Vote Pott. Co.'s Own, Josie's Riding Experience, this Weekend!

At a time when many 20-somethings are looking to step out into the unknown, Josie Cable knew she was meant to be back home in Walnut!  After leaving her hometown to attend Ellsworth for Equine Management and being a jack-of-all trades along the way with jobs like a 911-dispatcher and a postal worker, Josie knew she wanted to be home.  She wanted to move back to her family, her way-of-life, and a permanent home.  She ended up getting a vet tech degree from Iowa Western and in August, 2019, Josie took a leap of faith and started Josie’s Riding Experience.  In January, 2020, she made it official by becoming an LLC. 

All of it started a long time ago when Josie got her first horse at age 5 from her grandpa.  She grew up in Walnut and spent her time in the world of agriculture.  Although some may know her for her postal job that takes her on the Avoca, Shelby, and Walnut routes, she is most well-known for her training skills with horses and kids.  Josie had always been an outdoorsy type and horse-riding was her happy place.  She’d been giving lessons, training horses, and even driving horses since she was a kid, but in August, 2019, she decided to go big.  She put it out on Facebook that she was starting lessons and was shocked at the response.  Her Facebook page blew up! 

A little over a year in and Ms. Cable has 30 weekly riders and 60 regulars with a wait list to get in!  She’s also very excited to be offering a Little Buckaroos summer program this year in June and July hoping to reach a few more kids.  Plus, she trains and boards horses, too!  Needless to say, Josie Cable is full of energy!  And personality, too!  So it was no surprise to me why she was chosen to be part of the Farm Bureau Grow your Future Award Pitch-off!

I asked Josie how she got involved in the Farm Bureau contest and she told me an ad for it kept popping up for it when she was on Facebook.  It seemed like it was just meant to be!  She submitted her video and not long after that she got a call that she’d made it to the voting round.  So Josie rallied friends, family, and clients.  Thanks to a loyal fan-base, she made it into the top 6 which means she will present “at” the 2021 Farm Bureau Young Farmers Convention!  She even got to have practice sessions with the FB farm business development manager, Amanda Van Steenwyk, to prep for the big event.  Basically, the conference goers will see a 5-minute presentation done by Cable, have a 5-minute Q&A session with her, and then the judges will have 80% of the say with the other 20% going to the conference viewers.  So if you are a Farm Bureau member between 18 and 35 attending the conference via Zoom, Josie is counting on you!  If she wins, she can receive up to $7500! 

I asked Josie if she won, what would be next on the agenda and she told me she’d like to convert her tack room into an office and build a new shed for tack and kids.  Yes, part of Josie’s dream is to offer a place for kids to meet up with other kids and have her place be one big barn family.  COVID sure hasn’t helped in that capacity, but ultimately, Josie (and boyfriend, Kevin) want it to be a farm with goats, hogs, chickens, cattle, and of course, horses that can be a home-away-from-home for younger versions of horse-loving Josies!

Listen, all I have to say is if you can vote, vote Josie’s Riding Experience on January 30th!  And for the rest of you, well, let’s all be thankful that Ms. Josie Cable didn’t forget where she came from!

Pottawattamie is happy to welcome Josie’s Riding Experience to our county!