09/21/2026
โIn their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.โ
โ Proverbs 16:9
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐.
AJ grew up in a military family, moving around throughout his childhood. He didnโt come from a family that showed horses or generations of horse trainers. His interest in training started with a horse his family bought that wasnโt really trained or rideable. AJ enjoyed the challenge of figuring him out and realized how much he enjoyed working with horses and making them better.
But this was a hobby, not a career plan.
AJ wanted to follow in his fatherโs footsteps and enlist in the military. When an injury took that option off the table, the direction he thought his life was headed changed.
In 2017, he left home and completed a one year apprenticeship in an equine program.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด... ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ.
That opportunity took him to Texas to work in the reined cow horse industry. At the time, it was simply a chance to learn something new and see where it went. But it didnโt take long for AJ to realize he had found what he wanted to do.
He fell in love with the reined cow horse and spent the next several years learning, training, and showing.
๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ, ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐
๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ป, ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ.
๐๐โ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐โ๐น๐น ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฝ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐.
There have been a lot of horses, lessons, mistakes, big moments, and ordinary days that got him here. And thereโs still a long way to go...
But sometimes you have to look back to realize the doors that closed, unexpected opportunities, and chances you took were ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ๐ปโ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐.
๐ธ Alessandra Zambrano
