The South Dakota Cowgirl

Life on the Ranch Through My Lens

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Rapid City Runs

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I ran my new pony this weekend at The Rapid City Barrel Bash.

I had a lot of fun. It was nice to be reminded how fast I am capable of riding. And how lax I’ve become when riding Gump.

Friday night we made a pretty nice run, save for taking out barrel #2:

Saturday, we ran a tenth faster, but hit the third:

And then there was Sunday, where we were two tenths slower, took out barrel #2, and almost fell off at turn #3 and I did manage to fall off at the end of the run. I’m fine, but I do have a goose-egg on my head and a few bruises. Poor Avie didn’t know what to make of me on the ground. I just had to get up smiling and rub him! The ironic thing about this fall is that two years ago, on SUNDAY, no less, I took a spill off of Gump, and landed in some panels and wasn’t too quick to get up so I ended up being hauled away to the hospital on a stretcher. I didn’t make that mistake this time. Granted, my back was terribly bruised last time I took a spill, but I could have survived without a ride to the hospital.

I’m fine this morning. A bit sore, but nothing I won’t live through. It’s going to be a hot one, so my plan for the day is to do laundry, and catch up on stuff that needs done inside, at least until which time it cools off enough to ride!

How was your weekend and what did you do? I’d love to hear about it!

Happy Trails!

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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