ABOUT ME /Molalla OR / ME Horsemanship

About Maria

"KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!
SUCCESS IS REWARD!"

My Story

I would like to share where my passion for Horses came from and how I got to where I am now. I grew up on a 50 acre cattle farm. When I was a child we had cattle, chickens, horses, dogs and cats. At 3 years old I showed a lot of interest being on horses. Just with little pony rides, or riding on my dads lap I was intrigued. I really loved being around the horse, and to me it was really fun. I believe that is where my passion came from. Being exposed to animals and horses when I was young, it grew a positive impact over me .

At age 5, my parents bought me a pony! They thought a pony would be just right for me. From then on, I was even more hooked! All I wanted to do was saddle up and ride! Smokey was my first pony, he was a Dapple-Grey Shetland Pony. Unfortunately he had a bad temper so we had to trade him in for another pony who was good with kids. I really liked Smokey though, he was very pretty but he was a little too much for me to begin with.

We ended up trading Smokey for Babe, she was a small and sweet little pony. I would spend countless hours with her every day. We became best friends! She took care of me and I took care of her. I sure spoiled that little pony. I remember pretending that I was a Barrel Racer speeding through the field dodging mud pies and hauling butt. I had so much fun! I didn’t have an arena so I improvised out in the field with the cows. My dream was to be a Professional Barrel Racer! Those were good old memories, I will forever cherish. I thank my dad and mom for giving me the opportunity to have horses.

A few years down the road, I out grew my pony. We bought a 6 month old Quarter Horse-Paint filly and named her Estreya “Star” . My dad taught me how to start a horse with patience, confidence and techniques. He shared, " you have to be Assertive to earn your horses respect, trust and not be scared". We had great times together and I learned a lot from him. He even taught me a few tricks like how to teach your horse to lie down and bow. I thought it was the greatest thing ever!

At age 13, I enrolled in 4H. This is where I was able to show all my hard work I had done with Estreya's training. I made lots of friends and had fun learning about horses. I trained hard so that I could go to County Fair with my horse. Gaming classes were my favorite where I ran; Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Flag Race, Figure 8 and Two-Barrel Flag Race.

I also entered in Showmanship and the Western Equitation classes. I had such a blast earning ribbons, gaining friendships, and showing my horse.

I had interest in pursuing with Horses as my sport so we decided to buy another horse, this is when we bought Milagros “Miracles”a Quarter Horse- Thoroughbred just a yearling at the time. This was another opportunity for me to train a young horse. I was so excited as a teenager training horses.

In High School, I joined the Equestrian Team. This is where I experienced

Team Penning and the Drill Team. That was a great experience for me and my horse. Our Drill Team theme song was “Top Gun” we thought we were so cool! Barrel Racing and Pole Bending were still my favorite classes.

I rode on both horses, Milagros and Estreya. I selected certain classes for each horse since Milagros was still green. Milagros became another best friend of mine just like Estreya.

Then adulthood hit me, I had a baby and had to put off riding for a while to get my career going so that I could make a living for me and my son.

I thought to myself what else do I like besides horses? I am a great artist and love to draw. Then it was decided... to go to ITT Technical Institute where I received my Associates degree in Graphic Design. If I would have known or done more research I would have gone to some kind of Horse College.

There are no regrets, either way I was happy in my career choice. I got a job where I could utilize all my training and hard work from my degree. I did some freelance as a graphic designer here and there. I still utilize my skills in marketing. Anyways, after that I started to get back into my true Passion Horses!

Here we are in the present with Milagros, Pistolita, Mist, Denali, Rio and Shelby and I. Time has gone by, my passion stronger than ever! These years have only allowed me to build knowledge along with my skills working with horses and people. I am very blessed, and Thank God every day for this gift he has given me. t, And to have a role model like my dad to teach me. Now, as a Mother, and a hard working woman I still carry the same passion for Horses. I wanted a career working with horses and now my dreams have come true! I do this because I am passionate working with horses and horse enthusiasts alike, who carry the same passion and yes this is my livelihood as well! The biggest reward is passing on my knowledge to tjhose who carry the same dream. I train horses, I teach lessons, and Horse Around. During my free time I practice Barrel Racing with my horse Psitolita and now Rio. I joined the BRN4D (Barrel Racers National) 2016 and still a current member to be able to compete locally for fun and to better myself. One of my personal goals was to work extra hard to become a Professional Barrel Racer. And let me tell you, that's who I've become. I've been a member of the W.P.R.A. (Women's Professional Rodeo Association) going on my 4th year.

Throughout the years I have gained knowledge in training and working with horses and people. I have studied a lot and practice training methods by Clinton Anderson, Parelli, and Carson James along with other great Trainers. I have taught myself new methods and techniques to better communicate with horses. I have the confidence that I can help you learn too! I work with a lot of different horses who carry all kinds of “Horsenalities” as Pat Parelli would say. From my experiences, I learned when to add and release pressure at the right time in training a horse. I can establish respect, trust and leadership with horses. My other personal goal is to be able to share these techniques with you. So that you can be strong, confident and the leader your horse needs. This is the story of my life, and where my passion for horses came from. I am here today only because I was patient, I believed in myself, and so can you!