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Selena Bradshaw - Ranch Wife Ramblings
Photo by Dee Dodson |
Ranch
Wife Ramblings: An Interview with Selena Bradshaw
By
Gina McKnight
No duplication without permission.
From
Sterling, Oklahoma, Selena Bradshaw is the ultimate cowgirl. Selena and her
husband raise commercial cattle, bucking horses, and bucking bulls! A seasoned rider,
Selena writes, “My favorite thing to do is show horses, everything from jumping
to cutting but these days you are most likely to find me in Ranch Horse
classes. I am so blessed to be a ranch wife and love the challenges and great
rewards that come with the life. I am so glad to have you along for the ride.”
Welcome,
Selena!
GM:
We are excited to have you in this edition of Florida Equine Athlete! I enjoy
reading your blog and learning about all the things you do! And your horses are
beautiful. Tell us about your first horse encounter…
SB:
I was one of the really lucky kids! My parents had horses before I even came
around. I have been around them from day one! So, I don’t really remember my
first encounter, I do however remember my first solo riding adventure! I had a
little miniature horse and I remember my dad putting me on bareback and all was
well until we started to trot and then I promptly bounced off the side.
Needless to say I was definitely not a natural!
GM:
You were a lucky kid! Growing up with horses certainly prepared you for your
current role. Tell us about the horses on your ranch…
SB:
We have A LOT of horses on the ranch right now, most of them are bucking
horses, we raise about 10 babies a year and have three different studs. But
I’ll introduce you to my main saddle horse string!
Smart
Trey or Trey for short is my main man! He is basically living the semi-retired
life now but he has been with me through thick and thin. He has lived every
place that I have and has taken me on many adventures. He even paid for some of
my college as he was my mount when I showed on the Versatility Ranch Horse
teams at Northeastern Junior College and Tarleton State University. He is an
AQHA sorrel horse that proves that he is little but he is mighty! We have spent
time doing a little bit of everything from running flags at a rodeo, roping,
showing in showmanship, hunter under saddle to dragging calves to the fire and
everything in between. However, we have found our best success in the NRCHA
events and AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse.
Play
In The Woods or Elle Woods for short - you know like the movie “Legally Blonde”
(The best chick flick ever!). Anyways, she's a gray AQHA mare that is just
starting to become the main mount. I have started showing her at some small
ranch horse events and we have been using her more and more on the ranch. I
have big hopes for her as my next show horse and to start taking more
responsibilities on the ranch.
Slick
is a red roan grade horse. He is the true MVP of the group! He is the one that
gets saddled when we need to get something done and I know he will take care of
me with no funny business! No matter if it’s freezing cold and snowing or super-hot
out when we have a job to do, Slicks the one I want to be on.
Curious
George was supposed to be a bucking horse but he decided that he would rather
be a working horse. He is mainly my husband's horse but every once in a while I
like to climb on him and play around. He is like riding a big tank and is just
a lot of fun with his larger than life goofy personality. He has a lot of Draft
in him and being a sorrel with a flaxen mane and tail, he looks a lot like a
Belgian horse.
Bay
Boy is a bay grade horse. He is definitely my husband's horse but I just
couldn’t keep him out. He is the definition of a gritty ranch horse. Sometimes
I’ll talk my husband into letting me ride him and he is all business! He used
to not be the friendliest of horses but I introduced him to horse treats and he
has decided it’s worth getting fussed over to eat some treats.
GM:
Treats are always a plus! In the show arena, what is your favorite event?
SB:
I am such a sucker for a good horse! I love all of the horse show classes!
However my very favorites and favorites to show in myself are the Working
Cowhorse, Reining, Cutting, Ranch Riding, Ranch Trail and Ranch Pleasure.
I
qualified for the AQHYA World Show on Trey in the Working Cowhorse and then the
AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse World Show. We had a lot of success showing in the
versatility ranch horse classes through the years including being the reserve
AQHA high point youth versatility year end. I like that it’s more than one
class that we get to show in.
While
the Working Cowhorse will always be my favorite of all time, reining has
definitely become a top favorite. I have been blessed to get to scribe at the
NRHA Derby, Futurity and NRBC and it has made me a huge fan. I can’t tell you
how honored I feel getting to sit in the scribe seat while history is being
made. Those horses and riders are so talented and it’s so special to have an
arena seat.
GM:
Sounds like fun. Horses all day, every day! Congratulations on your accolades. As
a ranch wife, what is your go-to for motivation and inspiration? How do you
stay fit and energized?
SB:
I am a sucker for motivational quotes! I think that my favorite thing about
Facebook other than getting to keep up with friends and family is finding those
little gems of inspiration all typed up pretty. I am always saving them on my
phone, it’s full of them!
I
also like to surround myself with a goal list that is the locked screen of my
phone. I think that these help me stay focused throughout the day. I started
following Rachel Hollis years ago and she suggested every morning starting out
with a journal which has five things that you are grateful for that happened
the day before, 10 dreams I made happen (they haven’t happened yet, you just
write them like they have because you're going to make them happen!) and then
the goal that you’re going to achieve first. I have taken this journaling and
ran with it! It’s the first thing that I do every morning whether I’m at home
or on the road. It helps me remember to be grateful for the things that I have
while I stay focused on my goals and dreams.
I
would also be lost without snacks and a book! I bring them with me everywhere!
I don’t like to be hungry and you never know if something that you thought
would only take a little while turns into a whole day ordeal so I am always
squirreling away snacks! I also bring a book with me wherever I go! I love to
read and I find it's something that I enjoy doing if we have a little down time
rather than scrolling on my phone, especially since I don’t always have
service.
I
would love to say that I have a special exercise plan and diet but I am very
inconsistent with working out unless I have a run coming up. I like to do at
least one 10K a year running for Team Beef Oklahoma and when I’m gearing up for
that I try to run five days a week. Otherwise, I try to sneak in a run and YouTube
Barre class a few times a week if we're not too busy. As for diet, my husband
is a great cook! If it wasn’t for him I would be eating TV dinners and Mac and
Cheese every day! He does a good job of having us eat a balanced diet of beef
and veggies each day. We raise our own beef and during the summer we have a
pretty good size garden that helps us get some fresh veggies! We tend to eat a
good breakfast and lunch and just have a small snack at night. I also sneak in
my fair share of sweets since that’s definitely my favorite thing!
GM:
Take us through a day in your life...
SB:
Oh, goodness! Our day varies so much each day and especially during different
seasons and sometimes I am on the road working horse shows. However, right now
we are done calving spring calvers and have just finished working all of them
(giving vaccinations, castrating the bull calves, worming and fly spraying them).
We have a few months before we start calving out fall calvers which will find
us spending most of our day horseback checking cows and pushing calves to the
shade so they don’t overheat in the summer heat.
So,
our typical day right now starts around 5am. I will get ready and dressed, do
some house chores and my husband makes breakfast. After breakfast we go out and
feed the saddle horses and whatever else is up and gets grain. We then saddle
up and check cows and calves and doctor anything that is sick. After that we
come in and eat some lunch. After lunch we will work on whatever other projects
we have around the house, things like spraying weeds, fixing fences, putting
out minerals and other miscellaneous things that need to get done. I have a
project horse that I am working with right now so I will generally go work with
her and finish my barn chores and sometimes go work horses depending on who got
rode that morning. We will come in for the night and I will try to work at
least an hour on the side hustles of my blog, ranchwiferamblings.com or Punchy
Designs.
GM:
Working cattle and horses can be fun and dangerous, especially around bulls.
What techniques do you use to confront a misbehaving animal?
SB:
My husband and I work together so much that we know what each other is thinking
or going to do next without having to say anything which makes working together
really nice, especially when things are a little dicey. It also helps that my
husband is an amazing hand around horses and cattle and he keeps things running
pretty smoothly! However, you always find yourself with that one pesky animal
that doesn’t want to corporate. We recently got out of raising bucking bulls,
so luckily we don’t have as many standoffs anymore.
I
would like to tell you that when confronted with a misbehaving animal I handle
it with grace and professionalism but that would just be a lie! It generally
starts out with me getting angry and calling them names, because they
definitely care about the name you call them, right? Haha, then, I go to the
pleading with them to just behave and then I do what I should have just done in
the first place, take a step back, take a deep breath, think about why what I’m
doing isn’t working and re-adjust.
GM:
Once you raise a bucking horse and/or bull, do you get the chance to follow
them on the rodeo circuit(s)? Do you maintain a connection to the animal?
SB:
It depends on where the animal goes. Each bronc and bull carries our ranch
brand, the stuk B, and then a letter and number that identifies each
animal. We have had some broncs and bulls get sold to contractors for the PRCA
and the PBR and we are able to follow those horses and bulls because each time
they get drawed by a rider we are able to see who got them and how they were
marked. It has also been fun with social media because lots of times we can
look up the guy that drew them and see the video of their ride! Last summer
when I was working the Colorado State Fair horse show, a mare that we raised
had drawn up in the reride pen of the rodeo going on there and although she
didn’t end up getting used I was still able to go see her and it was really
neat! When they go to the amateur rodeos we will see them pop up on videos and
pictures which is always fun! I have also halter broke a few that didn’t want
to buck and instead went on to careers as riding horses and I love when the
owners send me pictures and updates on how they are doing.
Just
like any animal, some are more friendly than others. While most of the broncs
that we have you can’t go out and pet in the pasture we have a few that like
horse treats and will let you pet them. We spend a lot of time with them from
feeding, getting them used to the chute and equipment, moving them from
different pastures, checking on them and just plain hanging out with them. They
get pretty used to humans and I don’t think that they mind us that much and
some seem to like us.
On
the other hand some never do end up “liking” people. I had a little bucking
bull that I bottle fed from the time that he was itty bitty until he was a big
bull and he never got to the point that he wanted to be around people. He was
super talented but definitely on the mean side and no amount of bribing with
treats could win him over.
GM:
What advice do you have for women who are seeking your lifestyle? What
challenges will they face? What can they expect?
SB:
The biggest advice that I can give to women that are seeking my lifestyle is
that you can do it! It’s not the easiest but it’s worth it and if I can do it
so can you!
The
two biggest challenges that I faced were having to plan better and not having friends
close by. Planning better comes with experience and honestly with the help of
Amazon, I have probably gotten a little bit less than I was before. Before I
moved here I wasn’t too far from town and I worked in town so it wasn’t a big
deal to run to the grocery store and pick up something. Moving here I only go
grocery shopping twice a month and learning to check certain things before I
leave and make a good list was a must! The next challenge I faced was not
having friends close by. We live in a little town and it wasn’t like I had a
town job or was going to school where I could make friends right away. Being a
very social person this was hard for me but I realized that we are so lucky! We
live in a time in age where my best friend who lives across the country is just
a text, call, or message away! Over time I was able to meet some amazing ladies
that I get to call best friends that live super close to me, one just across
the road! So while at times it might feel lonely when you are just getting started
out I promise your “old” friends aren’t that far away and you will meet some
great people. It might just take a little longer since most days the only
person I see is my husband.
Some
things to expect are getting used to doing things by yourself. With as many
animals as we are taking care of it is hard for both of us to get away at the
same time. People might make jokes when you go to weddings and other things
alone, just go! Sometimes, going and doing things by yourself not only makes
you a strong person, it can be fun! Make the best of it! Also, get used to
people acting like just because you don’t have a 9-5 job you just sleep in and
do nothing all day. It used to make me mad when people would make snide little
comments about how it must be nice to not have to work, when I was working much
longer hours than them but I’ve gotten used to it and they can think what they
think. While I never get to leave my job and living this lifestyle while we
don’t have as much freedom as people would think we do get to dictate what we
do every day, well unless an animal has different plan for us, and while
there's always something to do I wouldn’t trade it for a 9-5! I have done that
and while I loved my town jobs I like this one much better!
GM:
What does horsemanship mean to you?
SB:
To me horsemanship is a person that is constantly working to improve their
connection with the horse. I believe that to have horsemanship you have to
constantly be working to get better. I also feel like horsemanship expands from
how you take care of your horse all the way to your riding. I feel like a lot
of people skip over the care of their horse and that’s a main part of being a
horseman. From what you feed your horse, to grooming and healthcare, all of
that is just as important as how well you ride.
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| Photo by Dee Dodson |
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| Photo by Dee Dodson |
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| Photo by Krista Davis Signature Portraiture |
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| Photo by Randy Duran |
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