This horsewoman’s influence as a trainer and clinician has helped horses and riders form deep, lasting connections.

Western Horseman began its popular Women of the West series in the March 2007 issue. It’s been a fixture in the magazine every month since. In 2019, the magazine teamed up with Art of the Cowgirl to present the first Western Horseman Women of the West Award. The prestigious honor celebrates women who are dedicated to innovation and preservation in the ranching, stock horse and Western industries.

Western Horseman Editor in Chief Ross Hecox presented the third Women of the Westward to Barbra Schulte of Brenham, Texas, on March 26, at Road to the Horse, a colt-starting championship held in Fort Worth, Texas. She will be honored again at the Art of the Cowgirl summer event, June 24-27, in Bozeman, Montana.

“To teach and encourage people at the same time, that is what people are looking for. It doesn’t matter if they have competitive horses or not.”


—Barbra Schulte, from Women of the West in the January 2021 issue of Western Horseman

A lifelong horsewoman, Schulte grew up learning from her horseman father, Cletus Hulling. At age 13, became the youngest female to ride in a National Cutting Horse Association semi-finals at the NCHA Futurity. She trained and showed Quarter Horses in reining, cutting and other Western disciplines for many years. In 1994—after winning NCHA Derby, NCHA Super Stakes Classic and the Augusta Futurity—she became a personal performance coach and created her Mentally Tough program to mentally motivate riders to overcome fear, sharpen their focus, perform under pressure and reach their full potential.

Schulte has conducted clinics and seminars all over the world, produced educational videos and authored books and articles. She received the National Female Equestrian of the Year Award from the American Quarter Horse Association in 2000, and was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2017, she was inducted to the NCHA Hall of Fame, and in 2020 she received the Equine Industry Vision Award presented by American Horse Publications and sponsored by Zoetis.

As a clinician, she often shares her role with other horsewomen, such as Julie Goodnight and Sandy Collier. She continues to motivate other horse enthusiasts through education.

Schulte joins Judy Wagner, vice-president of marketing and communications for Montana Silversmiths, and Linda Davis, owner of the CS Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, as recipients of the Western Horseman Women of the West Award.

Read more about Schulte in the January 2021 issue of Western Horseman.

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