Walk Ride Rodeo: A Story About Amberley Snyder

This is a story of a cowgirl whose love for horses overpowered all challenges put in her path. Her rodeo career began at a young age and her future was destined for success. A car accident changed Amberley’s life at age eighteen, leaving her paralyzed. Her challenges and victories are shared as a part of Amberley’s journey.

 

Amberley Snyder was born in January of 1991 in southern California. At the age of three, Amberley began riding lessons and developed and unyielding passion for horses. Her family moved to Utah in 1998, where Amberley began her rodeo career. Amberley was raised in a competitive family with five siblings. Each took a dedicated route to their sports including gymnastics, baseball, and rodeo. By her senior year in 2009, Amberley had qualified for the National High School Finals and won the National Little Britches Rodeo Association All-Around Cowgirl World Championship. Amberley was also active in the FFA during her adolescent years, and in 2009 was elected the Utah FFA State President. She gives credit to this organization for beginning her career in motivational speaking. On January 10th, 2010, Amberley was on her way to the Denver Stock Show and Rodeo. During her drive, she looked down at her map causing her vehicle to fade. In an effort to regain her lane, Amberley overcorrected. She was ejected and slammed into a fence post that broke her back and she immediately lost feeling in both of her legs. The prognosis was she would never regain use or feeling below her waist. Amberley made three goals on the first day of therapy; Walk, Ride, Rodeo. 18 months after her accident, Amberley returned to the arena. She now competes as a member of the Women's Professional Rodeo Association. Amberley has been recognized in the both the Cowboy and Cowgirl Hall of Fames. Amberley continued to pursue her education obtaining her Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Education and Master's Degree in School Counseling. Amberley has let the challenges she faces refine her, not define her. She is a motivational speaker, social media icon, coach, mentor and hero to those she meets along her journey. Amberley can be found at http://www.amberleysnyder.org/amberleysnyder/

Gabriel Krekk - Watercolor Artist & Photographer Born in Hungary in 1955, his family escaped Hungary during the Hungarian- Russian Revolution of 1956 and they would spend two years in refugee camps in Austria before immigrating to Canada. He would spend most of his years exploring various mediums with his Art before settling in to focus on watercolors in 1985, the most delicate and most unforgiving of all mediums. He released his first limited edition print in the early 1990's and from there he developed his style of moving his work into the realms of photo-realism. . He has a solid following of collectors in Canada, the U.S. and in Europe. To enhance his paintings subject materials, Krekk was trained as a Photographer in the early 1980's and he has taken his Photography to the Professional level . His photographic images have been well published in magazines and publications throughout North America. His love for the western way of life became his trademark and he is the creator of the project "American Cowgirls" that combines both his art and photography in the real lives of 25 incredible American Cowgirls. Through his project he connected with Amberley and he feels so blessed to have been chosen to complete the illustrations for her Children's book. Krekk resides full time in Maricopa, Arizona where he works in his studio to produce his paintings and he travels extensively to do his Photography. Krekk's paintings and photography work can be viewed at www.americancowgirls.com Contact gabrielkrekk@gmail.com