The year was 2012. I was 29 years old, and had just graduated college with a degree in Recreational Therapy and was raising two children under the age of 4. It was the perfect time to start a business! Right? Right?! After all, I had no experience with business, or selling, or building a website, but, sure, let’s jump right in and see what happens!
Here’s a little background. I grew up on a small cattle ranch in California. Well, I say small… it was 600+ acres, but we only had about 30 cows and a couple horses. My initial riding lesson was essentially, “This is how you go, this is how you stop, this is how your turn. Keep your heels down. Have a good time!” I rode Misty, a well-trained, ornery mare for probably 6 years on that lesson. She taught me a lot, as did the friends who ended up taking me to a couple of shows. Mostly, I just rode out on the trail, doing what I could as my confidence grew.
Eventually, I went off to college. I figured I was probably mostly done with the country lifestyle. After all, who grows up and buys land? Land is expensive. Horses are expensive. It’s a hard lifestyle. The fact that it’s also amazing and something I wanted didn’t really enter the equation.
Except, then I got a job at a Residential Treatment Center, teaching horseback riding to troubled youth. And, there I found my calling. I fell in love with teaching, with helping people to grow, with taking care of the horses, with the camaraderie that developed between me and the other instructors. It was this amazing, fulfilling life. I actually took a very long time at college because I wanted to focus on work. I was learning so much! I learned what is possible with horses, and how to care for them better, and how to train them. My world opened and I felt better than I ever had before.
Of course, life moves on, and I ended up getting married to the most wonderful man alive. By the time I got pregnant with our first daughter, I had worked at the RTC for 4 ½ years, and it was time to move on. I left my job, focused on school and family, and we moved a couple of times, finally settling in a cute little house in Provo on ⅔ of a acre. And, we stumbled into an amazing deal on a horse that I fell in love with. So, Cruise came to join our family.
About a year later, we had had our second child and I was working on my internship to finish my education. One day, I got a call from my mother-in-law. She told me about a horse her Dad had on his ranch. He was a great horse, but he had foundered. He could no longer stay on the ranch. They wanted to keep him in the family, though, and could we take him on? We had the right type of situation to take care of him.
We agreed, and then I got to thinking. (My poor husband. It’s usually scary when I get to thinking.)
Here I was, with two horses, and a working knowledge of how to teach horseback riding. It would be silly to have two horses and not do anything with them. I certainly didn’t want them to sit in our back yard and not have a job, and I had no desire to get into showing. Maybe I should start my own business? I’d been thinking about what I would do with my own horse place for years, and this just might be the right time to start.
So, I did. My husband helped me get a website set up, and I came up with a system, complete with levels, and prices, and safety measures and so much of what Bridle Ranch is today.
Of course, I didn’t expect it to grow the way that it did. It was little ol’ me, with Cruise and Snip and a third of an acre on which to ride. Sure, I could teach some good things, but nobody would really take me seriously. At best, I would have maybe 5 students per week.
I was shocked when we grew to 5 students per week within a few months. Then we passed 10. My students kept coming, and bringing their friends, and referring me to others who were interested. At some point, I decided it would be a good idea to hire some help. Imagine my amazement when, at 5 years in, we had 50 students per week, and had grown to 4 horses in our herd.
Bridle Ranch has been a fantastic journey. Through it, I have watched people grow and blossom in ways that they may not have otherwise. I have found many friends, both human and animal. It has made me reach for heights and branch out in directions I would never have tried without it. I am so grateful for the opportunity to start this journey, and I am continually grateful for the chance to continue on. May we all seize the chances that are placed before us!
-CR
