Our next Woman of the West, is a transplanted Midwest woman, now living in Paradise, Texas with her husband and herd of horses. Ann Souders, if you know her, you know, and if you don’t know her, meet her, so you also will come to know how special, kind, caring, loving, and overall sweet she is! Ann has a passion for educating people about wild horses, something she excels at through her job with the Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF). She is responsible for so many people finding a mustang and helping mustangs find homes once they are rounded up. Read below for more about Ann…
I don’t ever think of myself as a ‘cowgirl’ let alone an influential woman! What an honor it is to be included in your heart let alone your blog!! My greatest gift is all the amazing cowgirls & influential women that I am blessed to call ‘friends.‘ Because of many of the extraordinary ‘women of the west’ who I have met and grown to love and appreciate, I have developed a deep love for western music… and the artists that I listen too! Their gifts lift me up and help me be better! I am blessed to have met many through my job with the Mustang Heritage Foundation. Music has always played a huge role in my life and continues to bless me daily!
What does homestead mean to you?
Webster defines ‘Homestead’ as “Any dwelling with its land and buildings where a family makes its home.” I want to define it where my spirit joins the Lord’s on/in our dirt, land, barn and home…. it’s where He is at home with us. Where His peace and spirit flows into our guests and our 4 legged family. Where no words are needed.
Where we rest, relax, give thanks and feel the desires of our hearts granted……that is ‘Paradise’ .
Where do you live and how long have you lived there? Where did you grow up?
I have lived in Paradise TX with my husband Jim, for 18 years on our little ranch named ‘Freedom Trails’.
I was a preacher’s kid so I grew up in the Midwest, mostly in central Illinois. I went to elementary school and Jr High in Rossville IL and my freshman year my dad took a church across the state in Stronghurst, IL. After graduating, I went to College at Ozark Christian College for 4 years in Joplin, Missouri. I went there to study music and sing and travel with CIY (Christ In Youth). For four glorious years, I traveled across the country with a crusade team playing my guitar and singing. In fact, that is how I met Jim!! We had a high school assembly in Stanely, Kansas. Before the basketball assembly when I was a freshman in college and while I was up singing a tall handsome young man with long black hair came into the gym right during my song! Now if that’s not God at work I don’t know what is!!!
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 have always loved the ole west. In our home growing up, Gun Smoke was a weekly family show and something we all watched together. I was glued to My Friend Flicka and Fury on Saturday mornings. I always wanted to learn as much as I could about Native American Life and the amazing spotted ponies they rode! I can’t say it was western...but it was related!! I grew up in small farming towns where everyone knew each other, and life was easy and laid back. All were hard working families who respected and knew each other. Sunday’s were centered around being in the Lord’s House and Saturday night was ice cream at the Tasty Freeze while driving up and down main street after I had ridden my horse Mitzy all day. I grew up in the heartland of America. Most everyone farmed. Livestock, crops, and the weather were the conversations around the dinner table. Everything we ate came from my mom’s garden and the meat on our table was usually a Christmas gift from the church to our family. We always got by on a meager income, however I never knew that then because God provided all we needed. For as long as I can remember I wanted a horse. My parents would say I would reach out for them in the pastures before I could talk. In 5th grade I bought a pony while on my paper route. (with the paper route money!) Then when I was in 8th grade my dad took me over to a farm and bought me a jet-black mare who had lived through a trailer accident and no one could handle her. I named her Mitzy, and life was good….I finally got my horse! We lived in the parsonage that belonged to the church, so I was blessed to always keep my horse at one of our members farm.
In what ways do you see God in your homestead?
Oh my…...He is everywhere! He is here in my 44 years of marriage and two wonderful son’s and their precious families…..in our priceless animals and each fence post and boot hung on my ‘Fence of Fame’ at our Ranch. I prayed as we closed on this little piece of Heaven and in typical God fashion, he has blessed us above and beyond. It is one of our greatest ‘extras.’ Every morning we are greeted to a choir of birds spread out through our trees and all with perfect pitch! Then there is the priceless nickers… oh my a dream I have had all my life! I also feel His peace when people come to dinner and to see the horses. Nothing better than sitting out on our front porch with dear friends, that’s what it is all about.
Who did you learn the most about life from?
My mom and dad and my husband Jim.
What is your favorite memory involving horses?
Oh my….this is hard! I have many but one that stands out the most is out in the middle of Salt Wells HMA,(Herd Management Area south of Rock Springs WY) in 2017 riding in Pat Doak’s 4Runner and surrounded by wild horses. That was the first time I got to see Rocket, my wild heart horse. A day I will never forget! They were going from one water hole to another… and oh my, God was at work that day for sure! They surrounded us and checked off a huge bucket list dream come true! (thank you Lord!) I have it saved on video!!
What is a life challenge you have faced and how did you overcome it?
Having Asthma and being allergic to the things I love like horses dogs and cats!
However, I think being in a tough work environment and trying to stick it out ‘til I could find something else or saw a positive change has to be the hardest. Being a Christian, you always have people watching you, so no matter what they did to me, I needed to walk the walk. I learned that I am much tougher than I thought!! Of course, God answered my prayers and now I am doing what I love.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned from horses or from living in a rural place?
The biggest lesson I have learned from horses came from Shikoba, my mustang from Divide Basin. Although I can tell you they have all given me life lessons. Shikoba Sa Wahkin (Choctaw & Sioux meaning Sacred Red Feather) was my toughest, and he sure taught me a lot.
He was gathered as a 3-year-old bachelor from The Divide Basin HMA in WY. Jim and I flew out there and adopted him during the 2015 Checker Board Adoption. I was 61 years old adopting an untouched 3-year-old wild mustang! SO COOL!!! (Plus, when I was against the gathers, I fought against the Checkerboard horses being rounded up. So, I had truly come full circle!)
Shikoba didn’t care that I wasn’t a ‘real’ trainer or that I was 61!!
1. He just wanted me to do my best
2. He wanted me to quit looking for someone else to help and do it myself!
3. But the best thing is he taught me to trust myself.
4. And this was all possible because I lived in ‘Paradise’ of course!!
Tell us one or two of your favorite stories about ranching, horses, or life in general.
Oh my…...I have way too many…. however probably the best ‘miracle’ story is the complete turn-around I had in the mustang world. I was an activist fighting to keep the mustangs wild and free, against the Bureau of Land Management and its gathers. Then I entered the 2008 Extreme Mustang Makeover as a competitor and by the grace of God, got Ken McNabb as my judge. (and had Patti Colbert and her staff at MHF who supported me all the way!) After several hours talking with Ken about mustangs, life in the wild, the BLM and many sleepless nights I did a complete turn around. As I tell people, I came from the dark side. Now I work for The Mustang Heritage Foundation and I’m the spokesperson for America’s Mustang. Pretty cool, huh? That just shows another ‘extra’ from God!! Not only did He bless me with doing what I love, but Jim and I are part of the extraordinary ‘Mustang Family,’ a real treasure to us. Now, I help educate people about why we do what we do at MHF and help place wild mustangs and burros in good responsible homes. Through the grace of God, I get to see people’s lives change because of a wild horse. WOW… Doesn’t get better than that!
I told Sara while praying about these questions and her amazing blog, I kept thinking ‘what in the world’!!!! I asked God why he picked a preacher’s daughter from the Midwest, and a senior at that, to be the spokesperson for His wild horses! I’m not a ‘trainer’ or your typical ‘cowgirl’ yet He blessed me with this huge responsibility and gave me the strength and courage to hang in there no matter what and just do it! WOW… what an awesome God!
What is your favorite recipe?
Oh without a doubt, it’s my mom’s Crust Pie! My mom made it with a lil’ butter sugar and cinnamon on the leftover pie dough. It was always my favorite! To this day when I miss my mom… or have had a tough day… I make Crust Pie! I don’t make her award winning crust, but if you go to my fridge right now… I bet money you will find a box of Pillsbury Pie Crust ust waiting for a mouthwatering crust pie filled with a lifetime of memories and hope for tomorrow!
What is the name of your all-time favorite horse?
Banjo ( I can’t even type his name without tears!) It will be 9 years ago on Sept 24th that I lost my precious boy to colic!
However, God has blessed me and filled my heart back up and Shikoba, Howdy, Hawk, Dandy and Comanche have done a heck of a job along with many many more!!
Howdy was my healer, and Shikoba became my new heart horse…however you just can’t out give God and then he blessed us with Hawk. But little did I know while riding through Salt Wells with Pat Doak that day in 2017 that the adorable lil’ extreme curly I saw playing in his herd would be coming home to Paradise! Now talk about pure joy, that is Comanche! I actually had the blessing of adopting a mustang that I watched out in the wild!!! Now tell me that that isn’t the coolest thing you have ever heard of!!!
Below are pictures of Comanche, in the wild and with Ann's first touch on him!
Who is one woman who has inspired you?
My mom, she was always doing something for others, giving, blessing, teaching, doing… always. She was a preacher’s wife for 49 years and that is the hardest job in the whole wide world. She had a courageous faith, was a fierce pray warrior, and loved the Lord with all her heat. She memorized scripture like it was nothing. She could tell Bible stories forever and create a craft to match each one out of anything. She had our youth group go on extraordinary Bible scavenger hunts almost every Sunday night!! She did miraculous things with a hanky and Oscar the Mouse will never be the same without her loving touch! I have BIG shoes to fill… BIG!!!
I am also extremely blessed to have many, many dear friends who have helped make me who I am! I can say that when it comes to friends... I won the lottery!! Bold, courageous and loyal, and all fierce prayer warriors... and I am so grateful. I don’t know what I would do without all my dear friends!
You didn’t ask, but I want to do something for you, for everyone that reads your blog….and leave you all with a few of my favorite scriptures.
Philippians 4:4-7,13 The Message
4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Matthew 19: 26
Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”
A Love That Will Grow
Philippians 1: 3-6
Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.
Wow! What an honor and a blessing to share with each of you reading this the wisdom and passion Ann has. Every time you talk with her, you can feel the love of Christ pouring from her. She is a person who has clearly experienced the Lord firsthand, and who wants to share His glorious nature with you. I’m telling you, if you have any questions about mustangs, she is your gal! You can find Ann through the Mustang Heritage Foundation or at any of their events across the country!
Thank you all for your support and love! If you have a lady that has inspired you, please send me her name so she can be featured here too!
Ride far, be safe, have fun! Find the glory of God in every thing you do, just as Ann has taught us, and as always, if you need anything, reach out to me!
Xo,
Sara
Check out more of Ann's pictures below!
Comments