Stable provides horse riding lessons to instill confidence

Learning to ride a horse is not about picking up a hobby; it's about learning to become self-aware, Judy Gibney said.

The professional horseman trainer owns County Line Equestrian Center in Hutto. She said since opening in 1995 the business has aimed to help students of all ages and skill sets become better people through horsemanship.

"When you learn more about yourself, you can be a better human being," Gibney said. "And that's been the whole focus of what we're doing. It's not about riding a horse. It's about being in control of your own self to know how to communicate the proper way."

County Line Equestrian Center has 26 stalls on 120 acres for boarding horses, which is the business's primary revenue source. Gibney said she uses eight of her own horses for training in individual lessons.

Gibney trains students from ages 8 and older. Lessons are $60 an hour. She provides lessons to small groups of two or three people for $55 an hour per person.

The business also offers additional training for boarded horses at $375 a month.

Although Gibney's business has been in operation for more than 20 years, it has been difficult to establish a foothold in the community, she said. In part, the decline of the U.S. horse industry has brought on hard times for equestrian center owners, Gibney said.

"When the horse industry went sour, people were abusing and abandoning horses," she said. "They weren't feeding them. From the [1980s] to now it's been [an unstable] business."

During the toughest points of the Texas drought Gibney had to travel to Missouri to get hay, she said.

The business owner said a laundry list of expenses has to be paid, and the equestrian center rarely makes a profit. She said she hires temporary workers to help with the management of the facility but does not have any full-time employees.

Gibney said if her profit margin improves she can dedicate more time to her passion: community outreach. She said she loves teaching the value of horsemanship to children who are underprivileged, have special needs or behavioral issues. She said it makes them more disciplined and confident.

"Horses open up that opportunity of self-awareness to someone who might be way too shy or have other damages to their emotional health to be able to talk to a counselor, for example," Gibney said. "They can talk to the horses. And that's what we have continued to thrive on."

1001 CR 138, Hutto, 512-252-0931, www.countylineequestrian.com, Hours: Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.–noon. Sun. by appointment.