By Ami Cullen

It was 2005, and the grind of everyday life had taken over. I had passed the bar exam and was well into my second year at my law firm, working endlessly to hit my billable hour requirement.

Getting to the gym after a long day at work was a struggle, and getting to the farm to ride my horses was an even greater struggle. Although I made good money and had status at a young age, the greater my achievements at work, the less time I had for horses and myself.

I felt stuck—having to keep working in law because that was what I got my degree in, and I had student loans to pay. I felt I really didn’t have a choice in what I was supposed to be doing.

I was dating someone I thought I should, I was in a career I thought I should be in, and I just kept waiting for things to improve. But nothing ever did.

My best friend suggested we head to the C Lazy U dude ranch in Granby, Colorado, for vacation. I was hesitant at first as I would have much rather gone on a beach vacation, but this experience would ultimately significantly impact my life and everything I thought I was supposed to be and do.

I will never forget the first time I visited the C Lazy U Ranch. Driving under the archway and down the mile-long ranch road was like driving through time.

Photo courtesy of Ami Cullen

It was beautiful.

Well-cared-for and happy horses were everywhere, grazing among the beautiful aspens and wildflowers. Pleasant cowboys greeted us, and we were provided with elegant and cozy accommodations.

I was paired with a little buckskin horse named Gunsmoke, who I rode twice a day every day—I could feel my spirit repair. We were guided to the most beautiful terrain where we could experience the most thrilling lopes. We saw incredible wildlife, including moose and bald eagles, herds of elk, pronghorn (antelope), and mule deer. By the end of my weeklong vacation, I didn’t want to leave, and all I could talk about was coming back next summer.

I booked a vacation to the ranch every summer after that. It was the one week every year that I looked forward to. I remember waking up watching the wranglers jingle in the herd of 200 horses and having an overwhelming feeling that I needed to be a part of it.

(The jingle is when the wranglers ride out in the morning to gather the herd. The story goes that back in the day, some horses wore cowbells around their neck so the wranglers could find them in the dark or when they chose to hide among the willow bushes).

Photo courtesy of Ami Cullen

Fast forward several years to 2012, when the opportunity arose to work as a seasonal summer wrangler. The decision to walk away from my legal career was not an easy one. From six figures to ten dollars an hour. I traded my business attire for cowboy boots and jeans. I gave myself six months to play cowgirl and convinced myself I would return to my career. I never did.

The first summer working at the ranch would prove to be the greatest summer of my life. Waking up at 4 a.m. to jingle in the herd of horses and watch the sunrise became part of my everyday routine.

For the first time in my adult life, I was truly happy with my place in the world and sincerely loved going to work every day. My riding and natural intuition returned to something that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I did not miss practicing law or the grind that had become my existence.

C Lazy U Ranch is a magical place. The longer I stayed and worked there, the more it absorbed my soul. I could not imagine leaving for any other type of job, nor did I want to, but the real world was calling.

I had student loans and financial commitments, and working as a wrangler was never meant to be permanent. I needed to return to my old life, but the longer I stayed away, the less connected I felt to the person I was. I just had to believe this was the life I was meant to live and that things would ultimately work out.

Soon after my summer working as a wrangler ended, I began a half-hearted attempt to find another job as an attorney. I was sad and depressed about it, which meant that no firm was remotely interested in hiring me. I figured I had doomed my career and was beginning to accept my fate as a washed-up attorney who would be lucky to find contract work.

Surprisingly, one day, the ranch called and asked if I would be interested in interviewing for a position as an operations manager. I jumped at the chance and was immediately offered the job, which I accepted without a second thought.

During my time at the ranch, I progressed in my career and oversaw many departments, even serving as the Interim General Manager for seven months. Ultimately, I accepted a position as the Director of Equestrian Operations, which I still hold today.

The long, tiring hours and physical labor that ranch work entails can be exhausting, but I feel fulfilled and happy at the end of every workday, which, for me, is the best type of pay there is. I love connecting people and horses and find incredible joy in watching a dude ranch vacation significantly impact guests every week. They, too, come back year after year to take a break from their everyday life’s grind and reset while riding horses in the Rocky Mountains.

I hope my experience encourages others to follow their hearts and allow the journey to happen. When life’s predictability takes over, and you find yourself questioning your purpose and happiness, take a trip, go on an adventure, break out of your everyday cycle, and try something new. You never know where it may lead you.

Photo: Molly Johnson Photography

Ami Cullen is the author of Running Free: An Incredible Story of Love, Survival, and How 200 Horses Trapped in a Wildfire Helped One Woman Find Her Soul. Cullen hails from Chester County, Pennsylvania, where her love for horses first blossomed. She earned her law degree from the Catholic University School of Law in Washington, D.C., and practiced medical malpractice defense law at a firm in Bethesda, Maryland.

During a vacation at the C Lazy U Ranch, she discovered her true passion — ranch life and taking care of horses. Currently, Cullen is the Director of Equestrian Operations and oversees all aspects of the C Lazy U Ranch’s Equine Program.

Cullen resides in Granby, Colorado, with her husband, Mike; their cat, and their two dogs.

For more information, visit Running Free Horses, Instagram (@amimcullen) or Facebook (Ami Cullen).