CITRA, FL (352today.com) – A North Marion High School senior is following in the family footsteps.
The daughter of horse trainers, Mark and Shannon Rafacz of Mark Rafacz Reining, it seemed as if Madison Rafacz would be predestined to be involved with the sport that she has so readily embraced and has been a dominant force in the past five years.
“I was born into it,” says Madison. “I’ve always done the reining, and the ranch classes are something that came later, I’ve only been doing that for four years.”
Madison has always been around horses, showing for the first time when she was five. Competing in reining seems as if it’s second nature to her.
She has found recent success in the ranch classes, thanks to her consistency and discipline. This has led her to win another title at the American Quarter Horse Association Youth World Finals (AQHAYWF) in Oklahoma City, OK.
She says that it’s the adrenaline rush that she gets from reining and the speed of the discipline. Recently, shows like Yellowstone have highlighted the sliding stops, bringing more attention to it. The discipline judges the horse on movements and how well it follows commands while guided through a series of patterns, showing little or no resistance.
“All the horses are very different, it makes it exciting,” says Madison, who has been exhibiting her horse, Whizenboosnsmal, or as he’s known around the barn, Peter the Great, for the past seven years. “I got him at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress.”
Perfect Partnership
Madison and Peter’s story is unique. A determined woman, who raised and owned Peter, thought the two would create a strong partnership, and she was correct in her assessment. Madison and Peter the Great have been dominant in competitions, leading the ranch riding division. They have earned two world titles: one in the ranch trail and on in working western rail.
“I ended up trying him and ended up getting him,” said Madison. “He’s been a really great horse for me. He was my step-up horse and then stayed my step-up horse. When I started doing the ranch stuff, we had to start to split time, and now he primarily does the ranch stuff, but he’s always been a great horse for me.”
Madison says that the two have a unique chemistry forging a bond that almost intuitive. Despite Peter’s quirky and mischievous nature, along with his larger-than-life personality and many quirks, their bond is strong. Madison adds that he’s extremely playful.
“It didn’t take a lot to bond with him as far as riding,” said Madison. “He definitely had some things that needed to be worked on to get better that my dad did. As far as being a pet, he’s developed into a huge kid pretty easily, now I think it’s all he knows. He does all kinds of tricks. He’s in your pockets. As he showed more, there were things that we had to fix and that happens with every reining horse. He’s like my best friend. I’ve been very lucky because every horse I’ve had has been like a heart horse, but he really is.”
Madison won at the AQHAYWF in 2020, 2022, twice in 2023 and in 2024. Growing up in the reining world, Madison says she’s been taxed with a fair amount of responsibility. She shows throughout the year where there are major competitions, and weekend shows that are a bit more relaxed. This winter, during the Christmas break from school, she will be showing from Christmas to New Year.
“Thankfully, the super busy part of the year is the summer, and it’s started to fall into fall as well,” says Madison. “That’s going to be more challenging. June, July and August are super busy; I went to show to show.”
Realizing your potential
Madison is a senior at North Marion High School, but she says that many of the other students have no idea that she rides horses. As for Peter, he does get a break from competing when he’s at home, where he can just be a horse.
“At the shows go on, I don’t have to ride him as much to get him ready,” says Madison. “He can definitely get an attitude, that’s for sure! He’ll definitely share his opinion if he feels strongly about something.”
Peter was bought as a reining horse because the Rafaczs could see his potential. They say that he seemed to possess all of the qualities and attributes that would make him successful. But when Peter first entered Madison’s life, her parents weren’t crazy about him. Over time, they say that Peter has improved with age, being part of the Rafacz program since he was five.
“He was bought to be my rookie horse, and you go from green to rookie, obviously I was still a youth kid,” says Madison. “He was supposed to be my rookie of the year horse, he became my limited non-pro horse, and then my non-pro horse. When we first got him, there were some things that didn’t work the way they should. He was always very talented, He could stop, but turning was not super good. But that was one of the things that my dad had to work on, and it definitely got better, and now that’s one of the best things he does.”
Last fall, Madison committed to Southern Methodist University to be a member of their equestrian team for the 2025-26 school year. She notes that it’s bittersweet to leave the youth ranks as everything has transpired so quickly during her career, but she’s ready to move forward.
“I’m super excited, and obviously I’m grateful for everything that’s happened in the past and happening at the moment,” says Madison. “It’s great memories, but there’s some sadness mixed in there.”