Kristin wondered if she could turn training horses and helping people into a career. When she discovered that Clinton had started the Academy, she was intrigued. There was no doubt in her mind that becoming a clinician would suit her perfectly, but she was heavily involved in her family’s dairy operation. As the herdswoman, Kristin helped her father with the care of the cattle, raised calves, cleaned barns, milked cows, trimmed hooves and treated sick animals. “As soon as I would think about leaving the farm to attend the Academy, I’d immediately feel guilty for putting more work on my family, so I pushed the idea of becoming a clinician aside,” Kristin says.
However, her family wouldn’t let her forget about her dream and encouraged her to follow her heart. “Thank you just doesn’t express my sincere gratitude for my family and all that they have done for me,” Kristin says. “They helped me realize that it would be OK to go to the Academy, and that if I really wanted it, I needed to try for it while I was young and before I got more involved in the management side of the farm.”
So she applied to the Academy and attended the November 2011 Fundamentals clinic with Trace. When Kristin came out of her meeting with Clinton at the end of the clinic, she was a mix of emotions. On one hand, she was elated she was selected to attend the Academy, but on the other, she wasn’t sure if she could move 1,300 miles away from her family.
Returning home to Michigan, Kristin thought hard and prayed on her decision and ultimately, with the support of her family, decided to chase down her dream of becoming a Clinton Anderson Clinician. “I didn’t have the money to pay for my tuition up front, so I worked hard to make it happen. I sold some of my personal cows and a four wheeler, and saved the rest to make payments along the way,” Kristin shares.