A bit about me and my horse background! I was raised in California and grew up riding in Pony Club in Bolinas, CA. My older sister and I shared a pony growing up and competed around CA in a multitude of english disciplines.

I attended The Thacher School in Ojai. It’s an excellent prep school with a horse program at the heart of it. There, I began competing in Gymkhanas, riding on their IHSA Equestrian Team and with them, went to IHSA Nationals. It was at Thacher I got my first taste of horse packing. It would strike a chord in my heart that nothing else had yet.

I took pack trips with friends and faculty through high school and then decided to head to Ft. Collins, Colorado where I could study Equine Sciences at Colorado State University. I majored in Equine Sciences and worked - as a school schedule would allow - on ranches, pack outfits, and guiding trail rides in the summer. I also met a group of life long girlfriends who had an interest in riding and packing together. Reined cow horse got my attention and with my mare we competed locally around Fort Collins.

Then, packing again moved me further into the mountains.  Upon graduating with my Masters, moved to Jackson, WY to work on The Triangle X Ranch. I was hired on taking & cooking on summer pack trips and sharing my love of the mountains with guests. Packing, cooking, and working for guests on trips was beyond compare.

After that, I earned a spot in their elk hunting camp for the fall. They hadn’t yet had a woman work full time in the camp in the previous 72 years in operation. Wrangling there was the best job I’ve held. Two of us managed and cared for a herd of 60-80 horses and mules in the wilderness. Each evening we turned them loose and each morning we rode out to gather them up. We took care of the horses, packed out elk, maintained camp, and generally worked 24/7 for the entire season. I met my husband, Vance, my first season there. We continued to work together taking summer pack trips and working in camp for the next 3 years. If there ever was a better pre-marital counseling program than working pack trips together, I’ve yet to encounter it.

After finishing at the Triangle X Ranch we moved into Jackson and started work on the Twin Eagle ranch in Cora, WY. Soon thereafter we began a family and have 2 little girls. I’m a real estate agent focusing on Farms and Ranches in Wyoming & residential properties in Jackson.

We hunt, fish, camp, hike, and explore together with our girls every chance we get. Our horses and mule live in the backyard and we ride as much as possible, hoping each ride to get the girls hooked just as much as we are. I have the best backyard in the world for training for this competition. Millions of acres of federally protected lands and well maintained trails await. Thank you all for joining me and supporting this journey!