06/08/2026
This week, I get to do something that feels very much like coming home.
I’ll be teaching horse camp.
After all these years, all the horses, all the students, all the shows, all the long days, all the hard seasons, and all the different hats I wear as a barn owner, there is still something incredibly special about teaching kids and horses.
It is where I started. It is what I know. And honestly, it is still one of the things I love most in the world.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of teaching hundreds of children. Some came to the barn confident and fearless. Some came shy, nervous, or unsure of themselves. Some wanted to show. Some just wanted to be near horses. But no matter where they started, the joy for me has always been the same: getting to share the gift that was given to me so many years ago.
And I know I have never done that alone...
Every child who has learned here has been shaped not only by instructors and lessons, but by the wonderful lesson horses who have carried them, taught them, forgiven them, challenged them, and helped them grow.
A good lesson horse is an extraordinary gift and I've been blessed with many over the years.
They carry beginners who are still learning balance. They forgive mistakes. They teach patience. They build confidence one quiet ride at a time. They help children become braver, softer, stronger, and more capable.
Those horses have worked hard for me, for my students, and for In The Irons. They have helped me teach responsibility, courage, humility, work ethic, kindness, and love in a way no lecture ever could.
They have taught all of us that confidence is built slowly. They have taught us that leadership is not about being loud or forceful — it is about being clear, fair, consistent, and trustworthy.
And now, all these years later, I am so grateful to still have the opportunity to pass that on.
There is nothing quite like watching a child walk into the barn unsure of herself and leave standing a little taller. There is nothing like seeing a kid learn to brush a horse carefully, use softer hands, try again after something feels hard, cheer for a friend, or realize that the horse underneath them is not just something to ride — but a partner.
That is the part of this work that never gets old.
In The Irons has never been just a business to me. It is my life’s work. It is the place where I have poured my heart, my time, my energy, my stubbornness, my standards, my love of horses, and my belief in what horses can do for kids.
This week, I am grateful to get back to the roots of that: teaching, encouraging, building confidence, creating horsemen, and helping kids feel brave, capable, and connected to something real.
I am deeply thankful for the opportunity to share horses with children, and to spend the week doing the kind of work that reminds me exactly why I started.
And to the parents who are trusting me and In The Irons with your children this week — thank you.
I know what a privilege that is. I do not take it lightly.
When you send your child to camp, you are trusting us with their safety, their confidence, their feelings, and their experience with horses. That matters deeply to me.
My hope is that every child leaves this week feeling braver, kinder, more capable, and more connected to these wonderful horses than when they arrived.
Here’s to a beautiful week of camp!
