Today we’d like to introduce you to Donna Hudson.
Hi Donna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Twenty years ago, my youngest grand child started school and I no longer had anyone to ride horses with, so I ran an ad in the local newspaper offering a horseback riding experience for any experience level for $25. This provided my gas and gave me someone to ride horses with. This was very rewarding for me. I really love to watch someone experience the joy of riding the first time. Many of my customers became repeat riders. I decided to offer them a reward for riding multiple times, and we still offer that today with our loyalty program. If you ride with our outfit 5 times, your sixth ride is free. Before long several of my grandchildren became trail guides and eventually my daughter came to work on the ranch full time because the trailriding service became more than I could handle on my own. We started with 8 show horses turned trail horses, Over the years we have grown and bought more horses. We have 24 beautiful horses.now and many more to come in the near future. Some are American Paint Horses, some Quater horses, and a few other breeds as well. We also have rescued a few horses from bad situations and given them a job and a forever home.
All of our horses are well trained for every experience level. Riding horses is very therapeutic. In the last couple of years we have done benefit rides for patients with terminal diagnosis through the Rutledge cancer Foundation, and we do weekly trailrides for some local rehabilitation facilities. This has been one of the most rewarding accomplishments. Riding horses changed my life and the life of many others. The people who ride horses with us are not just our customers, they are our family.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to where we are as a business today hasn’t always been smooth..Change and growth is always the struggle for anyone in business or in life. Being able to keep up with the demand and embrace the change at the same time as managing the animals health and well being can be a challenging balance. We found that being proactive in this is the best way to move forward.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are a family owned and operated business. We specialize in providing every rider with an experience they will remember for a lifetime, whether it is their first time on a horse or they have ridden their entire life. We ride the beautiful countryside and down by the lake and through creek bottoms. The sunset views over the lake are extraordinary. We are most proud of our trailguides and our horses for their ability to keep everyone safe and their hard work. The horses here are apart of our family. Our horses, our trail guides, and our views set us apart from other trail riding outfits.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I don’t think people realize the amount of work that goes into caring for a large herd of horses. Regular veterinarian check ups, dental work, training, and new shoes every six weeks, not to mention hours a day spent feeding and cleaning the living areas for such large animals. They really are like having a bunch of extra children. Riding the horses is just the icing on the cake!
Pricing:
- 1hr trailrides daily $75 each rider
- 1.5 hour trailrides daily $105 each rider
- 2 hr trailrides daily $120 each rider
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Touchofchromepaints.com
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/TouchOfChromeTrailRides
- Other: 817-648-2584
