Most people think of a stallion as the lead horse in a herd. But in actuality, it’s a mare that keeps the group on track. This is a fitting metaphor for the Texas-based non-profit called Boss Mares, Inc. Founded to help give women entrepreneurs in the Western and ag world a leg up for their goals through continuing education and business grants, Boss Mares, Inc. is already making a difference in many lives through education, community, and grant money.
The Inspiration Behind Boss Mares
Anna Morrison grew up loving horses in northern Wisconsin and became immersed in the reined cow horse world during her undergraduate work at Colorado State University. She worked at Texas A&M University on Dr. Jim Heird’s Equine Initiative, worked for the American Quarter Horse Association, then served as the executive director for the National Reined Cow Horse Association in Fort Worth, Texas, before switching gears into contract work for nonprofits like the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.
In January 2023, she was inspired to go in a new direction.
“I was reflecting on my career in the Western industry, and the people who had helped me achieve the things I’d achieved, and the types of support I received,” Morrison says. “It struck me how important it is to have a circle of support when you are trying to grow and build yourself. I know there’s such a willingness in the equine and ag industry to support one another, and to rally behind one another. I just wanted to be able to pay that forward to other women in the industry who were envisioning big career and business goals.”
It was this desire to help women in the Western and rural industries that let her to found Boss Mares, Inc.
“I think ‘Boss Mares’ is just such a familiar industry term—when you say ‘boss mare,’ you immediately know you’re thinking of a powerful, in-charge female, and it doesn’t come with a negative connotation,” Morrison says.
As she often does when an idea strikes her, Morrison turned to her friends for advice and to gauge their reactions to her potential venture. She talked to equine media professional Kate Bradley Byars of Harper, Texas, whom she’d met while working years ago at Texas A&M, and the two have been close both as friends and work colleagues ever since.
“I loved the idea, because having been a freelancer for almost 15 years, I know firsthand the troubles you can have finding business-related resources,” Byars says. “I loved the idea of giving back and working with Anna. I want to help the next generation get started in the on their dreams, and support the Western and agriculture industry in any way I can to make sure that the arts and crafts continue to move forward.”
Morrison also spoke with mentor and equine industry visionary Patti Colbert of Georgetown, Texas. Colbert is very close with both Morrison and Byars, having met them through her friend, Dr. Heird. She said they are characterized by their involvement and passion for the horse industry.
“I’ve had this idea [of an organization like Boss Mares] for a long time,” Colbert says. “In my generation, there weren’t as many women involved professionally in the industry as there are now. It was a club, and those of us females working within the industry stuck together and tried to bring young women to the industry by any chance that we had. I have always said that my success was built on the back of younger, smarter women.”
And Morrison reached out to her friends, Larry and Ellen Bell, who own Parks Bell Ranch in Midland, Texas, and Kalpowar Quarter Horses, based in Fort Worth, Texas. Morrison met the Bells through AQHA and on through NRCHA.
“Both Larry and I thought [the idea of Boss Mares] was awesome, we loved everything about it,” Ellen says. “My daughter, Amy, passed away at the age of 33, but she was a young woman who really wanted to help others. I see a lot of Amy in Anna, and I just wanted to make sure that women of all different stages of life have an opportunity to be heard and to go out there and achieve their dreams.”
The Bells not only believed in the idea, but wanted to help make it happen. So Morrison went back to Byars and Colbert and asked if they would help her as co-founders and board members.
All three women agreed immediately, contributing their unique strengths to the organization. Morrison brings her expertise with establishing and working with nonprofits and takes on administrative work as president. Byars is secretary and manages the website, marketing materials and social media strategy. Colbert, who serves as treasurer, and Bell, who is on the board of directors, gather funding and offer invaluable perspectives during their creative collaboration.
“Ellen is such a constant, positive energy and support for all four of us,” Colbert says. “We have been able to accomplish so much in a short time because all four of us are very nimble. We can easily talk to one another collectively or individually, which really gives you jet propulsion on making decisions and moving forward.”
“Anna has expertise of how to keep us on track doing things the right way,” says Ellen. “Patti is a huge personality, and she knows a lot of people, so she brings a lot of energy to the table. Kate has been invaluable with her expertise in marketing and communication. Each of us has something we’d like to add, and we work together very well.”
Becoming Boss Mares
By the fall of 2023, Boss Mares Inc became a legal a 501(c)3. Byars designed the website and created a marketing plan that let the world know what the organization had to offer. Colbert and Ellen helped develop the business’s goals, and reached out to their contacts to secure much-needed donors to fund the nonprofit’s efforts.
“Our mission is to support and provide a leg up for women professionals and women entrepreneurs in agriculture,” Morrison says. “We very much view this as a shared vision, so everybody’s input and interest in shaping where we go as a team is very equal.”
Soon, Boss Mares, Inc. gathered its first round of funding from donors. These include a group called Blue Hens, which is a moniker for premier mares in the racing world—female horses who have either performed exceptionally or produced incredible performers—and have made an impact on the horse industry.
“We thought that nickname was so appropriate for a business named Boss Mares because we have these women in the industry who are already powerhouses on their own, and they have the opportunity to be a ‘Blue Hen’ and to create that launching point for future powerhouses in the industry,” Morrison says.
The Results
The flagship effort of Boss Mares, Inc. is its grant program.
“We felt the most valuable support is putting actual financial resources in the hands of women who are running businesses, growing their businesses and changing their businesses,” Morrison says.
But the second main effort of Boss Mares, Inc. is an educational workshop event they call the Lead the Herd Workshop.
“We recognized that we can’t possibly touch every single deserving woman in the industry with a grant, so the workshops are a really important sister program, because we can take resources, skills and networking opportunities and put experts from a variety of support areas in front of many more women,” Morrison says.
Less than a year after business paperwork was filed, the first Boss Mares Lead the Herd Workshop was held at the Art of the Cowgirl event in Queen Creek, Ariz., in January 2024. Over 100 women gathered daily for two days for a “lunch-n-learn” as experts offered both inspiration and practical advice for entrepreneurs—both food and the sessions were sponsored by donors, free for attendees.
The seminars are Byars’ favorite part of the organization.
“I truly love the Lead the Herd program because it’s something I know I would have loved to have been a part of when I was starting out,” Byars says.
The first grant cycle application launched in January 2024 with a March deadline. A five-person selection committee chose nine grant recipients from a pool of over 60 to receive funding that totaled nearly $40,000.
“I think everybody needs a leg up in their life at some point,” Colbert says. “So we crafted a simple way to allow females in the agricultural industry to make an application for a $5,000 grant, because it’s something that will move a needle, if it’s used in the right way.”
Ellen says a team reviews all applications for grants, and board members choose the final recipients.
One recipient was Megan Wimberley, who founded the social entrepreneurship organization Cowgirl Artists of America (CGA) that supports female Western artists and makers. She discovered Boss Mares, Inc. through that first Lead the Herd event at the Art of the Cowgirl, and learned of the grant opportunity there.
“CGA has been experiencing a lot of growth, and we do a lot of great work,” Wimberley says. “I’ve done it on a shoestring budget, and my computer was almost 10 years old. It was just not functioning properly, and very, very slow. Being mostly online, it felt like a good opportunity to potentially get some funding for the computer. And the mission aligned so much that it felt like it was a good fit.”
Wimberley, of Tulsa, Okla., is an artist along with being the founder of CGA. She used the grant money to purchase a new computer, which has been critical for performing administrative work for her organization, as well as aiding in delivering educational resources like monthly online meetups, an online network and design work for shows.
“Running small businesses can be very stressful and demanding, especially in the early years,” Wimberley says. “I keep a pretty tight budget, and it was going to be a struggle to buy a new computer, so it was a huge relief. To have a computer that was actually working right was really exciting.”
The grant money not only helped Wimberley in her immediate business, it released funds from CGA for effective use elsewhere.
“With the grant that I received, they aren’t just affecting me,” Wimberley says. “They are impacting hundreds, if not thousands, of artists. That grant will continue to impact people for probably the next nine years—how long my computers have lasted. It’s a significant impact.”
Marissa Burger of Bluff Dale, Texas, is an author of children’s books, including Coy, the Caring Cowboy. Her stories center around social-emotional learning through the Western lifestyle.
After writing that book, Burger dreamed of writing a series of stories along those lines. Her next one is titled Roxy Tries Again.
Meanwhile, Boss Mares, Inc. social media messaging reached Burger, and she decided to apply for the organization’s grant, to help her fund her second book.
“Without those funds, I wouldn’t have been able to do the second book at the level that I really wanted to,” Burger says. “With the grant, I was able to hire an illustrator, who did a fabulous job, and I learned a lot through the process. Moving forward, I’m hoping for three or four books, and I feel a lot more prepared. The grant really helped me get started on pursuing that long-term goal of having a series of books.”
Burger attended the second Lead the Herd Workshop, held in January 2025 at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth during the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. Attendance topped over 300 women, who were able to access the insights from speakers and networking opportunities.
“I love how [Boss Mares] brings in other very successful women to provide guidance and wisdom,” Burger says. “I think the value of being around successful women is a grant in itself!”
Visit bossmaresinc.org for more information or to sign up for the organization’s newsletter. You can also follow Boss Mares, Inc. on social media at @bossmaresinc.
This article about Boss Mares, Inc. appeared in the Summer 2025 issue of Western Life Today magazine. Click here to subscribe!
