True Arrow Ranch

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all who have served and sacrificed.

In honor of Memorial Day we did heavily, horsemanship modified murph today,

Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor the men and women of the United States military who gave their lives while serving our country. It’s more than a long weekend or the start of summer — it’s a time to pause and recognize the sacrifice made by soldiers and the families who carry that loss every day.

One tradition connected to Memorial Day is the “Murph” workout, created in honor of Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005 while protecting his team. The workout includes a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another 1-mile run. It’s intentionally difficult because it reminds us that freedom and service often require endurance, grit, sacrifice, and perseverance.

Horsemanship connects to those same values. Good riders and horsemen know that growth doesn’t come from shortcuts — it comes from consistency, discipline, courage, and learning to keep going even when things are hard. Horses teach patience, humility, teamwork, trust, and responsibility. Just like in the Murph, success in horsemanship is built one step, one rep, and one ride at a time.

The games and challenges we did today were meant to be fun, but they also remind us of something bigger: working together, pushing through challenges, supporting each other, and showing respect for those who served before us.

🇺🇸 Some pictures from one of the “stations” 🇺🇸

Once a month the evening lesson groups practice something in the cattle realm. For some it was their fist time swinging a rope, others were just brushing up skills. But then we worked on putting the calves in different places in the arena.

Cattle move and respond to body language and pressure like horses. So not only is it fun and engaging for the horses. But I’d argue it makes these girls better horseman because they are learning the feel of give an take, applying and releasing pressure and that the fastest way to do it is slow!