We were lucky to catch up with Rebecca Sheriff recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)? Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style.

One of the most impactful experiences of my life was choosing to pursue my M.A. in Outdoor and Adventure Leadership from Wheaton College. During my time as a student, I worked as an Equine Programs Graduate Assistant as well as a Farm Intern. The work experience I gained during these two roles has been extremely impactful to my life. In fact, Sheriff Horsemanship wouldn’t exist without these two key roles! My supervisor and mentor coached me through purchasing and training my first horse, and while it was incredibly challenging, it was also deeply fulfilling. Now that same horse has come full-circle and teaches beginner riding students about horsemanship.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started Sheriff Horsemanship back in the spring of 2021 with a desire to teach people horsemanship skills while also helping students understand that life skills can be learned through horsemanship. From patience to grace, grit to leadership, so many skills that are required in the modern world can be learned through the age-old art and science of horsemanship.

Sheriff Horsemanship has a couple of major components. The first is riding lessons. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge of horsemanship with others and teaching students skills both on the ground and in the saddle. The horse has limitless lessons to teach us and I’m here to facilitate that learning!

The second is training horses. The equine industry is often lacking in quality, safe, well-trained horses that are suitable for teaching lessons, and I enjoy showing horses how they can be successful in a human-based world. I focus on training western horses that are balanced, correct, soft, responsive, and ready for their next adventure, whatever that may be.

Finally, Sheriff Horsemanship also serves as a consulting firm and writing platform. In my spare time I take on a few digital services clients, working with people to enhance their social media presence, websites, or other platforms. I enjoy writing and helping people curate quality publications, advertisements, blogs, and stories.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Sheriff Horsemanship lives in a unique corner of the world – I’m passionate about horsemanship but also skilled in modern marketing and storytelling strategies. Many horsemen and women need a “town job” to help pay the bills. Horses are never cheap! I knew that I needed other skills in addition to horsemanship in order to live comfortably and prepare for my future. In the event that I’m ever seriously injured and cannot ride or teach for a period of time, I needed a plan B. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to understand social media, marketing, copywriting, and other digital skills.

My biggest tip for storytelling on social media is to connect with people through your stories. Do you have tips to share? Funny moments from your day in the life of a ______? Honest moments from a tough journey? Pair that story with a quality image and you can start to build a little community of like-minded people who want to hear what you have to say.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

My best source is word of mouth. Caring about each individual student and being honest and caring in every interaction with them. The equine industry is built on reputation, and it has a tendency to follow you. It doesn’t matter how great of a trainer or instructor you may be, if you don’t care about people, it may be challenging to fill your schedule with lessons, training clients, etc. I try to always communicate honestly and timely, answer questions, and generally be a good service provider. One other thing is that I’m always continuing to learn, so that I can continue to have fresh things to share with my students.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sheriffhorsemanship.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheriffhorsemanship/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheriffhorsemanship
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccasheriff/

Image Credits
Anna Toll Wes Grim Betsy Oda Erin Sharp