.

In the saddle, there are moments when we need to put our hand down, quit trying to control every stride, and simply ride the next one.

Maybe life is a little like that, too.

Don't let the fear of what might happen keep you from discovering what could be.

Live free. Learn along the way. And don't let fear hold the reins.

11/04/2026

This is Clarice. She knew better. When her husband asked her to “help him for just a minute,” she must not have been on her game. She had been taking the trash outside and, because she was only running to the dumpster and back, she had left the house in socks and sandals and without decently warm clothes.
They changed the oil in the big truck, topped off antifreeze, prepped the baler for storage, rearranged the shed to park the baler, moved feed pallets around, moved trailers, moved some calves, checked tires, and checked oil.
About 300 just a minutes later, she was ready to go to The Walmart. It went about like you think it did.
She’s a slow learner, that Clarice.

11/04/2026

Anybody here ever join the AQHA Horseback Riding Program? I decided to join and I also entered the Trot to 250 Challenge even though I won’t make 250 hours by Dec. 31. You do, however, get a patch for 25 hours which I think is doable. I have 3.5 hours in as of today. I have mostly been doing groundwork (which counts) with our yearlings. As I’ve stated before, I am a checklist kind of person and love incentives for meeting goals.

11/04/2026

A grateful heart sees God's goodness in places it once overlooked. 🖤

11/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14ysmEq6iZt/?mibextid=wwXIfr

If you see a mom coming to life with her horses, let her. 🤎🐴

Because motherhood has a way of changing everything about you. Your priorities, your routines, your body, your dreams, and sometimes even the way you see yourself.

And somewhere between raising babies, keeping a home together, and making sure everyone else has what they need, it's easy to lose sight of the woman you were before you became someone's mama.

There's a certain kind of mom guilt that comes with heading to the barn. The feeling that you should be home, that there's something more productive you could be doing, or that taking a little time for yourself somehow means taking something away from your children.

But sometimes, that barn is the one place where you still recognize yourself.

Where the smell of hay feels familiar. Where your hands remember what to do. Where, for a little while, you're not trying to figure out who you've become. You're simply reconnecting with someone you've always been.

And one of the most beautiful parts of motherhood is getting to share that love with your children. Watching their little hands reach for a horse's nose, hearing their laughter in the barn, and realizing that something that shaped so much of your own life might become part of theirs, too.

You don't have to stop being the horse girl you were to be the mother you are.

Your children deserve a happy mama. And they deserve to see you love something that makes your whole face light up.

So if you see a mom coming to life with her horses, let her.

She might just be finding a little piece of herself again. ❤️

11/02/2026