Written by CAROLINE NICHOLSON • Photos Courtesy of Cassidy Victer

Twenty-three-year-old Cassidy Victer’s life revolves around horses.

Victer exemplifies what it means to be Coweta born and raised. She grew up in a family with a gene for horse riding and has been riding horses for two decades, likely picking up the desire from her mother and grandmother, who both loved horses.

Victer's adoration of horses bloomed in the Coweta County 4-H program where she learned about the proper care of horses and grew her riding skills through special interest clubs like the Equine Mounted Drill Team. She spent four years with the Drill Team during which she had the opportunity to travel and learn about horsemanship. She devoted a great deal of her time to the Coweta County 4-H program until she aged out at 18. 

In 2015, then-17-year-old Victer began working at the Fayette Veterinary Medical Center, led there by her love of animals. However, while working this job, horses were always on her mind.

Around 2018, she began purchasing horses. As the number of horses grew, her time for her other job dwindled. She explains that owning horses requires a tremendous amount of effort and care: “If you are not willing to commit at least three hours of your day, every day, to a horse, then you don’t need to own one.”

With this in mind, she put her grooming job on hold and began focusing on the horses that desperately needed her.

Victer buys horses sight unseen, going on the descriptions given to her by the seller. These are usually non-performance horses, coming from homes unequipped to take on the huge responsibility of caring for creatures of their size and complexity. The young horsewoman rescues them from often depressive environments where they are underfed with little space to stretch their legs. In her care, the horses are treated like royalty, fed nutritious food and given plenty of space to gallop.

After the horses are nursed back to health, Victer leases them to loving families searching for a partner for their child who is interested in riding. This is a perfect situation for the horse and the rider, according to Victer, who says the horses often come from unstimulated backgrounds and require training and attention the rider can provide.

By leasing with Victer, riders get their own horse to train with, and the horses stay at Victer's barn with all of its space and amenities, plus the affection of a rider and their family. Students who lease with Victer visit the barn twice weekly to train and ride.

Beyond leasing, the young horse entrepreneur's passion extends to preparing horses and students for competitions. Her biggest competition each year is the National Barrel Horse Association Youth and Teen World Championships, which takes place every July in Perry, Ga.

Who better to take students to this competition than Victer, a six-time youth world qualifier and an open finalist?

In 2021, she took four students to the competition: Cora Condon, Ellie Condon, Marissa Byrd and Emily Lenning. This year, Victer will take six local students, as well as two students from Australia to the competition.

Victer's passion is not only for horses but also for the young riders she mentors. In June 2022, she hosted a two-day horse camp for her students at her stables in Senoia. She partnered the students who have worked with her for a while with her new students, so every new rider had individual attention. In total, there were 16 fresh faces, brimming with excitement to learn about and ride horses, and 16 veterans of Victer's program, ready to share their love of horses just as their teacher had done for them.

Many of her 32 weekly riders visit their teacher on non-lesson days to help her with chores and spend time with the horses.

Victer is the product of a small town and a family who has instilled in her a work ethic that encourages hard work to accomplish big dreams. Beyond the lessons she gives to students, her work ethic models to her community the importance of perseverance and drive.

Moving forward, Coweta's young horsewoman plans to continue to lease horses – and to train horses and students alike. NCM