“I’m not married. I don’t have any family. My business is my life.”Patti McCarthy is the owner and operator of Squirrel Creek Horse Ranch near Falcon. Horses are her business – and her life.It’s common for little girls to have a fascination with horses at some point in their life, McCarthy said. For many, it’s just a phase. However, it wasn’t the case for her. McCarthy fell in love with horses early on in her childhood, and that love never died. “I think it had to be something genetic because my grandmother had horses,” she said. “And she was the one on the farm that handled the horses.”Although McCarthy was born near San Francisco, Calif., she doesn’t call it home. Because her father was in the military, McCarthy learned to call a lot of places “home,” including Virginia, Pennsylvania and Hawaii. “The best assignment was Hawaii,” she said. “We were there for two years.” Hawaii was a favorite place for all the typical reasons, including the beautiful scenery and warm weather. But it was in Hawaii where she first rode a horse. “They imported horses, they were not good horses, but they actually had horses in Hawaii.”Her family later moved to Logan, Utah; her dad taught at Utah State University. In Utah, McCarthy learned the value and responsibility of owning horses. When her dad retired in the early 70s, the family moved to Colorado Springs. She said she had about three horses at the time and moved them from Utah to Colorado.In 1975, McCarthy graduated from Mitchell High School and attended Colorado State University, graduating with a bachelor’s in animal science. She also received a teaching certificate in horseback riding.McCarthy had to learn the basic types of riding, including Western and jumping, to get her certificate, but she discovered an affinity for dressage. She defined dressage as an upper level, English style of riding. “It’s very precise,” McCarthy said. “Very beautiful and … designed to make the horse as athletic, obedient and as beautiful as a riding style can make a horse. I was lucky enough that the main instructor at CSU, at that time, was a dressage teacher. She’s the one I credit the direction my life took.”After graduating, she taught at a large stable, with 200 horses, in Indiana. “After one year there, I discovered that I hated Indiana because they had winter there,” she said. “They have snow, and snow that stays on the ground. We got real excited when it was 20 degrees outside because that was warm.”McCarthy still chalked it up as “a wonderful experience” because she learned to teach in what she describes as a mass production style. “I taught seven days week, all day long, group lessons. It was a crash course in handling anything you would ever meet,” she said.When she moved back to Colorado she resumed teaching. “My family lived in town, so I rented a barn … and taught at the Norris-Penrose Event Center for several years,” she said.In 1984, McCarthy, settled on staying in Colorado, bought a 160-acre farmstead east of Falcon. Originally, the property was a working dairy farm; the Murr family owned the farm from 1945 through 1964. McCarthy said the house was built in 1914, and she now describes it as an “electrician’s nightmare.”It was easier to buy land back then, and McCarthy knew she would need plentiful space for her dream: taking care of horses and teaching riding. “At that age, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do,” she said. “My mother thinks I’m going to do something when I grow up. Have a real life and a real job. Sorry, mom. I think this is what I do for a living now.”McCarthy started out with 10 horses. Today, there are 58 horses. “Thirty of them are mine, and that includes 12 horses that I use for teaching,” she said. Her school horses are trained at different levels. McCarthy can accommodate the beginner rider, the advanced and those who want to show. She currently has 40 students, from age 4 to age 78.McCarthy also boards horses for some of her clients. “For most of my students who want to take lessons with me, it is just more convenient for their horses to live here,” she said.Through her, people can “test the waters” about owning a horse, she said. “I have students who I have taught for 15 years; they’re never going to get a horse. They will always use mine,” McCarthy said. “Buying a horse is easy. Keeping the horse is pricey.”The average purchase cost for a horse is about $2,000 (double or more for show horses), with at least an additional $300 per month for upkeep, she said. And then there are veterinarian bills.Upkeep includes chores and long hours. McCarthy starts her day about 6 a.m. and finished around midnight. “I shovel stalls, and the horses expect to be fed four times a day,” she said.”You get to know and understand as much as you can about a horse. “They’re wired as prey animals – animals of flight.” She said, although most people relate horses to a “funny shaped dog,” they don’t think like dogs.McCarthy said she has learned to read the horses’ body language and facial expressions, and they are all different. When she teaches, she said she tries to match up the student on not only his or her riding ability but also to personality profiles. Horses like someone riding them who “makes sense” for them, McCarthy said.”I try to be as comprehensive as possible,” she said. “I don’t like the places where you go and the horse is already standing tied up. There is no way to get to know the horse. Grooming is a nice introduction for both.”Gone are the days when McCarthy entered competitions. She’s happy living in Colorado, teaching and taking care of her 58 best friends. It’s her life – and her passion.A little more on Patti McCarthyWhat do you love most about living in Falcon, Colo.?I love the view, and I feel a little bit secluded here.What is your favorite movie?The Horse Whisperer, that’s no surprise.What is your favorite memory?When I was ranked second in the U.S. for riding my horse, Rey, before I retired him.Whom do you admire?Ray Hunt. He is a cowboy trainer. He is not the friendliest person, but I love his riding methods. It’s 100 percent for the horse and maybe that is why he doesn’t interact well with people. He does better with horses.
