This is Saguaro!
I feel with all of the negative and scary things in the news & being posted on social media that we need to focus on something good. Going through my pictures and re-living all of these precious moments has been cathartic for me and I urge you to do the same.
I also wanted to take a minute and tell you about the people behind Saguaro Show Pads. This is our story.
My name is Kayleigh Vickers. I am 26 years old, I’m a wife and a Mama to a rambunctious 3 year old. 💜💜
My husband Cody is an Engineer at our city fire department. We have been together since I was 15 years old (so you do the math. No, seriously, I’m really bad at math 🤣) In all seriousness, we started dating in 2009, got married in 2015, and welcomed our first born son in 2017. Cody also trains Gun dogs here at our farm so we are always very busy around here. We have two labs, Molly & Mason, that we plan to breed in the future. Molly is the yellow lab that you see in my behind the scenes pictures from time to time. She’s my buddy. ☺️
My son Carson turns three in May and is currently being potty trained. (HOLY COW, potty training is HARD). He has been at horse shows since he was a little bitty baby. He loves life here on the farm and often asks to get Scout, his paint pony, out to groom. He is also getting his first saddle for his birthday coming up but he doesn’t know that yet! 🙂 Carson keeps me very busy. He stays home with me full time. I’m thankful for the precious moments I haven’t had to miss due to a job outside of the home. Different strokes for different folks but this works for us. He is ALL boy and loves to play in the mud, ride his 4-wheeler, play with the dogs, train dogs with Daddy, and is very interested in all things with wheels with emphasis on fire trucks and monster trucks. Also tractors! Can’t forget tractors. I could go on all day about my baby boy but I’ll stop now before I bore you to death. 🤣
Now finally a little about myself. We are fortunate to live on a farm here in GA that we have built with our own two hands. We almost sold our farm to move to a larger home a few months back but the Lord, thankfully, showed us that wasn’t what we needed. So thankful for that! We have 8 acres that adjoins my dads 20 something giving us a total of about 30 some odd acres. We have a golf cart path back and forth that we lovingly call copperhead road that goes between my dads house and ours. We are truly blessed to have my dad so close. We have 3 horses now. My show horse (the buckskin) Houston, our black AQHA mare Barbie, and my sons pony Scout. We also have 2 Shelties, one blue heeler, two labs, and the neighbors corgi Steve that may as well live here and one barn cat named Cat King Cole (Cole Cat for short) 🤣 We have an 8 stall barn with two large tack rooms and two hot/cold wash racks inside the barn. I also have a feed shed and a office shed. It is my slice of paradise. It’s far from perfect but it’s the perfect home for us! 💜
Our farm, River Road Farm, was a full service boarding/lesson barn until January 2020 when we made the hard decision to close to doors. I spent 7 wonderful years being a trainer. A coach. A friend. A mentor. I love my kids so so much. It was something that I very much needed at the time. We had a barn full of kids, parents, and horses that we love dearly but Ecclesiastes 3:1-9 says “to each thing there is a season” and I fully believe in this. Having a thriving barn was my childhood dream and I’m so thankful that I got to live my dream. We had so many successes and it fills my heart with joy and I’ll always look at that season of my life with such gratitude and happiness. We felt led to simplify our life. Spend more time together, focus on our family, slow down.
Thankfully, Saguaro has allowed me that flexibility. With a husband who works 24 hour shifts away from the home it can be challenging for the spouse to lead a normally scheduled life. I am the sole parent most of the time and that’s okay with me but requires sacrifice. All good things do! So now I spend my days designing, working on your orders, and marketing our fantastic pads. I am so passionate about this business. I’ve never felt more myself. More alive. It’s the perfect storm for me.
I went to college for business management/marketing but did not graduate. My weakness in math caused my almost perfect GPA to crumble. I decided it wasn’t for me and decided to focus on the skills that I do have rather than the ones that I don’t. I am proof that with hustle and a dream, anything is possible. I’m not discounting college at ALL. Just simply saying that it isn’t necessarily the ticket to success. That ticket can only be found within yourself. 💜☺️
A little about my career with horses. I don’t remember my life without horses. Seriously, I had begged for so long by my third birthday that they finally caved and bought me a horse. His name was Wookie and he was the absolute love of my life. He was never fully sound a day in his life for anything other than trail riding but he and I rode a thousand miles. Atleast. 🤣 he was the safest horse that ever walked the earth. I took my first canter steps on him. He had one eye and was not the most gorgeous thing on earth but he was mine and I loved him so much. He is in the pictures below. 💜💜 I had the luxury of horse showing my whole life all over the southeast. I was raised by a single dad who worked multiple jobs seven days a week to put me through private school and to fund my (very expensive) horse shows. I rode hunter jumpers on the A and AA circuit for 15 years before swapping to western disciplines in college. I tried barrel racing before I landed on reining and ranch pleasure. I was a very successful pony hunter rider before moving to the children’s hunters and then did some 3 ft classes. That is where I drew the line. I had a few bad wrecks that ruined my confidence which ultimately led me to switch disciplines and boy am I glad that I did! The older that I get, the more clearly I see that each piece of my puzzle makes me who I am. Successes, failures, & closed doors included.
Now to talk about my Dad. I may never be able to stop. I wish I could tell you all of the wonderful things that I could write but there isn’t enough time and I’m sure you have all stopped reading by now anyways 🤣. So my dad-the best human being to walk the earth. When I was a freshman in college we bought the farm that I live on now (which he later sold to my husband and me). I, of course, couldn’t wait to bring my horses home here. He wanted me to focus on school and to get a degree and not make the same mistakes that he did. (His words). Although the school thing didn’t work out, he did me one major favor that led me to where I am now. He cut me off. He told me he wasn’t paying for horse shows anymore (In effort to simplify what I was involved in so I would go to class and focus). His plow didn’t work to keep me away from horses but what it did do was make me start to think of how I was going to earn a living. (I’m sure you all remember when the real world hit you, too.) How was I going to pay for my horses? How was I going to provide grain and hay? How would I keep going? I didn’t have a horse trailer or anything to pull one with for that matter. I had to get smart and get creative. I started teaching lessons in my off time. Did I know everything there was to know? Absolutely not. Did I make mistakes? Yes. Did I know how to run a barn or business? Heck no. But I learned. The hard way, usually but albeit I stuck with it and learned. I watched YouTube and read anything I could put my hands on to answer the questions that I didn’t know the answers to. My Dad cutting me off turned my entrepreneur switch ON! I found myself. I realized I enjoyed thinking of ideas and businesses and I started to challenge myself in how I would attain financial stability and freedom from a 9-5. I have had plenty of failed attempts at finding success and a few successes. One being my barn and one being Saguaro. Thank you, Dad. The best thing you ever did for me is cut me off. Parents, I urge you to take a lesson from this. Sometimes to fly, you have to fall first. 💜💜💜
This is us. This is me. We are Saguaro. 💜
I’m going to stop here. My fingers hurt and I’m sure you are sick to death of me by now (if you are even still reading). For those of you who read this through the end, thank you so much for supporting my small business. I am so thankful. Saying that feels so small in comparison for how I feel but thank you all. I’ll never be able to say that enough.
Please, if you are comfortable, post a positive comment. We ALL need something positive right now during this challenging time. Whether it’s a post of someone that makes you happy or even just an uplifting quote. Drop it for all of us to see. Let’s spread positivity and take a minute to focus on something good. Y’all stay safe out there. Wash your hands! We are moving forward business as usual and I hope you all take this down time to shop for upcoming shows once this is all over. 💜 thanks again!!!
You have accomplished so much already , And only 26 years old . You are going do amazing things .
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