Determined, driven, and not afraid of hard work is how we would describe the women of Horse Guard.
Did you know that Horse Guard supplements is women-owned and operated, from the office to the warehouse? Former CFO, Lori Johnson, “Queenie”, played an integral role in building Horse Guard Inc., from the ground up side by side with founder, Del Johnson. From our very first product to the sixteen different products now sold nationwide, Lori held her own in a male dominated industry and was often referred to as the “woman behind the scenes”. Although growing, the equine industry is still predominately male. In celebration of hard-working women everywhere for International Women’s day, we’d like to introduce the women behind the scenes at Horse Guard.
Ty Johnson Newman- CEO
From caring for her horses to long days in the arena, commitment to a job well done is nothing Ty ever shies away from. Ty meets every obstacle in her day to day the same way she does in the roping arena, with fortitude.
"I love competing. The practice, the camaraderie, the travels, the excitement, and, of course, the win. Team roping specifically is one of the most relaxed, fun group of competitors and is the only rodeo event that women compete right alongside men, as partners and competitors. Even though it is a male dominated sport every year more and more girls and women are getting involved, it's so cool to see!"
Ty became the hardworking woman she is today from growing up around horses.
"Growing up with horses has given me a strong sense of duty and in a wonderful natural way learning life lessons. Important lessons that include responsibility, trust, compassion, respect, and patience."
Those attributes are evident as she leads the HG team with an unflappable desire to continue to produce the best horse supplements for horse owners everywhere and works side by side with her sister, Dr. Kelsey, always striving for better.
Dr. Kelsey Johnson Nonella - Certified Equine Nutritionist
Dr. Kelsey Nonella is a horsewoman, nutritionist, competitor, sister to Ty, and mother to two lively cowgirls. Using her knowledge and experience to help customers combat nutritional issues and formulate products to help horse owners provide the best for their horses. Her life revolves around the passion for happy, healthy horses, from spending the day in the office to spending long evenings passing on the love of horses to Riley and Reagan while developing a promising string of horses alongside her husband Roger Nonella. As a woman in business and rodeo, she remarks,
“Rodeo has been a key aspect in the woman I am today. It means you aren’t afraid to get dirt under your fingernails and work hard for what you want. My dream is to raise my daughters that are self-sufficient but are confident enough to ask for help when they need it. I want to raise daughters that are strong, yet have an amazing feel, and are observant of what each individual horse needs.”
Kate Mehmet – Social Media, Ambassador and Event Support
Kate is the new voice behind Horse Guard. She handles our social media and provides support to our ambassadors and events. Like every equestrian she does not shy away from hard-work and is no stranger to multi-tasking at work or at the barn adapting to the needs of the team in the moment.
When she is not at Horse Guard she works as a Physical Therapist in our local Acute Care Healthcare System and is also a professional photographer.
“On the Polo field it is so much fun to play a sport where women and men compete together as teammates or as opponents. It is also exciting to see more female athletes playing this amazing sport. I love being able to capture all the amazing female equestrians riding in the disciplines they are so passionate about.
The amazing thing about Horse Guard is that you are surrounded by strong hard-working women who share your passion for horses and being the best they can be in and out of the saddle. It is an honor to be part of this company.”
You can tell Amanda is somewhere in the warehouse by her unmistakable giggle. Her positive attitude is unsurpassed and incomparable. Amanda was drawn to horses and made it her volition to get more time around them. She began volunteering for an Equine Assisted Therapy barn where she learned that the purpose of her work directly inspired her drive to work hard When it comes to her job she takes no shortcuts and could outwork anyone,
“I’ve never limited myself or my work ethic to being a woman and being the only woman working in the warehouse it never even crossed my mind, when it comes to what inspires me to work hard it’s about working for something you believe in, a product you’re proud of and working under a team like Ty and Kelsey who run a company with honesty, loyalty, and wholeheartedness.”
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