Mary & Flynn
On a sunny and unseasonably warm Saturday in April, Becky and I got the chance to visit Mary Knack and Flynn, her horse. We made the drive up to Bravehorse Ranch, where Flynn is stabled in Zimmerman, MN. Our initial welcome to the ranch was a warm one. We were greeted first by Dawson and Daisy, the two ranch dogs (they also kept me company the rest of the day).
Next we met Colene, Mary's mother, and Leanna, who owns the ranch. And finally, of course, we met Mary. At just 17 years old, Mary has already generated considerable buzz in Minnesota with the business that she started at the age of 13 - Equine Essentials. It might be easy to imagine success and recognition like that going straight to a teenager's head, but from the second we met Mary, it was clear there was no danger of that.
Mary's determination and work ethic was especially evident in her relationship with Flynn, a 13 year old Arab horse with more than enough personality to go around. For all that, he was well-behaved and responded extremely well to Mary, whose patience with him seemed almost limitless. When Mary first got Flynn, just under two years ago, he was afraid of everything. But as Colene was kind enough to share with me, Mary has stuck with his training and has forged the special bond that the two have today.
For a day full of being kept in one place, posed, and being coerced into looking at cameras, Flynn's reward was to gallop and roam in Bravehorse Ranch's sprawling, beautiful pasture. All in all, a perfect, sun-soaked ending to a day at the ranch.
