'God's Hand Was In It All'

This ranch family found their happily ever after with horses, cattle and over 300 acres of gorgeous country.

- Sarah Lea Bowman

There’s a difference between living and living well. And sometimes that difference means setting aside your dreams and fully embracing the life that God has given you.

Born and raised in western Colorado, I have always loved the outdoors and animals. Though we moved too often for me to have animals of my own besides cats and gerbils, I had a chance to start riding horses when I was 12.

Three times a week my parents took me to a stable where I signed up for lessons and began competing. Ever since, I have poured myself into learning about horses and improving my riding and training skills. By the time I was 15, I managed to save up enough money to purchase a 2-year-old quarter horse filly from a breeder friend of my mine. That horse taught me so much, and thanks to lots of instruction, I trained her myself and we competed together in 4-H and open shows.

I had one goal in mind, and that was to become a professional trainer. So when I graduated from high school, I chose a college that offered a degree in horse training, which gave me the opportunity to do an internship with a top-notch reining horse trainer, Steve Schwartzenberger.

The next year, I married my cowboy, Andrew Bowman. While he loves working horses and looking after cattle, he is also a good mechanic and welder who can fix almost anything.