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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015
PARTING SHOTS
A weekly snapshot from The Daily Astorian and Chinook Observer photographers
JL Gillikin and Heather Hryciw perform a tango outside of The Festival of the Dark Arts at Fort George Brewery Feb. 14.
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
The Barn: Nearly 90 percent of U.S. horse owners are female
Continued from Page 1C
The demands
Keeping horses is messy,
labor-intensive,
expensive
and emotionally demanding.
Horses have immense physical
strength and powerful wills, so
the relationship between animal
and owner is different than with
other pets. A deep bond isn’t in-
cidental; it’s fundamental.
That level of involvement
might seem overwhelming,
even to professed animal lov-
ers. But for some people, the
challenges of horse ownership
provide a sense of purpose and
a source of joy.
“I always knew it would be
a lifestyle. I’m very passionate
about it,” owner Amy McHale
said in mid-February. While
growing up in the 1970s, two
of McHale’s three sisters were
“very, very horse crazy.” They
convinced their parents to get
one horse for the family, and
then another.
“It progressed from there,”
McHale recalled. They became
a family of die-hard equestri-
ans.
In 1977, her father built the
cavernous barn, which includes
a huge sheltered arena, nu-
merous stalls, and a loft where
spectators can watch events.
“He wanted to build an in-
door facility that his family
could ride in year-round, be-
cause it rains a little bit around
here,” McHale said.
He planned to rent stalls to
other area horse owners, but
formed a backup plan in case
the girls lost interest.
“With all of us girls, he
would always say, ‘If you all
can’t get along and this doesn’t
work out, it will be a truck ga-
rage.’ That is why he built it tall
with big doors — just in case.”
But he never needed the
backup plan. Until the mid-
1980s, the family spent near-
ly every weekend riding and
competing, and the customers
your time to enjoy — your time
with your animal.’”
On a Tuesday night in
mid-February, Wylie tied her
horse Dude up just inside the
barn doors. After spraying and
brushing him, she braided his
tail.
Caring for horses is such an
integral part of Wylie’s routine
that she scarcely seems to no-
tice the amount of work it in-
volves.
“After school, I usually take
about a 15-minute break,” Wy-
lie said. Then, she heads to the
barn to help with chores and
take care of her horses, wrap-
ping up around dinnertime.
Some local horse owners are
serious competitors, while oth-
ers just keep them as pets. Some
prefer Western-style trail riding,
while others use the more gen-
teel English-style. Outside of the
barn they might have different
backgrounds and world views,
but they do tend to share some
common values, McHale said.
Inside the barn, retired
Submitted photo
grandmas, working moth-
National Barrel Horse Association awards series winners at Red Barn Arena included, front row from left, Cody Huff, Rachael ers, young single women and
Glasson, Abby Doan, Olivia McKinsstry-Kemmer, Sophia Bittner. Middle row: Dominique Bittner, Allison Bonney, Wylie McHale, teenagers take a collaborative
Sarah Markham, Laura Byrne, Brooke Morgan, Erika Glenn, Rachael Bartlett, Arriana Wiegardt. Back row: Katie Glasson, Chris- approach to raising the next
ty Carruthers, Cheri Bolden, Hannah Pilon, Reece Pierson, Tracy Yates, Mckenzie Dalton.
generation of equestrians. As
little ones in helmets and bright
kept coming. Later Amy began
women (and a handful of men) jackets learn to groom, ride and
competing in rodeos, and in
¿W LQ KRUVH FDUH DURXQG ZRUN compete, there is always some-
2009, took over the barn. She
and school. Starting around 6 one there to give a boost, hold
estimates that there have prob-
in the morning, owners stop in a baby, calm a restless mount
ably only been two years in her
to lead their horses out to pas- or offer a bit of wisdom. The
life when she didn’t compete.
ture. They return in the evening youngest riders aren’t coddled;
Her 13-year-old daughter Wy-
to bring them in. For two or they’re coached, gently pushed
lie began riding when she was
three hours, the barn functions toward greater independence,
2 and now does Junior Rodeo.
like a happy hour for people UHVSRQVLELOLW\FRQ¿GHQFH
“In general, horse people are
Wylie’s cousins also ride and
who don’t mind getting muddy.
compete.
Owners muck out stalls, feed really good people. They are
horses, drape them with blan- very family oriented,” McHale
Women prevail
kets. Some saddle up and take UHÀHFWHGWKLQNLQJEDFNRQKHU
The people who board hors-
a few turns around the arena. own upbringing.
es at the barn are overwhelm-
“On the weekend we hung
Others unwind by grooming
A horse waits to compete during a day of barrel-racing their horses or visiting with out with people, and a lot of
ingly women.
times we really didn’t know
“That is fairly true across the events at the Red Barn. McHale hosts semi-regular shows each other.
country,” said Ashley Furst, a and competitions. Some are for serious competitors, oth-
“Everyone has busy lives, what they did in their daily
spokesperson for the American ers are just-for-fun social events.
hectic lives, lots of responsibili- lives, in their jobs. But you had
Horse Council. One 2010 study
ty,” McHale said. “I say, ‘When that horse bond. Here in our
found that nearly 90 percent of More than half are working or small towns or rural areas.
you come here, leave your barn we have a great group of
U.S. horse owners are female. middle class, and most live in
At The Red Barn, these problems at the door. This is people.”
GE T
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