The South Dakota Cowgirl

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Dreams Don’t Work Unless You Do

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Dreams don’t work unless you do: I climbed on 6 head of horses yesterday.  It’s been a while since that’s happened.  I’m doing less — less computer work, less writing, less photography, and more horse stuff, because… Dreams.

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Dreams about Horses

I grew up as that horse crazy kid — the one that drove her parents absolutely bonkers —  asking; no, begging; eh, probably pleading at every turn — for a horse. 

Riding lessons, whenever we could afford them, pre-horse, and summers at the youth ranch, filled my childhood, yet only made the horse bug worse. When I was 11 my dream of owning a horse came true. Dad gave me 6 weeks to get tired of feeding him…little did he know! I had dreams!

 

Fast Horses + Big Dreams

Fast forward 30 years — I now get to chase down my dreams of maybe one day making the NFR. I know, we start with filling our permit, then we make the circuit finals, and then we make a run at it… But for the first time in my life, I feel like this is something I could actually accomplish.

I have the horsepower in Avie and Cosmo. Lack just a few hundred dollars towards filling my permit. Own a string of up and comers that no doubt, also have the ability. But never before have I actually had the support of sponsors, or felt like I had a chance in heck of getting there because I figured I’d never have the money to make enough runs to get me to a place where I was comfortable enough to feel like I could go. Dreams don’t work without resources.

dreams don't work unless you do, the south dakota cowgirl, dusty saddles photography, barrel horses, barrel racer, big dreams

Opportunity Knocks

And then as it’s wont to do, opportunity happens.  Chaffhaye called and they’re behind whatever goals I want to accomplish; so is Spurrs Big Fix! SynNutra (code GoFastJenn gets you a discount!) keeps my horses feeling great and is also an incredible team to be part of! But the biggest game changer for me, has been going to work for a company that has helped our horses and dogs feel their best, and has allowed my checkbook to grow. 

When Covid hit, all my social media jobs for the year were cancelled. No one knew what was going to happen – the uncertainty was overwhelming. I had to cancel all my photography workshops; the ranch had to cancel its activities as well. All of those were income producing events that we needed to help pay the bills.

Add to that the uncertainty that I’d have Avie for this whole year, let alone be thinking he could make another season and it would have been easy to get discouraged. Instead I’m here, certain he has another year in him, thanks to the opportunities I’ve been given this year.  Dreams do work if you do. 

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Dreams don’t work unless you do: some of my home-raised horse power. Photo by K Byars for Western Horseman

 

Not Going to Happen

I poo-pooed the idea of this opportunity for several months.

It wasn’t for me. 

It wasn’t going to help my horse. 

What I was doing was already working. 

There was no need in changing the program.  

Then, One day this Spring, Zach asked me to look at what I viewed as a problem, in a different way. That was all she wrote, as they say: the game changed.  

What do I hope to accomplish with this venture? 

To be brutally honest — I want to earn enough income to make my dreams a reality.  The opportunity to make excellent moolah — which has happened — despite this shitty economy is pretty great.  I won’t lie. 

That said, the real reason I decided to jump in with both feet is that I get to help horses and dogs (and soon people) live their best lives and feel amazing while they do it.  I now have an incredibly sound yellow horse named Avie, and another yellow horse, named Max,  that is well on his way to being sound. I’ve watched horses and dogs all over be helped by this product. 

It hasn’t been easy — it’s still work. But it’s work I enjoy, so it doesn’t feel like work. All dreams are possible with consistency. I’ve been working really hard to be consistent in my life. This has certainly helped with my growth. 

I started the second quarter of 2020 completely unsure how I’d make ends meet, once the virus shut everything down. Now I know I can, and will, accomplish what I set my mind to, by helping one dog, one horse and one person at a time.

Dreams don’t work unless you do.

I’m doing the work, or giving it my best effort anyway! And I’d sure love the chance to tell you what I’m doing. 

Happy Trails friends. We’ll see you down the road. 

 

About ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western.

After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her mother, who told her she had to have a “real” job after graduating college), she finally took the leap and stepped away from a regular income; trading the business suit once and for all for cowgirl boots, a hat, and jeans. She has not looked back.

When Jenn first moved to The DX Ranch on the South Dakota plains, she never imagined she’d find herself behind a camera lens capturing an authentic perspective of ranching, and sharing it with others. Jenn has always been called to artistry, and uses music, writing, images, home improvement, and her first true love of horses to express her ranching passion.

Horses are the constant thread and much of her work centers around using her unique style of writing to share her horsemanship journey with others in publications such as CavvySavvy, the AQHA Ranching Blog, the West River Eagle, the family ranch website, and her own website.

Using photography to illustrate her stories has created other opportunities -- Jenn’s brand “The South Dakota Cowgirl” has grown to the level of social media “Influencer”. This notoriety has led to work with Duluth Trading Company, Budweiser, Wyoming Tourism, Vice, Circle Z Ranch and Art of the Cowgirl, to name a few. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Woodchuck USA, Arenus Equine Health, Triple Crown Feed and Just Strong fitness apparel. Her photography has been featured by Instagram, Apple, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Jenn’s work has been published internationally, has been seen in several books and has graced the covers of several magazines.

Jenn became a social media influencer by accident when she started to explore Instagram as a way to share her life on the ranch with folks that don’t get to experience it. It’s grown into an incredible platform that she uses to empower women, create an environment for self improvement and share life on the ranch.

When she’s not working, she loves to drink coffee, play with her naughty border collie named Copper, start ranch colts, and run about the country chasing cans. Her mother still thinks she doesn’t have a “real” job.

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