Women of the West – Kati Rose
Kati Rose is a woman who was born and raised in the Midwest. She is a wife, mom, grandma, and mustang rescuer. After retiring from their accounting business, Kati and her husband Pete, who live in Washburn, Missouri, began adopting and training wild mustangs. Kati is an inspiration for many reasons, but one thing that stuck out to me was her and her husband’s love for travelling with their horses. They have ridden their horses all over the United States, including into the Grand Canyon! She is a midWEST girl through and through and I cannot wait for you to learn more about Kati’s faith and family! Check it out below…
What does homestead mean to you?
Homestead to me means a place where I live that has large open spaces with rolling hills, trees, ponds and an abundance of flora and fauna. It’s the place where I work with the land and feel the closest to God. It’s a place where the land is used to produce food for our family and the animals that we care for. A homestead is a wonderful place to raise a family. It is where you can teach children to appreciate hard work and the simpler things, such as: a beautiful sunset, an evening sitting by the pond catching fish, or the sound of a soft breeze in the pine trees. It is HOME.
Where do you live and how long have you lived there? Where did you grow up?
My husband and I live on a farm in Washburn, Missouri. We purchased our farm from my mother in 1990 and it has been our home for almost 40 years. I was born in Bittburg, Germany and lived there for 2 years and then our family moved to Earlville, Illinois until I was 9. I consider that I grew up on the farm in Washburn, Missouri as that is where most of my memories are from.
What are some of your favorite things about living a western lifestyle (on a ranch or in the
country, small town living, with horses, farming, the community, etc.)?
I think what I love most about country living is that life is simpler with less which makes it richer than most. My very favorite thing about living on a farm is being able to look up at any time of day and see God’s creations everywhere. Another one of my favorite things about living on a farm is being able to physically see my work in progress, such as: watching the garden grow or the grass grow into hay or seeing the flowers that I planted blossom or the horses all slick and glossy from hours of brushing.
In what ways do you see God in your homestead?
I see God in almost everything on our homestead, but some of the times I’m closest to Him are when I’m riding my horses or sitting and watching a beautiful sunset or listening to the birds chirping. I feel so much closer to God when I am in nature and living and working on a farm is as close as I can be to Him!
Who did you learn the most about life from?
I learned to be compassionate and loving to all of God’s animals from my Mom. She was such an animal lover. No animal, stray (cats and dogs) or wild (possums, ground hogs and raccoons) would go hungry on her watch. I learned how to be adventurous and to not be afraid of doing what I love from my husband, Pete. He is a true entrepreneur and is not afraid to try anything. He loves the outdoors, traveling, and lots of adventure!
What is your favorite memory?
I have several favorite farm memories, but one that sticks in my mind the most is the “Bull Buck Out” that Pete and I would put on for our kids and all the cousins on both sides of the family. We would have a big BBQ with all the family and then all the kids would run to the corral and sit on the fence anxiously waiting for their turn to ride their calf. Pete and the other Dads would take turns running beside the calves holding onto the kids as they were bouncing around to ensure they wouldn’t get hurt. At the end we would have an awards ceremony. It was a fun family event.
What is a life challenge you have faced and how did you overcome it?
The biggest life challenge I have faced is losing my mom. She was a huge part of our lives because she lived on the farm with us and helped raise our children. I remember every time I mowed her lawn after her passing I would cry. It took a lot of prayer and a move away from the farm to finally overcome it. Pete and I moved 3 miles away from the farm and built a Campground with Horse Facilities. We rented the farm house out for 4 ½ years to a young family and Pete’s Dad rented all but 20 acres that we kept for horse pasture. It took a couple of years before I could go to the farm and not get sad but if finally became easier and then I wanted to move back home.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned from horses or from living in a rural place?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned from our mustangs is patience. Two years ago my husband and I started working with mustangs and I had in my mind that I would be able to control and set the pace on how much they learned. I would push and try different things and didn’t have much success in taming them. My husband on the other hand was having all kinds of success. He would sit quietly for hours just watching them and waiting for them to initiate the contact and they responded by giving him their trust. The first three mustangs we got my husband tamed. This past November we got two more wild ones and all winter I learned how to wait patiently for them to make the first moves and the experience was like no other. I learned that through patience I can still succeed even if it isn’t in the time that I expect.
Tell us one or two of your favorite stories about ranching, horses, or life in general.
One of the fondest memories that I have growing up the farm was the funny antics of some of our animals. We had a pig named Josephine who would follow us to the bus every morning and wait for us every evening. We had a goat who ate the seat off our friend’s new motorcycle. We had a big black bull named Tar Baby who climbed halfway into our two horse trailer to get some grain that had spilled onto the floor and pushed the trailer all the way into the pond. We had a couple of rabbits that were both supposed to be male but they ended up having so many babies that mom finally opened the barn door and let them all out. For several years we had colorful rabbits all over the farm.
What is your favorite recipe?
Honestly, I’m not much of a cook… luckily I married an amazing cook! I do occasionally make a few dishes that mom taught me that are pretty good. Her meatloaf was to die for!
Meatloaf – 2 lbs of hamburger, 3 eggs, ½ a package of cracker, 1 onion chopped, salt & pepper, and a cup of ketchup. Mix it all together. Top it with sliced peppers and cook in the oven on 350 until cooked through.
What is the name of your all-time favorite horse?
I have two that were and is my all-time favorite horse – Buster, who I lost 2 ½ years ago to colic and Snoopy my 1st mustang that I got 2 years ago in September.
Who has inspired you?
I have had horses all my life, but they weren’t my life work until 2 years ago when we started adopting mustangs. My cousin, Sara inspired me through her Mustangs on a Mission trip and her passion for working with these beautiful creatures that God created. There is just something different about a mustang that makes a person even feel closer to God. My husband and I currently have 9 adopted mustangs of which 4 are already saddle broke and 5 are halter broke.
There she is folks! A sneak peak into what makes Kati Rose so special and such a positive influence on God’s Kingdom. I am so blessed to call her my cousin! Thank you, Kati, for sharing your story. She sure has blessed me, and I hope she did you too. You can check out the Facebook group HTCAA Horse Trails & Camping Across America, or visit the website at https://www.htcaa.org, to see some beautiful photos and get ideas on where you could haul your horses for a vacation!
Until next time, stay safe, have fun, ride far!
xo,
Sara
Kati and Pete share their passion for horses with their kids and grandkids!
Comentários