Magazine Q3-2021 -- ONE -- paperturnV2 - Flipbook - Page 52
I
f you’re anything like me, you dream about this type of thing. The
sunrise, the ranch, all that hay, horses for acres, sounds that make you
think you’re in a different universe. We romanticize it, sure. But it’s just such
a beautiful lifestyle, and having a couple hundred acres and a small army of
horses is totally realistic, right?
For Angie Hilding at Bridle Path Quarter Horses in Hayden, North
Idaho, this is her reality. The sunrise, ranch, hay, horses, sounds; all of it.
This is her lifestyle, not some side passion we think looks nice. It’s not
something she does in her spare time when she gets home from a day at
the office. The acreage is her office, the saddle is her desk chair, and Angie
has given her entire life to this industry and these young women.
Discovering an unrelenting passion in what she does from sunup to
sundown isn’t convenience, it’s what gets her out of bed day after day.
My mom has a picture of me at
“3-years-old
in braided ponytails, and
I’m barrel racing at a rodeo right here
in Rathdrum at the old singer rodeo,
and my shirt says, ‘First-Class Brat’.
Angie’s no stranger to this lifestyle — she’s has been riding since
age 3. “My mother was never into horses but a big supporter, and my dad
is a team roper, so I was always surrounded by it. I took it to the next level
than anybody did in my family,” said Angie. “My mom has a picture of me
at 3-years-old in braided ponytails, and I’m barrel racing at a rodeo right
here in Rathdrum at the old singer rodeo, and my shirt says, ‘First-Class
Brat’. Isn’t that funny that I have a business now called Brats!”
47 | JOURNEY BETTER
As an accomplished competitor who travels around the country,
Angie thought she had found her passion, her career, and her legacy all in
one. But just like it is for you and I, the fantasy of ranch-life absent of all
responsibilities isn’t a reality. “Before I started this, I wanted to rodeo full
time, but I couldn’t afford it of course. So, I ended up going to work.” With
two careers before Bridle Path, Angie tried her best to do both — work
“ II’mlovea competitor.
to compete.
hard and play hard — but like it is for anyone with a burning passion for
something, you can’t just turn that off and settle for second best. Angie said
it herself,, there’s no silencing the “horse-crazy girl” inside.
With 18 years now as the owner and operator at Bridle Path, Angie
provides trail rides, private lessons, and horse sales. This pays the bills and
is a sure way to be around the 2,000lb creatures she loves more than
anything. But does it scratch that itch?
