Love, Leather & Legacy: Georgia Horse Trainers Raising the Next Rodeo Stars

Their rural romance galloped into reality on Bowen Hill Road – a quiet stretch off Highway 49 in Haddock, Georgia, where every hoofbeat echoed a dream turned daily devotion.

Married for 12 years now, Kip and Kalie Smith manifested family farmland into a full-time horse training haven. With cowgirl boots dug into red clay and cowboy grit in their veins, the darling duo is raising the next generation of rodeo talent in the heart of the two’s Central Georgia community.

“We’re both horse nerds,” Kalie laughed. “We truly enjoy the slow, methodical process it takes to train horses.” The husband-and-wife team found that many riders either didn’t enjoy training their own horses or simply didn’t have the time, which opened up a need the pair was willing to fill in the Peach State and Southeast Region.

Sunday Service to Stirrup Sessions

It was a risky thought at first, but Kip and Kalie rehearsed the possibility many times before fully committing to the idea. Then, the professional riding couple just went for it.

In 2022, Kalie stepped away from her youth pastor role at their neighborhood church. Kip gave up a sales gig. They both finally felt right about saddling up and leaning into the common calling they’d been riding toward since they met.

On their 300-acre family farm (once stewarded by Kip’s grandfather, the late Tarver Smith), the Smiths are training future rodeo stars with the same authority and allegiance they pour into their marriage and two kids, Tarver, 10, and Cecilia, 4.

At any given moment, the Smiths are working with 25 to 30 horses a year. “Ninety percent of what we train is for barrel racing,” Kip shared. “It’s popular around here right now.”

The 47-year-old father starts the colts while 34-year-old mom Kalie fine-tunes them. He trains team roping horses. She works barrels.

Together, they offer riding lessons for kids and adults across Georgia. Their clients haul in from Macon, Milledgeville, Gordon, Monticello, and beyond — even as far as South Carolina and Alabama.

Rattlesnakes and Oftentimes Rambunctious Residents

Their rural agribusiness, Rattlesnake Performance Horses, isn’t just a catchy brand name. It’s precisely rooted in the land.

“We used to have a high rattlesnake population,” said Kip. “After some prescribed burns and timber work, we see fewer, but the name stuck.”

The Smiths’ operation is a balance of purpose and play. Randomly, barn animal sounds and socializing erupt from scattered corners of the property.

Alongside 20 owned horses, the family of four cares for a mini menagerie: five cats (Brownie, Smore, Jackie, Fernando and Arnaldo); eight chickens; two geese; and three dogs (American bulldog Daisy, aka “Pig,” Australian Shepherd Okie, and Deutsch-Drahthaar Buddy).

Buddy serves as Kip’s deer and duck hunting partner. The couple’s weekdays start at 8 a.m. and usually wind down by 6 p.m., but as Kalie puts it, “Farm work is a 7-day-a-week job. We’re almost always around.”

Heart Behind the Hustle

There’s nothing overnight about horsemanship, and the Smiths are honest about that. “Learning to ride correctly takes practice,” Kalie stressed. “You have to embrace the long journey.”

They train more than horses. They mentor roughly 10 to 15 young riders weekly. Kalie remembers how high the stakes felt as a teen rider.

Today, she’s a mother, model, and teacher. She helps kids navigate competition with compassion and understand what anxiety and pressure can feel like inside and outside of the rodeo arena.

“I want to be there for them when things are going good — or bad,” she said.

And it’s not just about shows and buckles (although the couple has won plenty of those). It’s about building confidence in both 1,200-pound animals and growing riders.

“Kip is the same way with young horses,” Kalie affirmed. “They trust him and look to him for leadership.”

Tarver and Cecilia are in lockstep with their parents’ bridle-seat-to-supper-bell pursuits. Kip and Kalie taught both how to ride when they were just two. Named after his late great-grandfather, Tarver is just as fearless in nature, especially in horse talk.

“When other kids come out here to learn how to ride, my advice to them is just to relax,” said the mature rider and fourth-grader. “Breathe. Have confidence. It’s fun after that.”

Meanwhile, Cecilia pulls her determined weight by ensuring miniature pony, Tricky, is groomed and ready to giddy up with the big horses.

Walking in Cowboy Boots, Living with Intention

The Smiths are keeping an old-school tradition alive with a fresh perspective — one that embraces faith, family, and hard work in the saddle. They rarely ride for leisure anymore, but there’s joy in the grind.

From sunrise halter checks to sunset arena work, they are building something lasting on legacy land rich with heritage and potential.

“All I ever wanted to do was ‘cowboy,’” Kip confirmed. Now, he's doing just that with his best horseman, Kalie, by his side.

Their story isn’t just one of spurs and saddles. It’s about two people rewriting rural legacy with love, leather, and leadership. The motivated match teaches horses and humans alike how to move with dust, drive, and devotion.

Whether sliding into those cowgirl boots for a barrel run or lacing up cowboy boots for a team roping round, take a page from the Smiths: Start with a shared fire. Ride with heart. And always give back more than you take from the land.

“We’re blessed to go to work every day, doing something we are both passionate about,” said Kalie.

“We are able to teach our kids so much about the land, how it works, and how it provides. There are lessons learned on the farm that you can’t teach anywhere else.”

About Justin’s contributing writer:

Cowgirl Candace is a fourth-generation cowgirl and award-winning communicator based in the Georgia Black Belt Region. The print-to-digital journalist has contributed to and collaborated with brands like the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wrangler, Cowboys & Indians Magazine, USA Today: 10 Best, National 4-H Council, REI Co-op, and Visit Fort Worth.