About the Founder

In early 2022, after years of dreaming about this store, I finally mustered up the courage to execute on my dream. My background is in biology so I had a tremendously steep hill to climb while learning accounting, small business taxes, website set up, IT, camera settings, audio, apparel design software, on and on and on. Basically, I'm a Google and YouTube-foo blackbelt and proof that it can be done if you don't give up! But now, let's get to how all the horse-madness began...

I started riding horses sometime around 6 years old. I don't remember my age exactly, but I very, very vividly remember that moment. My first horse ride was on Mastodon, a huge Hanoverian rightfully named after the extinct mammoths. We later found out he was the Bulgarian national show jumping champion and was on his quiet, summer vacation at my grandparents' village away from all the crowds. Somehow, my grandpa had talked his caretakers into letting me ride him. Needless to say, that was it! I was at the barn every day thereafter helping to clean and take care of the horses. Probably more of a nuisance than help but truly a barn rat.

After we moved to the USA in 1996, mom and dad were able to set aside enough money for lessons once a week and I was able to continue my dreams of becoming a show jumper. I rode on the Arabian Horse Hunter Jumper circuit for years until my amazing trainer, Chris Elliott, was diagnosed with an illness and subsequently moved too far for me to be able to continue taking lessons with her. So, for the next decade I rode without a trainer and rode whatever people had at our local stable: Arabians, Tennessee Walkers, green-broke anything, Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, trail riding, unintentional bronc riding, etc, etc. Then college became my priority as I focused on my studies in Poultry Science and thus was unable to ride very often.

One day, a friend graciously let me ride her reining horse. First of all, I couldn't believe that there was a whole equestrian sport I had never heard of and second, after all my years of riding I couldn't even make a proper circle!!! It was like going from driving a tractor to a fighter jet. Incredible! It was a feeling like no other: extreme power combined with grace and precision guidance which was so in-tune with me that it was literally beyond my abilities. Talk about humble pie! Just like my very first ride on Mastodon, I was hooked! The perfect combination of complete control yet delegation of responsibility to the horse. On a loose rein!!! Well, needless to say, reining has been my passion since that day and I hope to share the sport and these amazing horses with the world.

Currently, I have my small herd of horses at home as well as one horse in full-time training. I show at reining shows as much as possible and hope to be more competitive as my toddler is getting older and I have a bit more time to practice. I juggle my family, full-time job, the toddler, the farm, riding practice and the time to create designs for the store. I will do my best to add my horse shenanigans as often as possible to YouTube for y'all to enjoy as well. (YouTube channel @MiraCourtney).