Tara Roberts, founder and CEO of Cold Cactus Boutique, is on a mission to bring quality and unique Western products to Canada and beyond. Photo Credit: Tisha Johnson Photography The Cold Cactus Boutique. I doubt you can come up with a more perfect name for a North of the border boutique that celebrates western, rural, and farming lifestyles by carrying fashions that allows individuals to express their western-inspired individuality. The Cold Cactus is in Ontario, Canada and y

On the surface, Horsethief Supply Co. is handcrafted soaps and candles with to-die-for scents and attention grabbing West-themed names. Recently, a burgeoning apparel line featuring cute prints and catchy slogans is perfectly rounding out the brands holistic approach to the western lifestyle. Yet, there’s a whole lot of sweat, soul and inspiration behind the company that proudly proclaims “Live. Love. Get Dirty. Wash. Repeat.” Western Twist Media spoke with founder, Natalie M

If you are a female, and you've entered a show pen before, this post will probably relate to you. I don't care if you barrel race, ride reiners, show cow horse, are on a drill team, you mounted shoot, or you show breed specific - ladies, let's get together and agree on one thing, sometimes it's tough to be a girl in the show pen, and there are many things that we go through as female equestrians that our male counterparts will never have to deal with. Some of them, can be dow

I wrote this cowboy poem when I was in, what I call, one of my "Miranda Moods." AKA when I feel like a blinged out, total cowgirl, badass... like Miranda Lambert. (Who, if you haven't figured out by now, I love). This song was almost entirely inspired by the character behind the song "Little Wed Ragon", so take a listen.. and then read the newest Story Sunday. :) ***** I like the way people stare when I wear my jingle-jangle spurs in the grocery store, And I like the way they

Paige Callaway is a force to be reckoned with and a true girl boss With a Western Twist’s Centre Arena Series is all about girl bosses, women who chart their own course, and competitors. Paige Callaway is all of the above, and will be the first clothing designer I have interviewed for the series - but she is so, so much more than that! She’s a professional trick rider, barrel racer, helms four different clothing lines and is also a certifiable girl crush. I mean, any girl tha

Katy Lucas is taking the rodeo world by storm as a competitor, a queen, and a business woman. Photo Credit: Stills by Jill It is pretty rare to be able to meet a young woman that can transition from the roping arena, to the world stage as Miss Rodeo Canada. Even more rare is a woman that can set down her roping gloves, take off her tiara, and walk into a room as the Director of Marketing/Communications & Public Relations for the Canadian Pro Rodeo Association. Katy Lucas man

If you haven’t heard the name “Dufurrena” before, after the astounding year the family has had, I bet you’ve heard it now. The Dufurrena family has been successfully breeding, raising, training and showing cutting horses for years. The family is helmed by NCHA Trainer Ed Dufurrena, a million dollar trainer, his wife Shona, and their two children, Brandon and Rieta. For the family, it’s all about the horses, and the success they have achieved can be attributed to a strong fami

Jennifer Webster, after securing her championship at the Canadian Supreme, with family in tow. Photo Credit: Barb Glazer In late November I opened up my Facebook feed to see Western Horse Review had shared a blog post entitled, “Reflections of the Ride.” I eagerly opened up the piece and dove in, WHR is one of my most favourite horse publications, and the fact it centres in the West, and in Canada, makes it even better. Written by then Editor-in-Chief Ingrid Schulz, it was a

Alexis and Meeko (Ima Little Ichi) at the World Finals #Goals pretty much sums up my general feelings for Alexis Stephas. Maybe throw in a little #WomanCrush too, because heck, why not? The 23 year old Tennessee native is a force to be reckoned with in the cutting pen, in both the Weekend and Aged Event shows. Her lifetime earnings are currently sitting at over $500,000, and she has the accolades to show why. In 2011 she won the coveted NCHA Senior Youth title, and from that

Marla Gonnet grew up on a mixed far outside of Hanley, Saskatchewan, where her family grain farmed and raised purebred Maine Anjou cattle. She was active in 4-H beef and light horse until she graduated from High School, and always loved animals, but wasn’t passionate about horses in her younger years. Her true passion for horses came when she started working with now husband, Dustin Gonnet, eleven years ago. She witnessed the passion he had for horses, and the response that t

What does it mean to be a cowgirl? For a variety of reasons, that word - "Cowgirl", and the aforementioned question has been rolling around my head a lot lately. When I first started fully immersing myself in horses, I was around a lot of rough and tumble cowgirls. Cowgirls whose hands were weathered not by age, but by sun. Whose fingers didn't know how to grip anything other than bridle reins. They dressed, as many would call it, "punchy". Old-fashioned wrangler jeans, a pla

If you want to experience 10 days drag on, and fly by, all at the same time... I suggest you attend the world famous, greatest outdoor show on earth, The Calgary Stampede. If you want to experience that same feeling, but on the top of a horse, going as fast as you can, while 50,000 people cheer you on... I suggest you become one of the Calgary Stampede Ranch Girls. Which is what I did, and have done, for the last three years. Photo thanks to Sarah Mckenzie The Calgary Stamped