Event Recap
Girls, Grit, and the Spirit of the Horse
By Tiffany St. Goddard
August 15th, 2025
For the second year in a row, Women in Ranching and Sapoo Horsemanship held the Spirit of the Horse gathering at the Archie St. Goddard Ranch located on the outskirts of Browning, Mt. The one day horse camp offered 12–14-year-old girls an unforgettable day of learning rooted in leadership, horsemanship, healthy boundaries, and Blackfeet culture.
Facilitators had prepped for a hot, dry day, stocking up on sunblock, popsicles, and cold drinks, but the weather had other plans. Rain started around 6 p.m. the night before, but the team kept setting up with optimism. The morning of, facilitators gathered to decide whether to carry on in the rain or reschedule the event. The team decided to continue as planned embrace the weather and make the best of the day. The theme and metaphor of “dancing in the rain”stuck. By late morning, the rain was steady and strong. In true Spirit of the Horse fashion, we adapted, pressed forward, and showed the girls the power of perseverance.
We moved the gathering into the indoor barn and kicked off the day with breakfast, icebreakers, and cultural storytelling from Elder Carol Murray, who grounded the girls in Blackfeet teachings and values. Jessica Shortridge led a powerful session on horse safety, followed by Sierra Heptner’s dynamic workshop on goat tying and horsemanship as a path to leadership.
Hannah Luz Rice, Program Manager of Women in Ranching, helped lead the morning icebreaker and supported anything the event needed to run smoothly throughout the day.
Facilitator Tiffany St.Goddard supported both Jessica and Sierra throughout the horse-led sessions, helping guide the girls through each activity. Tiffany also led a heartfelt conversation about what leadership looks like through kindness and friendship, encouraging the girls to recognize that each of them brings their own unique forms of leadership and strengths, and to step into their power as young Indigenous women.
During one of the horse exercises, the girls were asked to identify how they felt inside and how the horse made them feel after riding, creating a moment of reflection on connection and self-awareness.
At lunch, we gathered in the house for subway sandwiches and hot chocolate to warm up. The weather didn’t slow anyone down. The afternoon was full of laughter, horse painting, which gave each girl some playful downtime to artistically express themselves. Horsepainting was followed by more goat tying, and even a TikTok video featuring the facilitators and youth.
After dinner, we added a little pressure and fun with a Top 3 Goat Tying Event, a friendly competition that gave the girls a chance to show off their fine-tuned skills and cheer one another on.
One of the most powerful takeaways of the day was witnessing peer-to-peer mentorship—girls patiently coaching each other on tying techniques, celebrating small wins, and stepping up as leaders in their own way.
As girls were waiting for their rides home and horses were put away, they gathered once more, practicing their goat tying skills and supporting one another in those final moments.
By 8 p.m., each participant shared something they learned about themselves and their favorite part of the day. Goat tying and horse painting were clear highlights, but so was the growth in confidence, connection, and cultural pride.
Each girl went home with a braid of sweetgrass, a camp T-shirt, sticker, temporary tattoo and 12 hours of hands-on learning, laughter, and leadership that will stay with them far beyond the ranch.
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