Linda’s real life story reads like a fabulous number one box office movie! It starts with a woman who has an interest and ambition, throw in some love and family, jump to talent and success, add in some overwhelming trauma, heartache, disappointment, and finally end with a highly successful woman.

The story opens in 1978 where, a younger more vulnerable, Linda has a chance encounter with an “old time” reining trainer. This chance meeting places her on a path that will change her life forever and plummet her into the horse world where she spends several years hauling horses, volunteering to ride anything that breaths, working and breaking two year olds, fixing aged horses and having the opportunityand access to ask questions and observe guys like Mike Flarida, Matt Lantz, and Ed Truman.

Without having the funding to hire and haul with a trainer, Linda would examine and apply her observations and lessons to her own training to figure out what worked and what didn’t and then you would see her succeeding in Intermediate and Novice Horse Non Pro Championships. But that’s not where her story ends. If we met her today, we’d miss the full story. It would be like having the movie of Secretariat start and stop with winning the Triple Crown, there was an entire story behind his triumph!

Linda’s long term plans were not confined to the show pen - she loved training! Next scene we see her determined to make this her career. She and her husband buy property and draw up the plans to build her training facility when, like most box office winners, the tragedy strikes…Linda suffered a series of severe strokes that change her dreams of training horses and to re-training herself on the simple tasks of living; holding a spoon, brushing her hair, and walking.

But here is where the story takes it’s final and most triumphant turn, Linda’s “losing is not an option” attitude is applied upon gaining her independence and over several years she is able to stand and with the aid of a walker gain mobility. So, when the call came from a good friend asking if she could pick her up so she could watch her ride and tell her how to fix her horse, Linda responded with a resounding “Yes, just as long as she could pick me up and bring me back home.”

That was several years ago and her story would make a great movie, but it’s even more impressive because it’s true. Linda, although still unable to train while riding, uses all the talent that she gained over the years watching and riding and is now in high demand imparting her knowledge to students. Linda is an inspiration to all, and if you have been fortunate enough to ride in one of her clinics, attend one of her camps or be one of her clients you know she is a damn good horsewoman!