Tammra started her first horse when she was 39. I did it the old cowboy way, where you do a little groundwork and then jump on, the Wyoming horsewoman says. The filly she was working with bucked her off several times, but Tammra gamely dusted herself off and got back in the saddle until she could ride the filly out.
Several months later, Tammra was using the filly to move cattle, when she got startled and unseated Tammra, stepping on her in the process. Dazed from the fillys unexpected explosion, Tammra shook herself off and got back in the saddle. When she dismounted at the end of the day, her legs were so swollen that her jeans were stretched to the seams. By the next morning, she couldnt walk and went to the ER. My broken sternum and ribs were nothing compared to the damage done to my legs, she says. On top of that, I was scared to death of my horse. When I had recovered, I would get on her every so often, but the fear of what she could do to me was very real.
Several months after the accident, Tammra had returned to her position as a sheriffs deputy and her supervisor loaned her his set of Clinton Anderson DVDs. I watched them, and the information just clicked with me. It was so easy to understand, she says. Tammra soon invested in the Fundamentals Series and began faithfully studying the lessons and working with her filly. I began to get this rapport with her. She started to do everything I wanted her to do, and when I eventually got back in the saddle, she was tuned in to me. Whats more, we trusted each other, Tammra shares.
