Hannah Grapp

My name is Hannah, I am 31 and I was born and raised in central Iowa where I still reside. Growing up, I always had a passion for animals, but due to being a “city kid” so to speak, my options felt limited. I had always desired to work with horses, but we had a small property and my parents had no knowledge of horses. Therefore, breaking into the industry as a child was nearly impossible. I was able to get involved with horse lessons and camps like most kids, but those were few and far between and gave me little to no experience.

It wasn’t until I had the means to finally buy my own farm that the opportunity was even possible for me to break into the western lifestyle. But starting at 27 meant I had to start from the ground up. I finally purchased my first horse, but had very little knowledge about anything other than care and trail riding. I knew the fastest way to learn would be to shadow people actually living my dream, so I began cleaning stalls for a local boarding facility, working directly under a professional reining competitor. With two kids under 7 years old as a homeschool mom, this was SO difficult dragging them with me daily! But that opportunity created an incredible launch pad for me to find my own confidence and fine-tune where exactly I want to take my future with horses. Being the first in my family to break into horses, I’ve truly had to pave my own way and teach myself everything I know, along with supportive friends and seeking new connections with others more knowledgeable and experienced than myself.

My passion is without a doubt my horses and where they can take me. All I’ve ever wanted to do is learn, grow, and create the lifestyle I’ve always dreamed of, whether it was barrel racing, roping, reining, or actually ranching, I’m always seeking the next step. Western Futures has provided that huge next step for me with She’s A Hand ranch camp with cattleman U. This opportunity I wouldn’t have otherwise had, especially here in Iowa where cattle ranching with working horses is not nearly as common. With She’s A Hand, this will not only develop my horsemanship and skill set in the saddle in areas mentioned prior, but I hope to learn lifelong skills to some day run my own cattle ranch. Not only that, but it will provide incredible connections in the industry with people who will become an invaluable resource moving forward. 

I couldn’t be more grateful for the doors that Western Futures has opened for me, and their generosity will truly set me up for the best success in the western lifestyle and future I aspire to create for myself and my children. I hope to also inspire others that if I can create this lifestyle, they can too!