Riding instructor, Gabby Beckham, returns from a ride and takes saddle to the tack room inside the barn.
ees, including 18-year-old Kate Davis. Davis, who also grew up in Lee’s Summit, started beginning horsemanship lessons at age 5, with Everson as her teacher. By age 13, Davis was volunteering with smaller events at Sunset Trails, and at age 15, she was hired on as a horseback riding instructor. “It’s always been like my go-to place. When- ever I am having a bad day, I just want to go to Sunset (Trails) and see my horse,” Davis said. “When I was a kid, I always dreamed of being like Maggie and teaching horseback lessons, and now I am getting to do that.” While most of the supporting staff at Sunset Trails Stables started out as riders, riding instructor Gabby Beckham’s story is a bit different: She grew up riding horses from a young age in the Kingsville, Missouri, area, and as her first non-family-affiliated job, she decided to call Sunset Trails to see if the business was hiring. Beckham now teaches in the beginning horsemanship program at Sunset Trails, and she said she enjoys seeing the progress that children make as they begin horse riding and then advance through their programs. Beckham, 19, has now worked at Sunset
Manager, Maggie Everson visits with Apollo, one of many horses at Sunset Trails Stables.
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