About Me

I am 23 year old Alberta bred, dog crazy, horsewoman. My greatest loves are my three Australian Sheppard’s; Cody, Belle and Beau, my two quarter horses; Black, Cacao and Appendix Dakota. I lived in Edmonton for 8 years during Elementary and Junior High before moving back to my family farm for High School by Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.

In 2011 and 2012 I was Rodeo Royalty for the towns of Barrhead and Jasper, which sparked my journey to build a career around horses and the western lifestyle! In June of 2014, I graduated from the BC College of Equine Therapy and returned to my hometown.

My passion for horsemanship has been a lifelong journey. I've competed in multiple Amateur Rodeo Associations around Alberta in Barrel Racing, Pole Bending and Steer Endecorating. I am always trying to improve my knowledge and skill set and have taken many clinics and lessons in all disciplines. My favorites so far are roping, cattle work and of course barrel racing. This summer I attended a handful of All Girl Rodeos (CGRA) and won my first rodeo check! Now that winter is approaching, I'm switching gears and shifting my focus to roping. I plan to attend a fall ABRA series making a handful of barrel runs a month, but my priority is becoming a strong roper. Once a week I'll take lessons for breakaway roping and heeling on my dads geldings to get them fit and ready for the January Arizona run. To help make his horses solid I'm wanting to incorporate reining principles, to encourage collection and efficient stops. I'm excited to have the opportunity to ride with a new coach and fine tune my horsemanship!

In addition to my passion for the western lifestyle, I also love to travel! During my two years of college I commuted to Vernon BC for class every month and fell in love with the Okanogan. One of my favorite getaway destinations is the Rockies, especially Jasper. The year I spent as Miss Rodeo Jasper Princess, further fueled my love for the small town. It has the scenery, snowboarding and riding opportunities without all of the comercialization. I was fortunate to spend much of my youth driving across twentysome States with my Dad rodeoing. Though I had never seen the ocean in my travels, so in the summer of 2012 I flew to California and explored the coast. While I love the ocean and a beach lifestyle appeals to me, I am definitely a mainland girl. This past winter I went to Vegas for the NFR and spent February and March in Arizona with my horses. This January I'll return to Indiana to visit my sister and brother inlaw! I'm also hoping to fit in a cross country trek at some point next year and reunite with my best friend of ten years in New Brunswick!

My love of helping other women, writing and all of the above inspired me to start this blog so I could share my passions and interest with my friends and family spread across the continent. I wrote a blog for Canadian Cowboy Country a few years ago and decided it was time to pick it back up! I’m sure in the future I will adapt and add to this brief glimpse into my life and I hope you will enjoy the process as much as I do!

Sincerely,

Miss Tay Melin

The Millennial Hippie Cowgirl