Rafter 7C Ranch

Rafter 7C Ranch Rafter 7C is a Christ-centered family owned and operated riding lesson operation.

Our primary focus is to develop quality horsemanship skills in riders and to connect those riders to a lifelong future of learning with horses.

One of my favorite classes to teach is my youth show team. They are always up for something crazy and new, always chatte...
05/30/2026

One of my favorite classes to teach is my youth show team. They are always up for something crazy and new, always chatter over my voice, ride and play hard, but most of all encourage each other.

How do they do this while still competing against each other? Because at the heart of it all they are not our team. They belong to Team Jesus! They are all born-again believers in Christ Jesus!

Who is on your team today? Go to church tomorrow. Dig into God’s Word today. Surround yourself daily with other true Christians, then do what God’s word says (all of it).

“And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Let’s Ride!
05/30/2026

Let’s Ride!

🔥 𝗧𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗔 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀 🔥
July 24-26 Clinic & Show
Roane State Ag Expo | Harriman, TN
🚨 ᴛᴀɢ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱʜᴀʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀᴛ $50 ᴏꜰꜰ ᴇɴᴛʀʏ ꜰᴇᴇꜱ

🔗 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰: www.tnsha.org/july-24-26-clinic--show.html

📅 Friday, July 24
• Clinics with Austin Gilley & Jenna Seal covering Cutting, Cowhorse, Reining, and Ranch Riding 8am–4pm
• Jackpot Ranch Cutting starts 4:45pm
$500 added Open & Amateur, $250 added Youth
•Youth Social Icecream & Games

📅 Saturday & Sunday, July 25-26
•Ranch classes for all levels of riders & horses
•Silent auction benefiting TNSHA Youth Leadership Team

NO BREED REGISTRATION PAPERS REQUIRED! TNSHA memberships $25/person

Here’s to our women riders over 35! Let’s ride!
05/29/2026

Here’s to our women riders over 35! Let’s ride!

Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to adapt, form new neural pathways, learn new skills, and stay cognitively flexible as you age.

In simple terms:
it’s what helps keep the brain sharp, resilient, and functioning well over time.

And this becomes especially important for women after 35.

As women age, hormone shifts, chronic stress, poor sleep, inflammation, and overstimulation can all impact the brain. Many women experience increased brain fog, anxiety, reduced focus, nervous system dysregulation, and cognitive fatigue during perimenopause and beyond.

The brain needs challenge, movement, coordination, learning, and emotional engagement to continue building strong neural connections.

That’s exactly what horseback riding provides.

Riding is not passive movement.

When you ride, your brain is constantly:
• adjusting balance and posture
• coordinating both sides of the body
• reacting to movement in real time
• processing sensory input
• regulating emotion and stress
• improving focus and attention
• learning patterns, timing, and communication

Your brain and body are actively working together every second you’re in the saddle.

And unlike many modern habits that overstimulate the brain while disconnecting us from the body, horses require full presence.

You cannot scroll, multitask, mentally check out, and truly ride well at the same time.

Horses bring women back into awareness:
of breath,
movement,
emotion,
timing,
and connection.

That combination of physical movement + mental challenge + emotional regulation creates an incredibly powerful environment for supporting neuroplasticity and long-term brain health.

Which means this isn’t “just a hobby.”

For many women, horseback riding is supporting:
• cognitive function
• nervous system regulation
• emotional resilience
• balance and coordination
• healthy aging

Science is finally catching up to what horse women have always known:
horses don’t just change how women feel…
they change how women function.

Ivy and Red Cash are learning all about seasoning horses. What is your favorite seasoning? Did your mouth just water thi...
05/26/2026

Ivy and Red Cash are learning all about seasoning horses.

What is your favorite seasoning? Did your mouth just water thinking of a juicy steak? Or do you really crave something sweet? This past weekend I heard and saw lots of comments about seasoning, especially for Boston butts and baby-back ribs. Yum!!!

In the horse world, seasoning is critical and one of the most misunderstood concepts of finishing a horse.

In our current culture of instant gratification and take out orders, we often don’t think about seasoning other than a quick shake from the pre-packaged packet. But those who smoke meats and cook over stovetops still understand seasonings and that the good ones take time, simmering and marinating until perfection is obtained.

For horses this is where repetition, patience, and a conscientious eye are critical. Teaching a horse something new doesn’t take a lot of time, but seasoning that same horse until that skill has been perfected in all kinds of situations and environments takes a very long time: months or even years.

And during this time there is a bit of cooking going on: heat and pressure of life that “cooks” the horse and brings out its very best. Along the way, the rider must baste the horse with more seasoning to keep it soft and tender. The process again takes time. Time. Patience. Time. Work. Time.

Enjoy the process. Put in the time of seasoning. Be patient during the cooking process. Don’t forget to season more. In the end the result is a horse that is worthy of calling finished.

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

This is a common conversation lately with my lesson students.....“What is the difference between a beginner rider and an...
05/24/2026

This is a common conversation lately with my lesson students.....

“What is the difference between a beginner rider and an intermediate rider?”

Many ask this question to guage their "rank" in their riding journey. This question is almost always asked by an advanced beginner that’s searching for more information to push themselves into that "beginner/intermediate" transition.

My answer is always to define what each level means to me.

Beginner: A rider with various experience levels (meaning there is no timeline or amount of experience that changes this level) that is working on their riding position and ability to manuver a horse with basic cues (walk, trot, lope, stop, back, turn etc). Beginner riders concentrate most of their focus into themselves (keeping heels down, sitting, keeping hands still etc) Beginner riders are not sure exactly what the horse is doing underneath them in a precise way. They may not understand how to polish or perfect a manuver or command but understand how to complete the manuver or command.

Intermediate: A rider who has a good connection with the horse. They are able to sit and ride with less effort and have really tapped into the muscle memory part of riding (less mental focus is given to how they are sitting and riding because it becomes more natural to their bodies). An intermediate rider begins to understand the mechanics of the horse’s foot placement, proper frame, and connection of the horse. An intermediate rider begins to understand cues on a higher capacity (example leg cue has more than 1 meaning and how to separate those cues). Intermediate riders begin to depend on their leg rather than hands. Transitioning into an intermediate rider means you are now more than a passenger on the horse’s back.

Advanced: An advanced rider can use subtle cues very challenging to see with our eyes. They can ask and control exactly where the horse puts its feet with every single step. They develop extremely fine-tuned "feel" as a rider. They can feel and understand the mechanics of a horse’s movement, cadence, and connection. They may often be perfecting their body position and seat for extremely advanced manuvers.

The fun part is that I absolutely see riders transition back and forth through these levels. This can be from a blow to confidence, lack of practice or time off from riding, change in mount (especially if they become over mounted), chamfe in skill level, change in trainer......and the list goes on and on. Anything can change the level you are on at anytime. What you have to be willing to do is have self-awareness, be open to growth, be willing to face the truth, and work harder to achieve your goals.

I can say if you are working with a trainer as a beginner rider and the trainer is not explaining to you what the horse is doing underneath you, where the horses’s feet are landing, or breaking down your bad habits and mistakes (and how these effect the horse and its movement) to you in a way that you can understand, you will never grow as a rider.

Yes, beginner trainers are comfortable, don’t push you past your comfort level, and every ride might "feel good,” but where's the growth? You must get uncomfortable to experience growth as a rider!!! Enjoy the process of becoming the rider you can be!
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
In the comments name a time you had to "level up" to an uncomfortable period of growth.
Maybe your story can encourage others to break free of their comfort zone!!

📸Photo of Alana Cruise and Colonel after riding for literally 6-8 hours for three days solid in order to find their connection at a very high level show for the first time. It takes time and patience and a lot of dedicated focused hard work to make progress. These two are doing that.

Adapted from fellow riding instructor Emily Hasty.

God’s design is truly remarkable!
05/24/2026

God’s design is truly remarkable!

THE SECRET INSIDE A HORSE HOOF

Most animals have a heart-to-body size relationship that follows a general pattern: the larger the animal, the larger its heart. Horses are an interesting exception. Their hearts are actually smaller than expected for an animal of such size. Yet despite this, horses are capable of incredible speed, endurance, and strength over long distances.

The reason lies in an extraordinary design hidden within the horse’s hooves. On the underside of each hoof is a V-shaped structure called the “frog.” These frogs act like auxiliary pumps that help circulate blood throughout the horse’s legs. Every time the horse steps down, the frog compresses and pushes blood upward through the vessels in the leg. When the hoof lifts, blood flows back downward again. In effect, the horse has five coordinated pumps moving blood through its body: one heart and four hoof pumps.

This system is remarkably efficient. Instead of relying on one massive heart working constantly at maximum force, the horse’s body distributes the workload through these specialized structures in the hooves. As the horse runs, the frog pumps assist circulation precisely when increased blood flow is needed most. The entire system works together with stunning precision, allowing horses to sustain power and endurance that have amazed humans for centuries.

Design like this points to engineering, not blind accident. The horse’s circulatory system is not merely functional. It is optimized, coordinated, and purpose-driven down to the structure of the hoof itself. The more we study living creatures, the more nature continues to reveal layers of complexity and ingenuity that reflect an intelligent Designer.

05/23/2026

Address

80867 US Highway 231
Blountsville, AL
35031

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