Friend Spotlight: McKenna Barnes

McKenna is off to college in the fall

By Jasmine Minbashian, MVRU Associate Director

McKenna Barnes didn't start out as the confident, capable horsewoman she is today. McKenna started out as a very quiet, shy little five year old girl who with focus and determination, has blossomed into a critical staff member at MVRU. McKenna has helped out with just about everything from teaching to moving cattle to caring for and training our horses to serving as a junior board member. Sadly for us, this is McKenna's last year with MVRU as she moves on to pursue a degree in Equine Studies and Business Management at Lake Erie College. We are so proud of how far she has come so we're featuring her in this month's friend spotlight to celebrate all the wonderful contributions she has made to our program. We will miss you very much McKenna!
   
 I had a chance to chat with both Program Director Annie B. and McKenna about their experience:

MVRU: What is a fun or poignant memory you have of her?
AB: I first met McKenna when she was an extremely quiet but horse crazy five year old girl attending one of our summer day camps. I have a fond memory of McKenna and Cassidy [Butler] doing a "pas de deux" (a riding duet performance set to music) at the Appleatchee Dressage Show in matching blue tutus with matching black ponies (Little Black and Midnight). They were so cute because they made up the choreography themselves and chose their own music and their own outfits. It was all self-initiated, which is pretty great when you are only 7 years old!

MVRU: In what ways has she helped MVRU? 
AB: Over the past twelve years her journey has taken her through many years of horsemanship instruction, both English and Western with a concentration in three day eventing  and cattle work. Along the way she became a valuable volunteer, helping out with kids camps and therapeutic riding lessons. She then grew in to a capable staff member responsible for horse care, training and teaching lessons and camps. But mostly McKenna has helped MVRU by being an authentic living embodiment of what we hope to provide in the lives of young people. By that I mean, starting out at a young age, being quite shy and blossoming and turning into a confident capable rider and human being.

MVRU: What are her best character traits? 
AB:  McKenna values what this horse journey has given her in terms of strengths and life skills and articulates it well.  I think at the top of this list would be responsibility, integrity, strong work ethic and confidence. It has inspired us to see her continue to become a good rider and trustworthy staff person. She works really hard, never complains, and happily takes on responsibility. She also actively pursues her own education and improvement as an instructor, rider, and horse trainer. All that has inspired us to carry out MVRU's vision for the kind of impact we can have on somebody's life.

And here's what McKenna had to say:

MVRU: What is the most important thing you have learned from your time spent at the ranch?

MB: The most important thing I've learned is not how to work with horses, although horses are my passion and define who I am.  The biggest thing I've learned from them is courage and confidence. I used to be a very shy little girl that didn't have a voice, and having to be in charge of a 1300 lb animal requires you to be confident and sure of what you're doing. There's no other option. Having to do this with horses then transferred to my everyday life and instead of being shy I'm not afraid to speak up and have a voice.

MVRU: Who is your favorite MVRU horse and why?

MB: Finesse is my favorite MVRU horse because I believe I learned the most from her and was able

McKenna and Finesse tackling the water jump

to progress farther than with any other horse. She gave me the perfect amount of a challenge while still making things simple enough to guide me through new ideas and activities.

MVRU: What advice would you give to others who are just starting on their path with horses?

MB: Stick with it. There are so many different life lessons you can learn from working with horses. Not only do you learn how to ride, handle, and care for this animal, you also learn about communication, confidence, problem solving, responsibility, and hard work. The most important skills I've learned in life have come from working with horses at MVRU.

Spotlight: Allison Wolfe

by Annie B.

Allison Wolfe has been a steady presence at MVRU since I first met her over ten years ago. She came to us as a shy and quiet teenager, but she held a secret: what I would come to know and appreciate as her ‘determined way’. Her determination helped her pursue her desire to spend time with and around horses. She volunteered by care-taking horses, tack and equipment for a long time, observing, soaking it all up from the background, before I could convince her to actually have a lesson.

Alex Clayton, Allison, Kelly Schuh, Tulie Budiselich and Erin Schuh in 2009

To begin with, each and every lesson took lots of encouragement and she earned them through her volunteer time. Ever so slowly and gradually she became slightly more comfortable, less shy, and more accomplished at handling the horses, always preferring to have time alone with them to a lesson. As her skills and confidence built, she began to volunteer, ride more and quietly assist around the ranch in useful and knowledgeable ways.

Her confidence grew to the point that in the summer of 2007, she finally joined the staff. Her dedication to good horse care, attention to detail, and reliability make her invaluable as a horse care and stable manager. Over the years, she has become skilled at dressage, jumping, Natural Horsemanship, and working cattle, learning from a variety of sources: MVRU instructors, Jimmy Wofford and Buck Brannaman.

Allison honing her skills as an instructor

Even after graduating from high school and going off to college, she always came back to the ranch to be with her horses and people, in most cases working as much as possible. After college, Allison came back to work with us full-time and blossomed into a fantastic, thoughtful and skilled instructor not to mention honing her skills as one of the ranch's best cowhands. Today, she is continuing to challenge herself by pursuing her passion of becoming a Physical Therapist.

We recently had a chance to catch up with Allison and ask her about her experience at MVRU.

MVRU: What is your earliest memory of your time at the ranch?

AW: I started at MVRU volunteering just to get some horsey time. I remember sitting in the breeze way cleaning tack watching Annie teaching a lesson and watching to see what I could learn. I was incredibly quiet and shy when I started at MVRU. I loved the opportunity to just watch and pick up all the little details but I still got pushed to keep progressing.

MVRU: What is the most important thing you have learned from your time spent at the ranch?

AW: The most important thing I learned is that it takes hard work, perseverance and consistency to make improvement in your skills, in horse training and teaching. Skills I learned at the ranch have aided me in all other aspects of my life: from school to relationships.

Whatnot and Allison on a recent visit to the ranch

MVRU: Who is your favorite horse and why?

AW: Of course Whatnot is my favorite horse. He and I have gone through a development process together. He is a quirky character and came with quite a bit of baggage. He needed someone who would get through that wall he had built up. He and I have been through some scary situations together and we trust each other completely. He has become such a bombproof guy and is willing to try anything I ask of him. He is so much fun for cattle work and he becomes so aggressive and just loves his job, plus he has saved my bacon several times in the chute! I have to add that my favorites horses to teach with are Ginger and Buttons, those mares and I really work together to teach and they give my riders the amount of challenge they need while keeping everyone safe.

MVRU: What advice would you give to others who are just starting on their path with horses?

AW: My advice to riders starting out is to take any opportunity that comes your way. Ride different horses. Try jumping, dressage, cattle work, driving, groom at a school, audit a clinic, etc. You never know what you are going to learn. And take the time to develop your own methods. Don’t just jump on someone else's bandwagon. Take what you like from people and let the other stuff go.

We dream about the day when she may come back to us again, possibly as MVRU’s first in-house PT! We are so proud of you Allison. Your determined way will carry you far in life, hopefully on horseback.

Who we are ...

Methow Valley Riding Unlimited is dedicated to providing high-quality instruction in horsemanship programs that bring horses and people together to foster joy, learning, healing, compassion, respect, responsibility, cooperation and personal growth. Offered within the natural splendor of Moccasin Lake Ranch, our educational, therapeutic and recreational horsemanship programs build connections and memories that last a life time.

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