About
Hey everyone,
Michaela Friese here - thanks for stopping by!
Here is a little bit about my least favorite topic... myself! lol I am a horse trainer, part-time office manager at a fiberglass manufacturing company, and business owner of McCracken Equine, LLC and Friese Family Farms, LLC. Wife to the best partner in crime lady could ask for, William Friese. Mom to Hoyt Matthew, our crazy little man that was born July of 2022. I am an avid collector of horses, beef cattle, chickens, coffee mugs, and Hay Chix nets. :)
How did I become a Horse Trainer?
Blessed to be able to grow up around horses, I spent my childhood, riding to friend's houses, playing tag bareback, showing 4-H, and local WSCA in both pleasure and games. At a very young age, my best friend and I had our future careers planned out as 'pony trainers,' and we were prepared to be HUGE! *Because no other horse crazed little girl had these plans, right...?*
Fast forward to High School, where I got connected (thanks mom!) with one of the most influential people not only in my horse training career, but also in life, Christy Masteller at Sandy Oaks Arena. I am not sure what she saw in this quiet, socially awkward kid over 10 years ago, but I am forever grateful she took me in, and shared(s) her knowledge and experiences with me. Honestly, I owe everything to my friends, family, and mentors. Without them, I wouldn't be the person I am today. *cheesy, I know... but it is the truth!* What started as me saving up money to send my 4 yr old gelding to Christy, whom had been terribly started by someone else, turned into a burning desire to learn more about the training process.
I wasn't satisfied just riding - I wanted to get inside the horse's mind and figure out how one takes a blank slate unhandled horse, or a horse with prior issues, and turns it into something soft, supple, and in general 'broke.' That is still what drives me as a trainer today. Every horse is a little different, and the ones that challenge me is just another opportunity to expand my knowledge. I will never know everything, but I will certainly try to learn all I can in the time I am given.
How did I become a Hay Chix dealer?
Long story short, working at Sandy Oaks Arena, where we are feeding hay to approx. 40 horses, obviously one goes through a lot of hay. Any hay a person can save through less waste when you are feeding that many animals, is just as good as money back in your pocket.
We discovered Hay Chix (Cinch Chix at the time) over 8 years ago, and again... as cheesy as it sounds... their nets have changed our lives! 8+ horses can peacefully eat at a bale, they don't spread it across the pasture/stall, use it as a bed, or worse, a bathroom, and stomp it into the ground creating a wet, soggy, repulsive mess. Wasted hay is non-existent with Hay Chix nets.
I believe in them so whole-heartedly, that I wanted to be able to give the local horse community easier access to these nets, and the opportunity to save their hard earned money by eliminating wasted hay.
There are many different brands that offer similar slow feeding solutions, and believe me when I say we have tried most. Nothing compares to Hay Chix, especially when it comes to durability - we are still using nets that are over 6 years old!
Some hesitate to pull the trigger on them, as they think the nets are 'expensive.' Let me shed some light on this. For example, if you are ONLY looking at the initial investment of roughly $222 ($207+tax) on a 6' Round Bale Net that lasts 6 years.... is technically only costing you roughly $37/year. The equivalent of approximately four 6" subway sandwich meals PER YEAR. That is without even diving into the money you are going to save on wasted hay. Just pull that trigger, you will thank me later :)