Meet Kashaeda Sutton

 

We were lucky to catch up with Kashaeda Sutton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kashaeda , thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?

It has never been very easy for me to take risks, and maybe it never will be! However, it’s a crucial part of running a successful business. I never was the kid to jump into a puddle without an extra pair of socks. Some will think I’m crazy, and some will relate. I’ve always liked to have an idea of what could come next. I would consider my first big risk to be in high school. I had planned my life out with my 14-year-old paint horse, Little P, to start my career. I originally wanted to breed cattle after I graduated college with an agriculture degree. Everything changed when one day my best friend, Little P, was unable to get up off the ground. An unknown tumor was found that day by the vet and it was too far advanced to remove. Getting out of school early immediately turned into the worst day of my life. After this, I wanted nothing to do with horses or rodeo. Now I had no plans, which felt like no future. Where would I go from here?
A year or two passed and my uncle had different plans for me. After forcing me back on, I was able to see the world from the back of a horse again. After covid, I wanted a career that would “stick by me” in hard times, which was massage therapy. Then, I found Equine Therapy which changed everything; I found my niche! My high school was not supportive of this career decision, upset with me in fact, and told me “That is not a career, you’ll never make it if you don’t attend a university”.
Later, I decided to attend massage therapy courses at a Trade school, venturing into the equine world next. I just couldn’t let go of the idea until I knew what it was all about. Now remember, I am NOT a risk taker, so I made sure to have a plan to fall back on. I worked 3 jobs through my senior year so that 3 days after high school graduation, I left my hometown and never looked back. I risked getting back on that horse, I risked changing my plans, and here I am risking it all by leaving home so soon!
I was determined to make it on my own and not rely on my parents, so I took the jump while I was 17! Was it easy? Absolutely not! Worth the risk? YES! After becoming a licensed massage therapist, I went straight into learning equine therapy in CA. I was deathly afraid of this, and every doubt went through my head- I was too young, it was too soon, I wasn’t meant to do this, school was right, and the list went on. The first horse that she pulled out to work on was brown and white paint, which I took as a sign and ran with it.
I was working 2 jobs again that year, equine only on my days off. By June, I quit my job to work on horses full time, which was a giant risk! Now here I am, 20 years old, traveling the nation working on thousands of horses and running a successful business. Risking it all, being on the road, and missing home is all worth it in the end.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

MMM equine therapy is a company which strives to provide adequate scientific, loving, and professional care for your horses. I travel nationally to provide horses with the best care, combining osteopathic adjustments and bodywork into one session. We include things like cupping, kinesiology taping, advanced massage, rock-blading, emergency aid, and so much more! From head to toe, together, we can figure out what is going on with your baby. All of the horses that I work on are so different; I work with all horses including retired, post injury, and even performance horses. We recently started accepting rehabilitation stays as well, in which your equine friend will stay with us for a determined amount of time getting worked on every day. Each and every horse is issued a unique plan no matter where we are. Each session produces different results, for example, better performance, relaxation, better range of motion, reduced soreness, returning nerve function and ability, etc.
It would be hard to choose my favorite part, as I adore my entire job dearly. However, if I had to, it would probably be the different personalities that I get to see and discover. I get to experience each individual animal for themselves. Some are super expressive, while some take a while to be comfortable to share with me. They each release their tension in a different way i.e. licking, shaking their head, yawning, etc. I had a foal who wasn’t sure how she wanted to release since she had never done something like that before! We got to watch her brain turn and figure out what was best for her, which was incredible. Working with injured horses has created a rapport between us. It is beyond rewarding to see them release and look at you like you’re the only one who understood and the only one that listened. Our goal is to turn them into a horse that can strive! The love for what I do is never ending.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I believe it takes a number of qualities to bring a business to success. Nevertheless, resilience, grit, and self-worth are the qualities that it takes to survive. I can tell you, while it’s enjoyable and very satisfying owning a business, it is furthest from easy! It takes effort and hard work from not just you, but everyone around you. Being on the road by yourself takes its toll, but it also takes a toll on your loved ones back home. It’s fun until you only hear your moms voice through the phone, your brother hits a milestone you don’t get to see, you miss events and holidays, or your significant other can’t handle it anymore. You must sacrifice in order to succeed. The grit is also driving halfway across the country, not knowing what is coming! I have had to pull over 1200 miles away from home with an overheated car, a flat tire, you name it. You have to be prepared for anything and confident enough to hold your own.
Being able to stand for who you are and what your business represents is just as important. Self worth sounds easy but it gets challenging. You must know what your time and education is worth to yourself, and not let anyone belittle that. When you do feel discouraged, you must be resilient enough to bounce back. After everything, you have to CHOOSE to continue. Dedication and sacrifice play a huge part in being on the road and owning a business. Every day I have to make a choice to go out and pursue my career.
Being young, people have told me that I’m not doing it right, I’m too young to have knowledge, I can’t be successful at that age. It takes all three of these qualities to be able to filter through what is true, to find a way if something isn’t working, to budget your money to make it through those tough months, and to survive in a world that is determined to take you down.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

Both are important! It is important to have confidence in your abilities and strengths and to not let anyone pull you down if you know what you’re good at. On the other hand, it is also valuable to improve and continue to learn new skills that will later become your strengths. I never stop learning and taking new classes. I operate Mingus Mountain Manes with honesty, because not everything is within my scope of practice, nor do I know everything, and that is the reality. I think my best answer to this question would be to go into everything with an open mind. Criticism can help improve your weakness or even help your strengths shine. Remember that you have made it thus far for a reason.
“Doors aren’t going to open if you don’t go find them”- a quote from Landon Merrill that describes having the ability to go out and get what your business needs. Going in on your strengths will help you remember what you and the business are worth, while investing in your weaknesses will help grow and expand both the company and you. One suggestion that I have to those getting out of school is to shadow the field you think you’d like to go into. Shadowing the field gives you direction whether you end up in that particular career or not! Our industry is a dying breed, most of which is slowly dwindling. Thank you for having me today! The opportunity to share with you has been a delight!

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