“I was five and I was at school. One of my friends told me about a barn she was at, and I got the number. Do you know how many 5-year-olds get the number for barns and bring it home? Not very many, so I was pretty destined for this.”
Those are the words from now 18-year-old Ryan Hall, originally from Arlington, Texas, as she recalls how her love of horses began so many years ago. Just at 5-year-old she was taking initiative to go after what she wanted, and she has never once stopped giving up on her passion – the equine business and the sport of competition.
Ryan recalls a somewhat rocky start with her horses and learning the sport of jumping, but she says those experiences are what made her a better rider. As a petite 5-year-old, her first horse was a giant polo horse – taller than 16 hands – and her sport of choice was not polo, but rather eventing. Her second horse bucked her off. Every day. And, according to Hall, her third was a “$500 junk yard pony.”
“I never started with the money horse. I learned to ride the horses I had, and I went with it, and it really changed me,” Hall said.
As Hall learned to ride and developed a love and appreciation for the equine industry, she also started learning and excelling in the sport of 3-day eventing – a combination of three popular equine events – dressage, cross country and show jumping. She has worked her way up to the 1-star level. But she has concerns about the safety of the cross-country course and has been advocating for changes for those before further advancing to the 2-star level. She competed last fall, with hopes to compete again this fall; and hopefully with safer courses to help prevent falls.
With her entire heart in the business, Hall has been working to help off-set the cost of her passion and realize her dreams for the past six years. She has worked for several barns, caring for horses, braiding, riding, selling horses and working in both the breeding and foaling barns. All of these experiences have taught her a deeper love for the four-legged friends. She also appreciates it more because she is making her own income and paying her own way, and even able to afford a few “little” extras.
“When I got on the airplane to come here, my parents told me, “do not buy a foal.” Well, I bought my own foal last year because I work hard, and really wanted one,” Hall said. She now owns her foal, a mare and stands two syndicated stallions, but also rides many other horses.
One of the ways Hall has learned to care for her horses is by offering them a high-quality supplement. Vitalize® is a line of supplements for horses with the Amaferm® advantage to improve digestive health and gut integrity, keeping your animal healthy and performing. Amaferm is a precision prebiotic designed to enhance digestibility by amplifying the nutrient supply within for maximum performance. It is research-proven to increase nutrient absorption resulting in maximized digestive health for improved performance.
Hall says all the horses at the current facility she works at are on Vitalize, and the mares get the Vitalize Equine High Performance Pellet. After seeing the results on the horses she works with every day, she started her own mare on it last year.
“My mare is a little bit calmer, which anyone who knows her would understand that. She’s not crazy, she just gets very excited about working, but since she’s been on Vitalize, she’s been calmer overall. And, there’s been no colic incidences,” Hall said.
In addition to working at the barns, selling horses and helping other learn to ride and jump, Hall also enjoys photography and has turned that into a side business. She is definitely invested in her livelihood and understands the financial and time commitment the equine industry takes. But this young lady isn’t afraid to work hard and go after her dreams.
“It’s not a cheap sport, so you really have to go after it and work hard. I will for sure be staying with horses. The horse business and the horses are super interesting. With horses, there’s always something new every day,” Hall said.
