It’s unlikely that I’ll take up cattle ranching at this point in my life, so the ability to saddle up a horse and separate a steer from the herd isn’t a must-have skill.

But do I still want to learn how to do that at a visionary event called the Top Hand Cowgirl Challenge?

Oh, heck yes.

What’s drawing me, and the hundreds of other women who have attended since 2018, is the sense of camaraderie, support and personal growth that comes from participating in this combination women’s retreat and hands-on Western horsemanship clinic. It’s a part horse boot camp and part bonding experience that’s developing a national following with twice-a-year events in Minnesota and one in Arizona, with expansion locations on the way.

At the center is founder Breck Kruger, 44, an accomplished equestrian, entrepreneur and the matriarch of a Minnesota family from Lake Lillian that competes fiercely in the ranch horse performance world. It’s clear from watching the most recent event, held May 6-9 at Simon Arena in Cannon Falls, with another slated there this fall, that she’s a rock star in this community. Attendees listened closely to her advice on horses and life. Getting a photo with Kruger was also part of the prize for winning events in the horse show held over the Top Hand Cowgirl Challenge’s closing days.

Minnesota may seem far-removed from traditional cowboy country, such as the Montana vistas featured on the “Yellowstone” TV series. But the Krugers are the real deal. And judging from the horse trailers jamming the Simon Arena parking lot, Minnesota and the rest of the region have a deep though underappreciated Western riding culture. I grew up in northern Iowa, for example, competing in local shows with rodeo-style events.

There are also many women who never outgrew their love of horses, even if they had to put it on hold for college, careers and family before returning to the saddle later in life.

Kruger’s Top Hand event powerfully connects with both our region’s riding roots and the hearts of women who never stopped loving horses. She launched what became the Top Hand Cowgirl Challenge in 2018, channeling years of experience showing horses and a career in sales into something far more personal than a business venture: a community where women felt supported as they reconnected with horses or honed their skills in disciplines traditionally dominated by cowboys, not cowgirls.

As she states on her website, the event is “a place to connect, recharge, and learn. It is a community of like-minded women coming together to gain confidence and knowledge. It’s a place to Be The Cowgirl You Want To Be!”

Kruger’s passion and drive grew from personal experience. She stepped away from horses for about a year after the birth of her two sons and found herself adrift from the thing that had always grounded her. A native of northern Iowa, Kruger spent her youth as a fierce competitor in the show ring.

It was her husband, Brandon Kruger, who nudged her back. “You’re most happy when you’re on a horse,” he told her. “You need to find your love again.”

She climbed back on, finding joy in being in the saddle, reclaiming her identity and realizing that maybe her life’s path involved helping others who’d lost their spark.

“I knew if I felt that way after being in the horse industry my entire life,” she said, “that there had to be many other women feeling ... the same way.”

As I watched the recent Top Hand Cowgirl Challenge, I saw firsthand how Kruger has built something real and lasting.

Participants ranged from retirees to an 8-year-old Michigan girl. Somewhere between the first day’s one-on-one coaching and the hands-on opportunities to try ranch sorting and other skills, something quite remarkable happened. Participants who arrived nervous, rusty or simply hungry for connection found their footing — giving them confidence in the saddle and in their lives beyond it.

For Emily Splichal of Faribault, the Top Hand Cowgirl Challenge was about more than horsemanship. It’s been about learning to believe in herself.

She attended with a young, green horse named Roger. Splichal didn’t worry about that, though. She knew Kruger and the other participants would support her and help if difficulties arose. The clinic format eased the duo into working with cattle as well.

The confidence gained, Splichal said, extends well beyond the arena. Splichal is a nursing student, and she has found that horsemanship skills carry directly into her academic life. “If I go ride before I go to class, I feel like my brain is just set up to be like, ‘I am successful because I had a successful ride with my horse,’” she said. “I can obviously teach an animal with its own mind. If I can take this test and pass it, I can totally go be a good nurse.”

Heather Sharp of Cannon Falls has attended the Top Hand Cowgirl Challenge for several years. A medically retired Delta Air Lines pilot and author, Sharp agrees that attending enriches everyday life. “What it teaches all of us is: You might have a little problem — get over it and move on,” said Sharp, 59. “We all have a bad day at work. We all do something wrong. But you have to let it go, because especially in the ranch trail and the sorting [events], if you hang on to that, you’re gonna screw up the rest of it.”

Sharp has also found something rarer here: genuine community. A woman she had just met two days earlier confided that she’d had breast cancer. Sharp shared that she had survived two brain injuries. “Here we were sharing pretty heavy-duty stuff and rooting for each other,” she said. “That’s what matters.”

Full disclosure: Kruger is the kid sister of one of my dearest childhood friends. I’ve followed her prowess through her family’s proud social media posts. And when I recently fulfilled a decades-old dream of owning another horse, I knew exactly where to turn for guidance. I have a steep relearning curve ahead, so I just sat in the stands — for now — with Kruger’s parents at the May challenge.

What I especially appreciate about Kruger is that she didn’t turn inward when life got hard, a challenge confronting all of us at some point in our lives or careers. Instead, she found her way back and helped other women regain their footing, too.

In a moment when so many of us are retreating into our phones or political identities, genuine community is rare, and those who forge it are even rarer. That’s not a small thing. That’s exactly what we need more of in these divided times.

For more information about future events and costs, go to tophandcowgirl.com.

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