Boss Mares, Inc. Provides A Leg Up To Cowgirl Entrepreneurs
- Boss Mares Inc.
- 19 hours ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
What began as a goal to give cowgirl entrepreneurs a leg up has become a nationally known non-profit, with 31 grant recipients and more than 300 workshop attendees benefitting from the generosity of the Boss Mares, Inc. donors.
Boss Mares, Inc., co-founded by Kate Bradley Byars, Patti Colbert, Anna Morrison, PhD, and supported by Board Member Ellen Bell, started around a kitchen table in Fort Worth, Texas, but has reached grant applicants in more than 35 states, and counting.
The vision to support female business owners and entrepreneurs by providing access to resources in key areas, including accounting and finance support, continuing education, leadership and career coaching, legal counsel and marketing expertise. The leadership role in a herd of horses is held by a mare, known as the “boss mare,” a notion that helped the group find footing with enthusiastic donors and committed industry partners.
GATHERING FOR GOOD
With the goal to present to cowgirl entrepreneurs and business owners where they are already meeting, Boss Mares, Inc. will host the third “Lead the Herd” Workshop on Saturday, January 17, 2026, during the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo (FWSSR) at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas.
“Boss Mares, Inc. provides the workshops to celebrate the women who create Western lifestyle businesses and engage in entrepreneurial opportunities to provide a positive atmosphere for women to learn, connect, mentor, support and create a path to follow their business dreams,” said Kate Byars, Boss Mares, Inc. secretary and co-founder. “Last year’s event sold out and made the decision to host it again at the Cowgirl and partner with them and the Fort Worth Stock Show an easy decision.”
The one-day workshop will bring business and marketing expertise to attendees free of charge, all with the mission to give cowgirl entrepreneurs a leg up.
“Giving cowgirl entrepreneurs an amazing educational opportunity with the 'Lead the Herd Workshop' aligns perfectly with our mission of providing educational opportunities for the nation's emerging livestock industry leaders,” said FWSSR Executive Vice President Lauren Lovelace Murray. “We’re honored to partner with Boss Mares, Inc. to host what will be an amazing group of women fully dedicated to the Western way of life for this dynamic program during the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.”
Boss Mares, Inc. is excited to announce that Kelley Sullivan Georgiades will be the keynote speaker, kicking off the workshop.
A graduate of Texas A&M University and the TCU Ranch Management Program, she and her father co-owned Santa Rosa Ranch — the largest registered breeder of Brangus and Ultrablack cattle in the country. Over the years, Sullivan Georgiades has served as chair of the marketing committee for the Texas Beef Council, commissioner for the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority and as chair of membership development on the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Most recently, she became the 11th woman, and 219th regent, in 150 years to be appointed to the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. Her lengthy experience in the agriculture industry and business acumen will set a positive and exciting tone for the event.
Three presentations will set attendees on the course toward success. Lorinda Van Newkirk, consultant and Lucky Chuck brand founder, will speak on marketing; Thea Larson, executive-level strategist and founder/host of Cowgirls Over Coffee, will discuss business planning and strategy; and Emily Landry, a certified public accountant with Whitley-Penn, will once again speak on finance. Held again at the inspiring, and soon to be expanding, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the workshop will include museum and Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo admission, and a catered lunch from Fort Worth’s own Gigi Howell.
“The Cowgirl is proud to come alongside Boss Mares to champion women who are ready to grow, lead, and make a difference,” said Julie Bryant, associate executive director, marketing and communications.
Aspiring attendees were able to register for one of the only 100 seats at bossmaresinc.org, free of charge, thanks to underwriting from the Delaplaine Family Foundation and Mindy’s Hope Foundation. Registration opened December 15, and by December 28, had 80-percent of the 100 seats offered filled.
Abby Carpenter, host of her own podcast, “title,” and 2024 Lead the Herd Workshop attendee is a proponent of the event.
“Attending the 2025 Lead the Herd Workshop in January was such a great experience,” she said. “Not only was I able to visit and tour the Cowgirl Museum for the first time, but I met so many amazing cowgirl entrepreneurs from across a variety of careers in the Western and equine industries, all there to support each other, learn and be inspired! From the incredible speakers to the amazing food, I took so much away from the Boss Mares workshop and walked away with new connections and inspiration to take into my own business and career. Thank you again to the Boss Mares for what you have created!”
A LEG UP
Launched early in 2023, Boss Mares, Inc., a 501(c)(3), offers the entrepreneur empowerment “Lead the Herd” workshop in addition to awarding business and education grants. Following the January 17 event, the charitable organization aims to give a leg up to women in agriculture and the Western industry that are seeking support for their business or education dreams by opening the application cycle for its third class of grant recipients.
It’s not a scholarship, Colbert emphasizes, but rather a grant based on the merits of a business plan or funds needed for education to begin or change career paths.
“The grant application asks applicants to give specifics on their business plan, how they will use the money and more details, all feedback from the 2025 cycle’s selection committee,” said Colbert, co-founder and treasurer. “Through our donors, we are excited to fund the dreams of cowgirl entrepreneurs by allowing them to call in personalized support where they need it most, be it for education or business support.”
In 2024, the Boss Mares, Inc. donors provided enough to award nine grants funding more than $40,000. Twelve cowgirl entrepreneurs received nearly $55,000 in business and education grant funding from Boss Mares, Inc, and donors in 2025. This year, the five-member selection committee began sorting through the 53 applications, with 14 education grant applicants from eight states and 39 business applicants from 16 states.
In July, the Boss Mares, Inc. Board approved the committee’s recommendation to fund 12 grants totaling nearly $55,000, more than $15,000 more than the 2024 fund total.
“The donor support we’ve received has been inspiring,” Morrison said. “Last year, the nine grant recipients were serving the Western and ag industries across the board, from publishing to meat production to craftsman and horse trainers. We are excited to see who applies this year and how the funds can help this group of women achieve their dreams!”
Recipients have sent in business plans for their own custom craft companies, such as 2024 recipient Morgan Buckert’s custom boot making, or to support women in business, like 2025 grant recipient Thea Larson’s Cowgirls Over Coffee.
“The grant created the foundation we needed to shift the business into alignment with its true purpose of serving more women, in more accessible ways, without compromise,” explained Larson. “It opened doors to the pieces we couldn’t reach alone: the infrastructure to grow, the margin to build intentionally, and the freedom to meet women where they actually are. Because of this step forward, we’ll be announcing a completely free version of Cowgirls Over Coffee this fall. To me, that’s the clearest marker of impact, when one investment multiplies into thousands of women having a space to be supported, seen, and sustained. This grant opened the door for Cowgirls Over Coffee to become what it was always meant to be.”
For Buckert, the funds provided by the grant enabled her to purchase much needed equipment.
“The 2024 grant from Boss Mares allowed me to make some massive upgrades to my cowboy boot shop,” said Buckert. “With the grant, I purchased two new machines—a Juki walking foot machine for stitching boot tops and a Cobra Class 4 for stitching side seams. Both of these machines have been super helpful to the quality of my work, and the Class 4 saves me almost four hours in labor per pair! 2024 was a huge year for me—I’m happy to share a photo of me stitching on the Juki that was from a shoot with The New York Times. Many thanks to the Boss Mares donors for making such a huge impact on my work!”
Another 2024 recipient, Sierra Shores of The Rusted Roan Design Co., utilized the funds to teach and support other women who wanted to learn to upholster furniture. At her nation-wide workshops, she is now able to provide tools to each attendee to use, as well as a book of instruction they take home to continue the craft.
“The grant from Boss Mares really helped fuel these upholstery workshops and events by making it more accessible for those who do not have their own upholstery tools to use,” said Shores. “We are still actively using all of the supplies purchased with the grant in our upholstery workshops and the Getting Started in Western Upholstery workbook has been given to each upholstery workshop participant and has also been sent to our upholstery group members across the country, and world. I [hosted a workshop] in Oklahoma for the Art of the Cowgirl Gathering Upholstery Retreat and Workshop with the tools we purchased, and books we published, with the grant, and we have workshops and retreats scheduled for Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and Texas for 2026.”
The application process will open for 2026 in January, with the date to be announced at the Lead the Herd Workshop. All information for applicants will be available at bossmaresinc.org, including links to past workshop presentations on business planning, to aid those new to creating a business plan.
The Boss Mares offer levels of donation for those wishing to support female entrepreneurs.
From the $5,000 level “Blue Hen” donors, limited to 25 and who directly support a grant and receive a custom, silk Fringe brand scarf, to the “Herd Supporter” level that provides underwriting for the workshops from $2,500 to $5,000, to the “Remuda” members that provide a bulk of donations gifts ranging from $100 to $4,999, supporters have enabled the non-profit to change lives.
As a way to give supporters a way to identify the women who have helped them in business and in life, in 2025, the Boss Mares, along with Fringe Scarves, designed and launched the “Herd of Honor” Twilly style scarf. A minimum donation of $100 solidifies the nomination.
“When a donor makes a contribution honoring an impactful woman by nominating her to the Herd of Honor, they receive a custom-made Twilly and so does the honoree,” said Bell.
“The Herd of Honor is one level of donation that allows YOU to not only support Boss Mares, Inc. in its mission to give cowgirl entrepreneurs a leg up but also shine a light on someone who has greatly influenced you. We want to grow the Boss Mares circle.”
Providing a leg up to cowgirl entrepreneurs through the grants, and hosting the Lead the Herd Workshops, isn’t only giving information, it is providing a network of women supporting women in business. It’s truly building a remuda.
For more information about the workshop, to register, and to find out how you can Back the Boss Mares, visit bossmaresinc.org.
Boss Mares, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) non-profit
Launched early in 2023, Boss Mares, Inc., a 501(c)(3), is offering entrepreneur empowerment “Lead the Herd” workshops and awarding business and education grants. Co-founded by Anna Morrison, PhD, Patti Colbert and Kate Bradley Byars, all owners of businesses, Boss Mares, Inc. will support female business owners and entrepreneurs by providing access to resources in key areas, including accounting and finance support, continuing education, leadership and career coaching, legal counsel and marketing expertise. The leadership role in a herd of horses is held by a mare, known as the “boss mare.”
Visit bossmaresinc.org
This article is from the January issue of Equine Business Magazine
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