My parents were not horse people at all, so my
first real experience with horses (other than pony rides at the fair)
was at Birch Bay Ranch. Although I was initially intimidated by them, I
loved every minute of it and they were the reason
that I came back in subsequent years. I thought vaulting was one of
the coolest things ever! Fernando was an incredibly calm and gentle
horse and instilled confidence in all of his riders. I remember how
proud I was with I was chosen as one of the vaulters
to perform at the Saturday
rodeo presentation in my third year at Birch Bay Ranch. While I’m sure
that in the new age of liability and safety concerns that vaulting on
live, moving horses is no longer an acceptable camp activity, I will
always be glad that
I had the opportunity to experience this as a child. More than 15
years later, I had the chance to try vaulting again (now as an
experienced horse person) and it gave me a whole new respect for the
level of difficulty and skill required to do what seemed
so easy and fun at camp as a child. To think that this camp gave me
the confidence to stand up on a horse that was trotting as an
inexperienced child, when even the most basic maneuvers seemed difficult
as an adult!!
I also fondly remember the horse I rode there my
third summer, Little Gas, a peppy little horse who was always ready to
go. He was the first horse that I loped and he made me feel like I was
flying! I also enjoyed all of the in class
horsemanship theory. Unfortunately, once I aged out of the Junior
camps, I was never able to make the Teen camps fit into my schedule, but
I still carried with me the love of horses that Birch Bay Ranch
instilled in me. From there, I was able to convince
my parents to let me continue to take riding lessons, eventually moving
into joining a 4-H club, owning my first horse and then going to the
University of Alberta to study Animal Sciences. I carried on with my
education, and this eventually led me to the
University of Kentucky, where I am an Assistant Professor in the area
of Equine Science. I teach and advise 60+ students every semester in
the area of animal and equine science and I run a research program
looking to improve our understanding of equine nutrition
and physiology. I still ride as well, participating mostly in the
hunter/jumper disciplines.
So, for me, Birch Bay Ranch was the start of my
journey that led me all the way to the ‘Horse Capital of the World,’
where I get to enjoy a wonderful and fulfilling career with horses. It
would certainly be a shame if the future generations
missed out on such a wonderful opportunity!
Kristine L. Urschel, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Animal and Food Sciences
University of Kentucky
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