A horsewoman’s head-to-heart outlook
Down in Hippie Holler, at the Rocky Acres Homestead, is Dawson’s Equine Connections. Gabriella Dawson provides both horseback riding lessons and guided trail rides from the barn to Flapjack Rock, where moss growing on the rock looks like syrup dripping off a pancake.
On the trail one can spot assorted mushrooms and watch Red-tailed hawks soaring above.
“A lot of these guys come from the rescue,” Gabby said as she showed me four horses from the same rescue. “Every single horse I’ve had somebody says, ‘Girl, you are nuts for taking that horse.’
“Horses were once a culture of necessity, and now it has become more of an ego driven type of thing,” Gabby said. “I kind of have a really strong opinion about cowboys and rodeos. I think it’s become a sport that kind of exploits the animals.
“This is a safer way to give these horses a job. So that they have somewhere to go and have something to do. They are not being overworked or exploited. Little kids are getting on them and love them.
“We had a horse that just retired from here, he was just not enjoying it anymore and starting to slow down a lot. So, my friend took him. Two of my lesson students were all upset about that horse retiring. So last night we went to the house where he’s at and sat with him. They fed him carrots and stuff.
“It’s cool to see those little girls cultivating their love for animals by coming here and learning how to love and take care of the animals. They prefer to ride bareback, and I cater to that.
“I’m also trying to make sure these horses get the best care they can and have a good home. That’s why we got so many from the rescue. Otherwise, where would they be? What would they be doing? You never know.
“A passion of mine is making sure that these guys are doing the right job – teaching little kids how to ride and care for them in a way that’s not cowboy culture. We’re trying to do more horsemanship.”
“Halle is actually the reason we got all this started because I was giving her lessons at Keels Creek,” Gabby said. “Then Tabatha Hargis, Halle’s mom, asked us, ‘Why don’t you come out to our place? We have a hundred acres. What if we get enough horses to do our own trail rides?’
“I was like, let’s do it!” Gabby said. “There was no barn, there was no nothing. All my horse friends told me that I shouldn’t do it. That’s nuts. But where opportunity lies, you can work with it. Sometimes it’s not gonna be perfect right away.
“They didn’t know a lot about horses. There was a lot of learning about each other, and times where we didn’t want to be around each other. That’s how it is in any environment. It is not going to be ideal or perfect.
“But we just stuck with it and kept buying horses and making things work. Then, Halle’s dad, Justin Hargis, was like let’s build a barn and get an actual facility. And now we have a barn, it’s like three months old. And we’ve been doing trail rides for two-and-a-half years.
Gabby gave a bit of history. “I met Justin twice and at a gas station he gave me a wad of money and told me to go buy horses. It’s really nerve-racking buying horses with somebody else’s money. My truck broke down as soon as I delivered the horse. Joey was my first purchase.”
“I like to figure out what the horses are trying to tell me. They are not so silent after all, if you know how to pay attention.
“I understand I have to make money and it’s expensive to care for them properly. Sometimes my horses don’t want to work but I make them anyway. I’m trying to find the balance because I understand if I don’t make money, they won’t have a home here. And they are getting good care. It’s never going to be the perfect situation. That’s life. Sometimes you have to miss out on what you want to do because you need to get stuff done.
“The way I learned was riding bareback a lot and falling off a lot. Hanging around the barn and taking chances. I got thrown off a lot and learned how to deal with it. I basically feel that I am doing what God wants me to do. I get an intuition or feeling and I just go with it. Sometimes it’s scary. Life happens for you, not to you.
“I don’t want to just make money and do what I want to do. I want to be an influence, that’s why I like teaching lessons, too. Because I’m able to influence kids in a direction that isn’t like the others. I want to be an influence for kids in a way that I would have wanted when I was growing up. Allowing kids to have moments with the horses that is more than just competing and winning. I want them to truly connect to the horses and communicate with them. And do what’s best for the horses, too.”
The horses were well behaved, and Gabby’s instruction was absolutely thorough. Even though it was my very first time riding a horse, I had no issues at all on the trail that goes uphill, downhill, winds through the woods, cuts across pastures and crosses creeks. And I was on Joey.
Dawson’s Equine Connection can be reached at (863) 640-1058. She also does house calls to help owners understand their horses better.