Claudia McCauley Horsewoman, Leader and Friend

Claudia McCauley is the founder of Hidden Acres Horse Farm in Wade, NC. She is retired Army, a long standing 4H leader, Certified Horsemanship Instructor and so much more. Listen to her story I know you will enjoy knowing more about her.

Transcript

Rose Cushing 0:15

Thanks for tuning in to today's Horsewoman podcast. Our show explores women in the horse industry as they share their dreams, challenges, successes. What drives these women? Well, let's find out. Hi, I'm Rose Cushing, host of today's Horsewoman, and today we're in Wade, North Carolina with Claudia McAuley at the Hidden Acres Horse Farm. And Claudia and I have been friends a long time, and she's an incredibly special lady, and I know you're going to enjoy hearing her story. So, Claudia, tell me a little bit about how you got involved with horses.

Claudia McAuley 0:49

Well, I grew up on a cattle ranch in eastern Oklahoma. My father was a foreman on some of the biggest ranches in Oklahoma. So from a very young age, I was on the back of a horse, working cattle, riding cutting horses, and just following him and helping him out. So I was kind of his right-hand man from the very beginning. And my love of horses just grew from that because that's what I did. I spent, you know, my childhood growing up riding horses. So did you actually get to work cows with him too? Oh, definitely, definitely. Like I said, I rode some of the best cutting horses that were provided to, you know, my dad and our the ranch. He did not own the cattle, uh, but he was the foreman, and so they provided us with some awesome cutting horses. I used to ride a Bay Mare that if I didn't have Velcro on my saddle, she would have lost me. She was awesome. But uh yeah, we would get up early in the morning, go out, you know, work three or four hundred head of cattle, and you know, and come in that evening late, and then next morning go back and do it again, and uh and just did that for years until I joined the military.

Rose Cushing 1:56

And so I know you served in the army. So tell me a little bit about why you decided to go into the army and what you did.

Claudia McAuley 2:02

Well, uh I joined the military because at that time when I was growing up, working in a factory was just about my only option. Um, maybe continuing to work with cattle and everything, but at that time it just it wasn't feasible. So the military seemed like a pretty good option. And uh just being patriotic and knowing that that I could get some skills and uh be able to work and um it it just seemed like a good option at the time. And and you know, I started out working as a construction engineer because my my dad also worked in with construction equipment, so I had a little bit of background in that. So I started out in that and just kind of you know worked through 24 years of doing different kinds of jobs, uh, and then ended up being human resources, re-enlistment, and that's how my husband and I finished up our last years. We spent uh almost 10 years in Europe, and our kids were raised in Europe, so it was an awesome life. I mean it uh we saw the world, my kids have seen the world, and I love doing it, and um wouldn't wouldn't have it any other way. I love being in the military and I love serving my country. Now, when you were in Europe, where was your favorite place?

Rose Cushing 3:26

My favorite place the Swiss Alps.

Claudia McAuley 3:33

Oh wow, tell me about them. Oh man, uh they're majestic. It is awe-inspiring to travel through the country and just see the mountains. And I've never been anywhere in the United States that have mountains quite like that. And I've been to the Rocky Mountains, I've been to to Colorado and been there, but but these are just totally magical. And watching it on TV really doesn't, you know, do it any justice, but just being there in that country uh uh and in the mountains and stuff, and my husband and I did a lot of what they call volts marching, where each town would host a walk. Uh march is a walk, and it's the people's walk, and you would walk 10 or 20 kilometers, and along the way you'd get to have beer and sausage. So that was a perk. Yeah, that makes you keep going. So every weekend, just about the whole time we were in Europe, we would take our kids and we would drive off, you know, 50 or 60 miles to a town, you know, sign up and go walk in their town and walk and see what they had, you know. Some had beautiful statues and some had you know beautiful woods to walk in, and then along the way you'd stop and have a you know a beer, and the kids would have a soda and you know, you eat a brat burst, and you get to meet the local people. My husband speaks German, and uh and so you know you get to meet different people, and so we got out and we were you know in the neighborhoods, in the culture, and and we really enjoyed it. That sounds awesome. Now, did you do anything with horses while you were there? Uh a little bit with my son, took a few riding lessons, but is extremely expensive and very hard to find and to get into. So it was just not something that was really easy to do. And and being in the military and not being around horses, yes, I missed it. I missed it. But you know, sometimes you kind of have to put those things aside and do what you have to do.

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Rose Cushing 6:44

So then when you came home from there, where did you land?

Claudia McAuley 6:47

I landed here. Here, okay, nice. I landed here. And my husband came back, we were in Germany, and uh he came back, we were getting ready to retire. We'd been in, you know, a little over 20 years, 22 years, we were getting at that point, and um uh we said it's it's time for us to start trying to find a place to settle down. So we came back here and landed in Wade, found our house that was built in 1898, second oldest house, second oldest structure in Wade, and said, I think this is the place that we need to go to. So um we came back and we moved here. We there was the barn in the house, and that was it. There was no arena, there was no runs, there was no round pins, there was no pastures, there was nothing. And uh we just started working and I had a I had a dream and I knew and I had told my my husband because he was from up north, I said when we get back, I'm gonna have horses and I'm gonna get back into it again. And so we did. Were you stationed at Fort Bragg? I was, yeah, we were stationed at Fort Bragg. Um I was stationed at Fort Hood for a long time. Uh I was born in Fort Worth, Texas, so I'm kind of in that that was kind of where I'm from. I love Texas. I do too. I love Texas. I do too. Um uh so I was at Fort Hood and then I was in Alaska for three years. You love Alaska too. My son was stationed. Yeah, up in Fairbanks. It is an amazing place to visit. Cold and harsh sometimes, but magical. I mean uh the adventures there. We we had a lot of great adventures there. My my first son was born there. Um saw a lot of creatures, moose, yeah, uh, and all other kinds of animals.

Rose Cushing 8:46

And you know I was so surprised that people in Alaska keep horses just like we do. Oh, they do year-round, and the horses are fine. I mean, you know, it's perfectly fine, but it just surprised me that with it being so cold that they can adapt.

Claudia McAuley 8:58

Well, yeah, and and they are managed a little differently. I mean, you just can't turn them out in waist deep snow and you know, with 40 below zero, they they have to be managed a little differently. But just um imagine being able to ride around in the summertime. That would be so cool. I know to get to go out and ride, as long as you didn't run across any bears or anything.

Rose Cushing 9:22

Yeah, or the moose. Moose moose are so dangerous. Yeah. Well that's it's so exciting. And after you did that and you came back here, tell me a little bit about what your dream was, your vision for here.

Claudia McAuley 9:33

My vision for here to start out was um I started out boarding horses. And uh uh so I figured, well, I've got a couple of horses and and I got a pretty good sized place. Well, why don't I invite people to come in and you know, and I'll help them take care of their horse and you know, and and board. And then I started seeing some things, you know, with people working with their horses and having problems, and I said, Well, I can help with that too. So I trained for a while and uh uh trained quite a few horses for you know a lot of different kinds of people and had fun doing that, and um but as I got older I knew that training horses was not gonna be long term and then I uh went into more doing like lessons and and and uh and you know getting into other types of things with the youth. Um and and that's just it was a logical pro progression and it w and when I look back on it, it was actually planned. I had a business plan. Uh I went to Midway College out of Kentucky and I had to ride a business plan and I've kind of gone by that business plan. I knew that at one at some point in my life I wasn't gonna be able to crawl on crawl on a crazy horse anymore for people, and um now I have kids that can do that for me, and they ride, you know, ride the horses, but um I've kind of kind of followed that and now I am more into giving riding instruction and then teaching others from the ground how to work with their horses.

Rose Cushing 11:17

Let's go back to the business plan just for a few minutes because um a lot of people don't see any need of that. Now for myself, it's the hardest thing I ever did and the smartest and the best thing I ever did. Right. Because when you write it, you have to ask yourself questions that are hard to answer. But if you don't know to answer, you're not ready. So tell me a little bit about your business plan and and what and all that involved.

Claudia McAuley 11:41

Well, it it was looking ahead several years, well, actually 15 years. I as I looked out 15 years, and we've been here 20 plus years, and so 15 years ago, having been here about five years and and starting to do boarding and cleaning my place up and kind of all the things that I thought about doing and getting done, you know, uh I sat there and I thought, okay, well, at this time I would like to be here, and this is what I want to do. Um, and then I want to be here and I want to do this. And having been in the the military, and I tell my kids this too, if you don't have a plan, you're never gonna do anything. That's right. And my calendar on January is filled for the next year, and I said, if you don't have a plan, you're not gonna do anything. If you don't say, I'm gonna project that I'm gonna do this in December, then nothing is really gonna happen. And that's pretty much what I did well ahead of time to say this is what I want to do. None of this stuff at my farm was here. I didn't have an arena, I didn't have all of that, but it didn't happen overnight either. Um and things like um, I did an internship at Clinton Anderson's, and everybody would say, Well, you know, why would you go and do that? Well, I had to do an internship with someone and no one in the area, I mean I did, a lot of people came to me. So who was I gonna intern for? I'm gonna sh I'm gonna shoot for the moon. You know, if you don't ask, the the only thing you're gonna the answer is no from the very beginning. And I asked and they said yes, and I spent uh 14 days on his farm after he had moved to Stephenville, and uh just had a wonderful experience, and and that was part of my plan.

Rose Cushing 13:36

You know, I agree, you know, like him or hate him, he's smart and he makes a lot of money. He's not a bad mentor.

Claudia McAuley 13:41

Yes, yes, and I I learned a lot there um and it was an awesome experience. But if I had never asked, right, and if I had never dreamed to do that, then it would not happen. Yes, and that's a lot of what I instill in the youth that I work with is that don't be afraid to ask, don't be afraid to do. Absolutely. Because if you don't dream, and if you don't ask, then it's never gonna happen.

Rose Cushing 14:08

Absolutely. I agree with you a hundred percent. You know, that when you get old you'll realize that the only thing that ever stomped you was yourself. Yeah. So don't limit yourself, you know. That's right. I never say to myself, can I do a podcast? I just say, Let's do one. Yeah, and and when lose or draw, you know, I dive in and and work it out. Oh yeah, yeah.

Claudia McAuley 14:29

So that's and that's kind of you know how this this all evolved. You know, I I had a a plan, I had a a vision, and over time that vision has pretty much transpired.

Rose Cushing 14:43

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Claudia McAuley 15:11

You did the Mustang makeup.

Rose Cushing 15:15

And what what age were you when you did the makeover? Because you, you know, it wasn't when you were 20.

Claudia McAuley 15:19

No, I was if you don't mind me asking. No, I let me let me think. It's been about eight or nine years, so I'm gonna say I was probably in my mid-50s.

Rose Cushing 15:30

That's what I was thinking, because that's how I met you. You were doing the Mustang Makeover and I came out to see why.

Claudia McAuley 15:35

I was I was in my mid-50s and uh I had a young lady, uh, Hannah, that started out here. And I told and same thing I told her, I said, You'll never get this opportunity again, ever. If you don't take this opportunity, you'll it it will come and it will go, and then you will look back one day and say, Why didn't I do that? And and I said, Well, you know, I'm gonna do it too. Because it was in Clemson, it was close, and we'll never have this opportunity again. Let's go for it. Absolutely. And we did, and it that was an amazing adventure. I ate, lived, and breathed that Mustang for 90 days.

Rose Cushing 16:13

It was intense. You did such a good job with him, and so did Hannah. I mean, it was just amazing to watch you work with him. Oh yeah, it was it was a lot of fun.

Claudia McAuley 16:21

Now, what did he teach you? What did he teach me? He taught me a lot of patience as far as working with an animal that I knew had never been touched by a human. And so I had to approach that in a way that to build his trust because an an animal that that has never been around a human or and you know smelled a human, you have to take your time. And you have to wait for him to tell you, okay, I I'm ready, and I'm okay with this, and I'm okay with you touching me, and I'm okay with you doing this. And but he was such an amazing Mustang. Uh I've a couple of stories. One one was it just really almost brought me to tears was uh I'd moved him into the round pen next to the barn. And uh so you know, before I'd go to bed, I'd look out, and yeah, he's in the round pen and everything's okay. And of course, you know, they tell you if you get a Mustang, you better be careful. He gets out, you know, they're gonna run off. And so I get up one morning and you know, I look out the window, I look at the barn, and he's outside of the round pen. And I'm like, oh my gosh, he's out. What am I gonna do? It's okay, don't panic. So I just walk out to the barn like we did every morning. And every morning I would go and get him and take him and put him in the stall so he could eat because you know you handle them every day. And I just walked into the barn and he just looked at me and got right in behind me, walked in the barn and peeled right off and went into his stall like he did every morning, and I almost cried. It was just I'm just like, okay, you know, just some of the most amazing things God's creatures tell you and show you.

Rose Cushing 18:02

It's it's absolutely such a wonderful feeling when they do something for you because they want to and not because they have to, right? Yeah, absolutely. So tell me a little bit about Hannah. She was one of your students, and I know she's gone on to do big things. She has.

Claudia McAuley 18:19

She uh doesn't live too far from here, and she has her own farm, and she uh has a writing lesson program as well, and I follow her and see, and she's pretty much goes along the same lines of what she learned when she was here, and she is an amazing young lady. She uh is a hard worker and just really, really proud of everything that that she's done.

Rose Cushing 18:41

She's last time I went to see her, she was teaching homeschool kids about horses. Yep, and that was so cool. She had dreamed up this whole program and was doing a great job.

Claudia McAuley 18:50

Oh yeah, yeah. Well, and she was homeschooled too. I mean, she was when she was here, she was in public school for a couple years, and I could tell that public school just wasn't for her. Uh, because my youngest daughter, I had to homeschool her. She just could not be in public school. And I went to her mom and dad and I said, you know, maybe you ought to homeschool. And after a couple of incidents at public school, they said, Yeah, maybe we should. And she just from there just blossomed. I know she did.

Rose Cushing 19:18

Yeah, so that is so awesome. Now, did did you get the certified horsemanship training before you started doing lessons or after the Mustang Makeover?

Claudia McAuley 19:27

Uh I've been a um CHA, a certified horsemanship association instructor for going about 10 years now. Um when I got into knowing that I was going to give riding lessons, that that was just a responsible thing to do. Um and uh getting the training and the the the the background with with being with that association uh and having the um they you know they they provide the the training for you the honor. stuff that you can look at and the books and things and it just seemed like the right thing to do the smart thing to do in and to to give writing lessons and their emphasis is on safety of course and I pretty much follow everything you know their guidelines and things like that because it's just a smart thing to do for the kids.

Rose Cushing 20:19

I agree because you know it's one thing to know it yourself but it's another thing when you're teaching it because if the little kid says why and and you you said because we've always done it that way that's not the right answer. So you're so smart to have gone through and gotten that extra answers and exactly when I grew up you didn't wear a helmet.

Claudia McAuley 20:36

Yeah you know yeah oh I would have a piece of string on a horse's nose and jump on bare back and take off like a nut yeah it's a wonder I'm still alive you know and and kids now it's you uh you gotta tell them well yeah I grew up not wearing a helmet but yeah you need to wear a helmet and and you need to think about being safe. Um I told a young lady this morning uh she was getting on one of the horses and she's a riding student and she said well I can get on from the ground I don't I don't need a mounting blocker I don't need to get on the tire or anything I said you know you can do that right now but when you get my age your left hip is going to tell you you're not gonna do that. And your horse's back over time of you getting on that way is not going to be good for him. So think about tomorrow and the next day and try to do what will preserve your health and preserve his health. Yeah it's it's great to be able to do that but there's no shame in using a mounting block you know I agree with you 100% it makes it way easier for the horse and for you. Yeah and I told her I said I can go out in the woods and get on the horse without a mounting block. But my hip will tell me about it the next day. That's right absolutely so absolutely but what better way to work with your horse to teach them how to get up next to a post or get up next to a stump or get down in a ditch and my horse does that for me.

Rose Cushing 21:59

Yeah you know I'm always envious when people can call them over to the fence line and they line right up beside it and stand there and wait for them. And I'm like my fool runs off I'm halfway on him halfway off sometimes, you know. Subscribe to the first podcast exclusively for horsewomen about horsewomen. Listen to successes, issues, dreams, plans, and all about our industry. Meet some of the most influential women in the horse industry everything from the grassroots to the women in the spotlight women just like you today's horsewoman. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter new episodes every Tuesday. We look forward to spending time with you each week and if you have a great story let us know. This is a cooking media production keep writing keep learning and keep listening. So tell me a little bit about 4H because I in everybody I've interviewed that's successful and and has done well in no matter what their career has started in 4 H. So it's an important program that really needs people to come on board and be leaders. And I've never met a better leader than you. So tell me tell me about 4H and what it means to you.

Claudia McAuley 23:23

Well growing up I was not in 4 H. But when I retired from the military and started homeschooling my daughter that is the perfect format to do homeschool and provide that type of a learning structure especially if you're involved with agriculture and animals. And so we started out in 4 H that way and it we went for for about four years until my daughter graduated from high school and she moved off to town and everything and then I kind of got out of out of it for a while and then started really getting back into the the writing lesson program and had some parents approach me and say well you know we're doing homeschooling can we do something you know some kind of program with that and I go I have the perfect program. It's 4 H. And so we got right back in it and our 4-H club has been um going on now for five years and we've had a lot of kids come through us and and move on military or you know whatever reason they came through our club learned did things and then you know they've moved on to other places um but I I just believe it's a really good program because it teaches the kids about the land and it teaches kids about agriculture and I think a lot of youth today grow up not appreciating um where their food comes from, where their clothes come from where um you know anything that that we live and do comes from the land and 4-H teaches kids to appreciate that and and how to preserve it and to prolong it and I just feel like it's you know really important. And and the the kids um you know raising an animal and having to care for it and training it it just teaches them so much responsibility. And the 4-H teaches them responsibility because taking care of an animal is a very important thing. And then they see that um if you raise a beef cow that beef cow feeds you. And yes you can be good to it and you can love it but you have to understand that that cow feeds you. So um and again I grew up working cattle. I grew up you know raising beef and and raising animals and chickens and whatnot and my granddaughter too does as well you know she has chickens she raises eggs she uh she understands you know what the animals are here for. Mm-hmm. It's the circle of life.

Rose Cushing 26:25

Yeah absolutely absolutely well I know in 4 H they have programs from little kids clover buds I think is what they call them. Yep and that's what toot is and and right on up do you have kids in each one of those divisions?

Claudia McAuley 26:38

Pretty much yeah toot is a uh when she turned uh six and she knew she was going to be a clover bud she says yay I get to be a clover bud and uh and now we have Savannah who is a senior and is aging out this year and uh so we have kids in just about every every group um doing lots of different things but us being a horse club our focus is you know on equine the study of the horse and uh their riding and working with the horses so you know one thing that really surprised me about 4 H um because I knew it was agricultural but I know the Heisers have a son and he is into uh robots and they build robots and like the STEM program and stuff like that.

Rose Cushing 27:21

I mean it's such a broad diverse program and I think every aspect of it is worth people that have children to look into it. Well yeah in its inception um it was focused more on agriculture but uh it has broadened its horizons to include those things because you know we need youth in those kind of programs because those programs also round out the any of the programs that have to do with agriculture and other things uh to uh for studying the growth so yeah those programs are important and 4-H has kind of kept up with that evolving way of nurturing the youth and and nurturing their knowledge and and their abilities so yeah absolutely farmers today have access to all kinds of computer programs and statistical programs and you know it it's a lot different than it was when they just went outside and eyeballed that cow made sure she was okay so it and it's wonderful that it has evolved because life changed.

Claudia McAuley 28:19

Yes and it keeps on changing. Yes yes and they can produce more and produce better products because of science and because of kids in 4-H that study those things and say well maybe we can do it better maybe we can do it different and make it better and and that's you know that's where it's it's all about.

Rose Cushing 28:37

And another thing I love about the 4-H Club is that at the same time they appreciate the heirloom stuff and where where it all came from. Right. You know so it's not like you throw one in the trash for the other you learn how to blend it all together to make it the best it can be.

Claudia McAuley 28:51

Right. Look look at look at your past for uh uh knowledge and use that to build upon absolutely and not just say oh well we're gonna do something crazy new and not have anything there's nothing new on the face of the earth no you know no just because it's done on a computer don't mean that wasn't done with pencil and paper. That's right it's just faster and easier.

Rose Cushing 29:15

And new ways of presenting it yes now with your 4-H club I know you've had a lot of kids and I mean we've done many shows TV shows and and you guys have helped me at many events and it's just been a wonderful experience. Tell me a little bit about some of the kids and and how they have changed and grown through your program and gone on to do stuff.

Claudia McAuley 29:36

Uh well the there have been ones that that are gone they weren't in the program very long. Um I have three young ladies that are here now. They were here at pretty much the beginning uh Savannah Lindsay and she started when she was about nine and I was looking back through some of my old forms l uh the other day and ran across her her well the first time she signed signed up she was nine years old and she is going to graduate high school she's got accepted to North Carolina State University and um I've watched her on her good days and on her bad days and riding different kinds of horses and just watched her turn into an amazing young lady. And then we've got Stevie and Stevie came rode for a while then she kind of got out of it for a little bit uh was gone for about a year and now she is back and now she is the most amazing horsewoman. She's just uh got a a great horse out there and she loves him and she's really working with him and uh Olivia Olivia came to me when she was about nine or ten and now she's 16 about to turn 17 and she has worked with one of my horses all this time and has won some pretty good awards on him. She won Reserve Champion twice in 4-H at the state show and um so those are the three girls that I that I know that are near and dear to my heart. I I love to see when kids have a passion and they really come out here and work and I can just see the hunger of them when they get on their horse and they're working it and then and then the satisfaction they get from knowing that they did that. They worked on that and that's what I try to instill in them.

Rose Cushing 31:34

Well you're such an amazing 4-H leader um I I would love to be one of your kids I know that you've taken them to the ocean to ride on the beach you've taken them to the mountains so tell me a little bit about some of your trips.

Claudia McAuley 31:45

Well we just went to Myrtle Beach here about a week ago. I know I was green um my my I guess my feeling on that is with the kids is that God has given me this farm and all of these horses and one of these days these kids are going to have their own kids and they're gonna have families and they're gonna be busy and they may not have that time to go ride that horse on the beach or they may not have time to do that 20 mile ride in the mountains and if I can give them that opportunity now and they look back on that and they'll say I can I want my kid to do that and then now that kid comes back and hopefully finds someone that will do that same thing for them. And it's just because I have the opportunity and the ability to work with horses and be around them it's just something I want to share because there are kids that do love horses and they have a passion for them. So they need that avenue and I I hope that I am that avenue for them to be here to do that. And to take them on these trips you know it's a win-win for me because as I get older I can't always do everything myself and so the kids you know they they help me get stuff together and we plan and we go and uh we go and spend a week in the woods and go riding every day and like I said it's a win-win for me. I get to see them grow and do and learn and be confident and I get to go out in the woods and ride.

Rose Cushing 33:40

I know such a good good scenario and you know I've always appreciated that no matter what you've done with them you've always allowed them to have a voice and and it's been a community decision. It's not just you say we're going to Leatherwood this week and ride 20 miles. It's you know what would you like to do and how would you like to do it. And they had that opportunity to to to sometimes have a little tumble because it's not exactly perfect but you know you you kind of keep a watchful eye and no I I ask them you know what what do you want to do?

Claudia McAuley 34:13

And and if they say well you know we we want to go here we want to do this okay well give me a plan how are we going to do it? Okay well this is our plan okay well then then let's make it work um the camps that I do in the summertime um the kids come and work and that's how they earn the money to pay for the trips that they go on but they know that that they have to come and work and I I am just here at the camp to make sure that everybody is safe they have to make it operate they have to have leadership positions and I put somebody in charge and they're responsible they have to plan they have to make sure that everything is in place the way it's supposed to be they have to make sure that all the tack is taken care of and they have to develop leadership skills to do that. Absolutely because when you go out into the real world it's not going to get handed to you. No you have to have you have to have that opportunity to do that. And then there are consequences for not doing what you're supposed to do. And you know sometimes there are consequences so you know it may not always go the way you want it to or it may not go a hundred percent and you have to learn about how do I drop back and replan and refix this so that it comes out the way it should.

Rose Cushing 35:32

And I know you know with with some of the events that I've done you've done drill teams you've done skits you've done freestyles and all kinds of those things tell me a little bit about that experience.

Claudia McAuley 35:42

Um well as far as the kids actually doing those well this is stuff they want to do. They'll come to me and they say well I would like to go and do this. Okay well again let's develop that plan. You want to do a freestyle well then here's how we put that freestyle together and let's practice it and um I'm getting ready for the 4-8 shows we just don't show up at a show and you know do classes about two months ahead of time we start planning and we start having practices in a month of we practice three or four times a week and I and I tell them if you want to go and get in the ring and show you got to ride and you're gonna have to come out here and you're gonna have to practice and you're gonna be hot and you're gonna be frustrated and you're gonna get tired and oh wow you asked to show and this is what you have to do to do it. You know and you've accomplished so much what's on your bucket lift list left to do I can't think of anything I mean diff different some different trail rides that that I've wanted to do. I know Savannah and I've been talking about going to Grayson Highlands and and I said okay well we're we're gonna go we're gonna do that I wanna I want to go there and ride. But anything um Emily and I talked about going to Ireland and ride. Nice that was kind of but um not sure I mean that might be a couple years down the road but we talked about going to going there and and riding um I've always wanted to go I've always wanted to go to um uh Montana and ride. But the thing about that is that if I can't take my own horse and ride I don't want to go somewhere and get on a horse. I agree you know for me and and I've hauled diamond all over I mean he's been he's been to Texas a couple of times we spent a month in Texas riding with two or three different big clinicians out there uh he we've been just all over the place going different places to ride so for me to take my horse that that is the ultimate what's your fondest memory my fondest memory meeting my husband 34 years ago how did you meet in the military um I had um lost my husband um he passed away with cancer and I was uh stage it for hood and um about a year later I had to go to a a military school and at that military school I met him. I looked across a classroom and saw him sitting there and I said hmm I think I'll take that home with me. Yeah it's been a match made in heaven for sure yeah he's so sweet and so supportive yes he is definitely and we have our anniversaries next week we will have been together 34 years. That's so I can I can't believe that man's put up with me for 34 years.

Rose Cushing 38:50

That is so me and my crazy schemes yeah I understand I always tell my husband I'm I'm kind of like Lucy Ricardo you know you never know what I'm gonna come up with and he's crazy enough to follow me. Oh yeah yeah even your cameraman absolutely my cameraman yeah so well I have just a couple more questions if you don't mind as a young woman coming into the horse industry what advice would you give her to help her understand how to make her mark on this industry and leave something special be true to yourself um study study the horse and do what's best for the horse but find find that little spot that you know helps and it's all about teamwork and everybody in the team makes that team stronger whether you do a little part or whether you do a big part and um just just getting in there and helping out and and doing those little parts and and being involved

Claudia McAuley 40:00

Makes a difference. And because if you're not if if you don't come in and help and be involved, then who is going to? And where does the program go if we don't have those volunteers to do that? It's it's like working with the Special Olympics. I mean, it it was um um you know, somebody came to me and said, Well, I've been doing it for 20 plus years and I'm I'm weary. And I said, Okay, well we'll give it a shot. And we our first year we learned and I cannot say what I mean it was such a blessing to to be in that program and we're hoping that this year that the Special Olympics will kick off again and we'll be able to get the athletes out here, get them riding, and get working with them again. And and for the youth to be my youth to be able to s to see these kind of athletes and help them to uh uh get out and do things that they normally otherwise wouldn't be able to do. And so um that's one of the other programs that that we that I have stepped up to the plate and taken over for Cumberland County so that my youth can be part of that as well. Uh because I believe that's good for them to do that. Absolutely.

Rose Cushing 41:28

That's that's such a beautiful program, you know, to to be part of the Special Olympics. That's that's really awesome. I'm so proud of you.

Claudia McAuley 41:34

Yeah, well, thank you. It's a blessing, it definitely is. Again, it's a way to share my horses. Yeah. It's just another way to share, share, you know, the the love of the horse and and to help people out.

Rose Cushing 41:46

You know, it it's amazing that there's no other creature on earth that I can think of other than a horse that can be so many things to so many people and do all of them well. Oh yeah. You know, I mean I mean dogs are sweet and cats are sweet and I've got all those. But there's still nothing that that quite you can make that connection with like you can a horse. Right. And whether you ride him or whether you just brush him, yeah, or you just love him. It's it's irrelevant because you can still make that depth deep connection with him.

Claudia McAuley 42:13

Yeah. Well and and horse people will tell you that. I mean, there's people that love dogs and people that love cats, but there are us that love horses, and I could not imagine my life without them. I agree. You know, when I retired, I knew that I was gonna come back and I was gonna have horses. Um, and I always will. It's just a part of my life and don't want it any other way. I agree, I agree. You know, if I can't get up and smell a horse in the morning, then it's not a good morning.

Rose Cushing 42:43

Absolutely.

Claudia McAuley 42:43

But thank you for spending time with me.

Rose Cushing 42:45

Well, you're welcome, thank you. I really enjoyed our conversation.

Claudia McAuley 42:47

Yeah, thank you for coming and talking to us and and visiting with my my kids that are here this afternoon, and so and I appreciate it. I appreciate your support. Thank you.

Rose Cushing 42:56

I hope you enjoyed today's show. Our souls wander in similar places, even though we may not know each other, we touch the same wind, we walk under the same sky, and our hearts wander in the same dreams. We are one. Women, just like you and me. Thank you for listening.