I’ve known Betsy for quite a number of years although I didn’t ride with her. When I first started dabbling in barrel racing; as I transitioned from English disciplines, I learned from her sister Sarah. A few years down the road, a friend of mine asked me to restart her 9 year old mare, and she quickly became my own. When I knew I wanted to barrel race with her, I knew I needed Betsy.
The first clinic I attended with Betsy, this mare was still insecure and I needed lots of guidance. She may have been 9 years old, but she was very green. It’s a difficult road to restart a mature horse with her guard up, and even though I had made tons of progress with her, there was always a little piece missing. Yes, Betsy gave me tools to train my horse on the barrel pattern and make myself a more effective rider, but the real breakthrough she guided me to, was true connection with my horse. I learned from Betsy how to better understand her, how to communicate with her and create a strong relationship built on trust.
With this connection, and the training tools I learned from Betsy, I was able to make huge leaps in our first year of competition in 2019. We saw great improvements, overcame serious setbacks without getting discouraged, and reached our goals, ending our first season with a huge personal best.
Beyond competition success, Betsy introduced me and my horse to Osteopathy, which brought my horse back from injury in 2020. We wouldn’t still be able to barrel race without that recommendation, and the treatments are just as beneficial for me, keeping me balanced in the saddle.
Last but not least, I can’t go without mentioning the incredible group of people I’ve been able to become a part of. The growth mindset and horse-first focus that Betsy cultivates has created a community of the most supportive people I’ve ever known.
Not only am I able to get the most out of this horse, I’ve developed a style of compassionate horsemanship that I can carry with me as I train my next horse and I know I will always have a support system behind me.
Cover photo by Emily Gethke https://www.facebook.com/EmilyGethkePhoto