Boss Babes

If you read our last blog, you know how important inspirational women are to me. They can teach us so much about ourselves and how we can be better, and I cannot say enough about how much I value them. I wanted to share with you just a few of the #bossbabes in this industry that inspire me, and we hope you will share yours with us at social@hobbyhorseinc.com.
— Kristin Darnall-Titov, Hobby Horse CEO

Kirstie Marie

I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with Kirstie as the lifestyle photographer for Hobby Horse. Her images are gorgeous and romantic focusing on the special relationship between a girl and her horse. She is not only an amazing artist, but also a brilliant business woman and entrepreneur. Her work can be found gracing the pages of nearly every equine publication. Kirstie launched Kirstie Marie Photography only five years ago. At the time she was working in investor relations at an asset management firm utilizing her finance degree from TCU. Three years later she decided to take a leap to become a full-time photographer and entrepreneur. Kirstie’s road to success has been one of twists and turns, yet she always followed her passions. She picked up her 1st camera during her senior year of college, went straight out to the pasture to shoot horses and never stopped! She used the love of her “once in a lifetime horse” to help her tell her own love story with her subjects through her lens. This talent for using her own heart to inspire her photography makes her images emotional, relatable, and simply gorgeous.

Megan Holdren

The sheer TENACITY of Megan makes me have immense respect for her. She was a political science major with plans of going to law school. She then got married instead and went into the corporate world climbing her way up the corporate ladder with hard work and long hours. One day she was helping out at a photoshoot and some of the clothes didn’t show up in time. So she took somethings out of her own closet that she had made to fill in on the shoot. Everyone loved the pieces and she was inspired to start LiveWire. Through ups and downs, she hasn’t given up. Despite only selling five pieces last year, she didn’t give up and this year she got to design two wedding gowns, was featured at a Vogue event and on-line, featured in Cowboys & Indians Magazine, and is going to the main headlining designer at Nassif Fashion Week! Based on her ideals of putting in the grind and work, believing in what you do, creating something you love despite what critics say, and most importantly, never giving up — she is now the founder & owner of LiveWire, designer for Nine70 (a division of Greeley Hat Works), and Co-Owner of C.M. Models.

Lindsay Perraton

Lindsay has been horse-obsessed since she was 6 years old when she convinced her parents to take her to the hunter/jumper barn down the street for a lesson. She switched to all around for most of her youth show career, showing at mostly AQHA shows. While going to college for a degree in communications she started riding cow horses. An entrepreneur at heart she started her first business with a friend in Calgary, Canada called Revive 45, a vintage reworked fashion company. She would pull pearl snapped shirts off a conveyer belt in a rag warehouse, launder them, and then rework them adding patches and sequins and tailoring men’s shirts into fitted women’s shirts. Although 14 years have passed, she still sees people wearing her shirts when she attends the Calgary Stampede. She also started a promotional marketing business providing teams (including hiring & training) for companies like Budweiser and Jack Daniels. She then sold the business and took the money to get an MBA at ASU. In 2013 she spent quite a bit of time with Matt & Amanda Kimes, traveling and having kids of similar ages. By January 2014 the Kimes were ready to rebrand their clothing business and turned to Lindsay for a marketing plan. Eventually she joined full-time leading the marketing efforts. She loves innovating on all levels and partnering with other brands to help lift up everyone. One of her recent marketing efforts has been Trade in your Fades. During the month of October customers can receive $20 off a pair of Kimes Ranch Men’s jeans by up cycling any piece of old denim. The old denim is then recycled to make insulation given through grants to organizations like Habit for Humanity. In fact, Lindsay and several members of the Kimes Ranch team helped build a house in Los Angeles this past week for Habitat for Humanity utilizing the insulation! She loves being able to give back, stay true to her core values, and keep an open team culture, all while remembering ‘if you want to win, you’ve got to work.’

Ginger Schmersal

Family. Hard work. Philanthropy. Ginger went to the University of Utah with a focus on marketing and business, but became bored with school. She loved the fashion industry, especially the sales and commission side, so she turned to owning clothing stores. She grew up showing hunters and jumpers, but when got pregnant she switched to the all around competition at 24 years old. She got out of retail and focused on being a mom and showing horses, but always loved western fashion. When she married NRHA Professional Craig Schmersal she thought they needed a backup plan in case he ever became injured. So she re-entered the retail industry selling training tack and accessories that Craig used in his business. She has also done quite a bit of work in real estate buying, fixing up and selling ranches and homes.  All while handling the business side of Craig’s horse training business — stating that she is happiest while busy. Not only does she make sure that the business is taken care of, but she also volunteers and has sat on several boards over the years including AzRHA, NRHA, and Alta Foundation. Above all else, she makes sure that her family always comes first! She considers her main business making sure her family is taken care of and secure.

Kari Klinkenberg

Kari showed as a kid and eventually started working for an Arabian trainer mostly training hunters and pleasure horses. She became involved with reining when a new customer came along that had a reining horse. Kari fell in love with the sport right away and knew she wanted to focus on that passion. Although she was discouraged by many who did not want her to make the switch because reining was a “man’s world” and they thought it would be too difficult for her, she did it anyway! She attributes her success to having loyal boss babe customers that have stuck by her and taught her a lot. Before venturing out on her own, Kari worked for a cow horse trainer for two years. It was difficult, but she watched, asked for help and figured it out. She has been out on her own for 10 years and now has a full training barn and goes to every major NRHA event. She was the reserve world champion at the APHA World Championship Show in 2015, the reserve champion at the NRHA Derby in 2016, and in she represented the U.S. riding Mr. Electric Spark at the World Reining Championships in Switzerland in 2016. This year she marked a 223 in the Open Maturity at the NRBC and most recently won the NRHA Derby Level 2 Championship. “Sometimes it’s really hard and you don’t know how you are going to get back up, but you have to pick yourself up,” she said. “If you get knocked down, you just have to get back up. Don’t give up and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.”

Jenny Loveland

Jenny grew up in Oregon and her family couldn’t afford for her to show at the larger breed shows, so she showed in 4-H with her Appaloosa.
After completing her psychology degree from OSU, she decided to move somewhere warmer, so she packed up, drove to Arizona and never looked back. She worked for a Fortune 50 company for 17 years before retiring as an executive. Jenny then worked in aerospace consulting before her husband became ill in 2014. She quit working and sold her horse in order to focus on caring for him full time. He passed away in 2015. With her amazing perseverance and strength, she launched Handmade Exotics in 2016 and purchased another reining horse in 2017. Her goal for her business is to keep a narrow focus and expand in increments while maintaining a high level of quality and integrity. This year she supplied the belts for the United States and Austrian teams at the World Equestrian Games! Her belts are endorsed by top professionals in reining, cutting and cow horse — they are also sold by Hobby Horse! We hope these #bossbabes inspired you and made you think of ones in your life that continually inspire you. We would love to hear their story at social@hobbyhorseinc.com.