My name is July Urschel and home is my 10 acre farm in Harrodsburg, KY. Having horses is my dream come true and I’m lucky to call The Trooper (AQHA), and Willa (AHS) my dancing partners. Trooper is the all-around, jock. He’s game for anything and he’s the perfect big brother: brave, and sporty. Willa is described as “fancy, and she knows it!” She’s a total diva. Smart, athletic, and drop dead gorgeous. She’s your uptown girl kinda horse.

Willa and Trooper have brought me so much joy and given me so much. I have enjoyed the challenges of learning dressage because my partners are so kind and forgiving. Trooper gave me the confidence to bring Willa along as a barely backed 4yr old. Willa has taught me patience. It took a lonnnnng 4 years to understand each other.

I’m a cardiac critical care nurse. I love the heart, and helping my patients feel well! Being a nurse in the time of a pandemic has been a mixed bag. Some days you feel like a hero and other days you really struggle to see the bright side. It’s challenging trying to navigate such a troubling and uncertain time in our lives. The one thing I can count on is the comfort of snuggling my ponies.

I lost my father to COVID-19 this summer. He is the person that introduced me to horses and I remember our first trail ride, and all the other rides, as if they were yesterday. As a young boy, my father worked on a farm, cutting and stacking hay so I feel like horses are in my DNA!

Hanging out and riding my horses has been my time to decompress and being in the barn is my safe haven. It’s where I can clear my mind and just be present. Now more than ever, I need time to just breathe in the smells of the horses and hay and I feel so blessed and lucky to have them!