Dakota Kirchenschlager saddles up Shinedown, a five-year-old mare by Metallic Cat who has already seen the show pen and is making a strong case as a standout prospect. Big, physical, and fast with an exceptional stop, Shinedown has the athleticism and eye appeal Dakota looks for in a horse built for the highest levels of competition.

The focus of this session is accountability. If Shinedown gets pulled out of her stop, Dakota doesn't simply move on to the next steer. He backs her up, has her hold the steer, and gives her the time to collect herself and find the correct position before continuing. That kind of consistent reinforcement is what builds the reliability a horse needs when the pressure is on.

Dakota also shares one of his core training philosophies: a truly finished horse should handle about 90% of the run on its own. If you're doing 25% of the work in practice, you'll likely be doing even more at a show. The goal is to develop a horse that thinks, stays honest, and performs independently. That's what ultimately wins in the show pen.