Hey everybody—Phil here. I’ve got a full slate of horses to ride today, but I wanted to sit down and talk through something that’s been top of mind lately: the power of committing to the process.

Over the last couple of weeks, we rolled from our Rope Horse Fundamentals Mentorship straight into a run of clinics up in North Dakota. Different barns, different horses, same lesson: if you want better results, you have to double down on the process—your horsemanship, your preparation, your mindset, and your priorities.

Recapping Our Rope Horse Fundamentals Mentorship

When I say “roping mentorship,” I don’t mean we create better ropers—I mean we build better horses. Twenty years ago, the toughest part of tie-down and breakaway schools was never the rope; it was always the horse and our horsemanship. That’s still true today.

I’ve always said there’s no such thing as a “finished” horse. The moment you think you’ve got one, get ready to be humbled. Great rope horses come from disciplined, repeatable work that gets a little better every ride. When your process is sound, the roping gets simpler.

Big takeaways from the mentorship:

Progress your horse every time you saddle up, even in small ways.
Keep your hands slower and lower to build balance and feel.
Reward with a real pause—let the horse find the answer.
Make practice productive: clear plan, clear reps, clean releases.

Priorities, Practice, and the Mental Game

On our northern clinic run, I got to ride and rope with some highly advanced hands—people who stay in growth mode. It was a good reminder: success is rarely about talent; it’s about priorities. If you want to compete well, your preparation has to matter enough to get time on the calendar.

For me, the limiter wasn’t the physical—it was mental prep. I had to change what I prioritized and how I prepared between the ears. If you’re not putting time into your mindset—your self-image, your clarity, your confidence—you’re choosing sub-par performance and calling it bad luck.

Ask yourself:

What do I need to say no to so practice can be a real priority?
Do I need help—an extra set of hands, a coach, or someone to run the sled—so I can get quality reps?
Does my plan include mental reps and not just circles in the arena?

Be Present and Commit to the Process

Across every stop these past weeks, the same fundamentals kept surfacing:

Be present from the halter to the dismount. If your thoughts are scattered, your horse will be too.
Lead with clarity. High hands = high heads. Slow down, soften, and let your horse find shape.
Release like you mean it. After the right answer, pause. Nothing communicates “yes” like stillness.
Trust repetition. New skills won’t feel comfortable—for you or the horse—until they do. Keep going.

Remember: what it takes to make a great horse is easy to do—and easy not to do. Same for becoming a better rider, coach, spouse, parent, or friend. Simple disciplines, done consistently.

Introducing Our Foundations & Colt Starting Certification Programs

Over the years, I’ve encountered a lot of trainers who clearly want to get better—they just don’t always have a clear process that will get them there. Our industry is growing and evolving rapidly, and the demand for quality horsemanship has never been greater. My team and I have dedicated a lot of time over the past year to develop a system designed to help bridge this gap, and we are excited to announce an exciting new growth opportunity for trainers—our Foundations and Colt Starting Certification Programs.

These programs provide a structured path designed to help you develop your confidence and skills in three main areas: horsemanship, personal development, and business, marketing and brand building. This framework is something that I have spent decades refining, and I truly believe that each one of these three pillars is essential to longevity in this business.

You can learn more about the Certification Program here, but in short, here’s how it works:

Complete one of our Mentorship sessions
Become eligible to pursue the Foundations and Colt Starting Certifications
Complete a required number of hours of supervised instruction and application with us at our training facility
Demonstrate growth and proficiency in the core areas of our Certification curriculum
Pass your final Certification checkpoint, and unlock perks of being a graduate of the Certification Program

We have two trainers that have already completed their Foundations Certification, and the growth that they have experienced has just been tremendous to watch. The value of committing to the process—taking the time to invest in your growth over an extended period of time—can truly create life-changing results. These trainers had everything they needed within them to succeed—we just provided a framework that they could work within.

Final Thoughts

If you’re waiting to “feel ready,” you’ll be waiting a long time. Start. Commit. Keep showing up. Adjust when you need to. Then keep showing up again. That’s the process.

God bless each and every one of you. Have a great week of training—and as always, today and every day, let’s be our best.