Angel Horse for America's Horse magazine

Every so often, I get the kind of assignment that allows me to tell an incredible and emotional story. It's a weighty responsibility, but I'm always thankful. These kinds of stories are my favorite, and it's an honor to share them with readers.

This is a story about three women, and the Quarter Horse mare that bound them together due to a strikingly similar tragedy in each of their lives. "Shirley" was a healing balm for these moms in their times of grief, and she continues to be an angel in the life of her forever home.

Sherry, Becky and Tracy shared their stories with me and I in turn shared them with AQHA's member magazine America's Horse. The result was a beautiful tribute to a sweet bay mare by the women who love her. The story got an incredible response from each woman's community--more than a hundred comments across their Facebook pages. I've never seen anything like it, but each woman lived through a hard time thanks to Shirley, and their friends knew it.

For Mother's Day, Becky's daughter made a gallery of the article and Becky hung it in a place of honor in her home. It is such a good reminder that stories like this are why I do what I do. Sometimes my work can have a positive effect, both on the sources, and on the readers. It was a privilege to share these women's story. It can be found in the January-February 2017 America's Horse.

High Octane Feed article for the American Quarter Horse Journal

I thought I'd posted this article already, since it was published in the American Quarter Horse Journal in 2013, but I don't think I did! It's January, and many of us (myself included) are trying to eat healthier, so I'm glad to revisit this article. It's really hard to eat healthy at horse shows. The cinnamon rolls at Will Rogers Equestrian Complex are just so delicious, and I know other shows have similar offerings at concession stands. So for this article  I talked to avid Amateur competitor and nutritionist Christine McWhorter, as well as fitness champion Monica Brant--her husband is AQHA Professional Horseman Brad Jewett. Both of my experts have spent many hours at horse shows, so they know the value of healthy food at competitions. I hope you enjoy the article!

Contracted Heels article for the American Quarter Horse Journal

Last year, I worked on a series of articles about hooves for The American Quarter Horse Journal. It was definitely a topic that stretched my knowledge in a new direction! Thankful to my expert source! I hope y'all learn something new too. This one is about the difference between contracted and pushed-up heels.

Bedding article for the American Quarter Horse Journal

I love writing articles that can help save readers money. This was an interesting article for me to write for the American Quarter Horse Journal because I spent many years working at a boarding stable cleaning stalls, but I still learned some helpful techniques to make bedding stretch further. I also liked learning about innovative products--it's not all shavings these days! Hope you enjoy!

Aaron Watson profile for America's Horse

Aaron Watson has long been one of my favorite country artists. I spent most of my college years attending several of his concerts each semester at the Texas Hall of Fame (RIP) and two-stepping the nights away. As he's matured, he's grown his reputation as a family man and an unashamed Christian. In 2013, I attended Carol Rose's dispersal sale and noticed two things: 1. Aaron posted a  photo with his new QH the same day and 2. he was the surprise music the preview night. I did some follow up research and in 2014, pitched a story about Aaron as a QH member to America's Horse, AQHA's member magazine. Lucky for me, editor gave me the green light.

Aaron's manager was gracious and set me up with an interview right away. Aaron chatted with me for a long time, and I felt like the story I wrote for the magazine was one of my best. And after the story was published, Aaron's latest album The Underdog went on to break records for an indie album on the country music charts!

It was my honor to win an American Horse Publications first place award for this profile last weekend! Here's the profile:

International Riders article in Quarter Horse Journal

I really love how horses are a common denominator around the world. Whether you're living in France, Australia or good ol' Texas, some things are exactly the same. In this article, I interviewed youth riders from around the world to see what things are the same, and what things are surprisingly different about being an AQHA horse lover. Full article HERE.

Campdrafting article in January 2013 American Quarter Horse Journal

This weekend I'm covering America's 1st Campdraft in Kiowa, Colorado. You can see my posts and photos on the American Quarter Horse Association's website HERE. Last spring, I went to Australia for a few weeks. One of the best parts of my trip was attending a campdraft in Beaudesert, Queensland. I wrote a story about campdrafting for the American Quarter Horse Journal and it appeared in the January 2013 issue of the magazine. If you're wondering what this sport is and why Quarter Horses are a really good fit, check out my article.