An unbridled love of horses

For Becca Gall, it begins in the barn.

Winning equestrian awards, running her own horse riding business and passing on her passion for the sport to young students is founded in doing chores.

That is how relationships between horses and humans are forged.

Feeding and watering the horses, cleaning their stalls and brushing them allows for getting to know one another. Gall is becoming acquainted with her new horse Odyssey.

“The stuff in the barn is priceless. You work your way into their trust circle,” Gall said. “He likes the softer brushes, not the hard brushes.”

Then comes the riding, which takes the connection to another level. Gall has put in countless hours of training to understand her horses and build trust.

Odyssey balances his professional disposition with a friendly side.

“He is very workman-like. He definitely loves his job wholeheartedly, but he’s got a soft, kind eye. He’s very personal. He likes to be next to you,” Gall said.

Gall more than prefers to be around horses. It has become her passion since her aunt introduced her to the animals when she was a toddler.

“I started riding at 3,” she said.

Gall, who grew up in Grafton, moved to Saukville and graduated from Cedarburg High School in 2015, tried other sports but kept coming back to her happy place with horses.

“I always knew it would be in my life in some aspect long term. The fact that I was able to grow a business and do it full time, it’s my dream job,” she said.

Gall’s profession partners with her passion. She owns and operates Birchwood Stables Eventing in Saukville and competes, training at a farm in Florida during winter and traveling across the country for events. She has even ridden in Junior Olympics competitions.

Eventing entails three rounds of competition, essentially a triathlon for horses, Gall said.

One element is dressage, which has horses following a memorized pattern. Judging is based on the harmony and cooperation between the horse and rider and accuracy.

In the cross country portion, horses jump over logs, tables and ditches and go through water in an open field.

The final phase includes show jumping over bars in an enclosed arena.

Winners have the fewest penalty points from the three competitions combined.

Gall’s coaches, Chrissy Hollnagel and Sara McGowan, helped instill in her a love for the sport.

Then came the work.

“You have to put in the time and effort and partnership,” Gall said.

“To feel it all come together at the shows, it’s a feeling like nothing else — the adrenaline rush.”

The horses get pumped too, especially during the countdown to the start while they’re waiting in a three-sided box, not unlike racing horses before being put into the starting gate.

“A lot of horses, when they hear that ‘10,’ they get a little amped up and get ready to go,” Gall said.

But her team helps, especially with her former horse Winnie.

“We call them the Winnie whisperers. They made sure he could get into the box and get out. He would get a little excited and start dancing around,” Gall said.

When they’re done, the horses are happy.

“When they cross that finish line you can tell. They’re relaxed, their ears are forward,” Gall said. “They truly know when they’ve done a good job. They will go back to the stall and get all the royal pampering.”

That, she said, includes standing in ice boots or a big tub of ice water, a liniment bath and having their legs wrapped overnight to help circulation.

Treats are frequently given.

“My sister’s horse (Roy) in particular thinks doughnuts are a fantastic thing. My dad will make cinnamon sugar donuts for the team. Roy thinks they’re pretty delicious,” Gall said.

Odyssey, she said, is “definitely a carrots and apples guy.”

Horses also have chiropractors, and veterinarians and farriers come to the farm.

Gall said she is lucky with her three “bombproof” equines.

“If a four-wheeler or dog goes by, it won’t startle them,” she said.

Gall loves it, however, when her students, who range from 4-year-olds to adults, get excited.

“Seeing those little kids and their eyes light up, ‘Oh my gosh, I get to ride a horse,’” she said.

Watching students succeed is another plus.

“We figure out how to keep the horses happy and make them love what they do so they don’t get confused,” Gall said. “Watching a student show them how to do it is one of the coolest things for me.”

The journey comes with its ups and downs. In seventh grade, Gall had a pony misjudge a fence and fall on her. Gall broke her pelvis, tailbone and arm.

Communication with the horse, she said, can prevent most mishaps.

“The goal is that we do everything so they understand what’s being asked of them,” she said.

Gall started giving lessons in high school, and she competed on a Junior Olympics team that finished fourth.

“I think that was what really sparked my interest, that this is what I want to be involved in,” she said.

After high school, Gall worked as an apprentice for her father’s plumbing company for a year. She began training horses in Florida after Hollnagel moved there.

“That was my big foot in the door. She entrusted me with her students, and that’s how I kick-started my business,” Gall said.

The hours can be long and unpredictable. Students will text on a Sunday with questions — “You’re pretty much on call 24/7,” Gall said — and weather will cause outdoor training plans to be moved up or back.

Gall continues to be a student of her field despite being certified through the Eventing Coaches Program. She still attends a number of workshops.

“I truly wholeheartedly feel as a riding coach we’re never done learning. There’s new methods and ways of doing things,” she said.

Gall also continues to be grateful that she gets to work with and ride horses every day for a living.

“You always dream when you’re young ‘I wish I could do this when I grow up,’” she said. “I was fortunate to have great trainers growing up and am able to make this a full-time job.”

For more information, visit Birchwood Stables Eventing Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/3wbb5cen.