Since moving to Nashville three years ago, Stylist and photographer Loren Maring has been constantly intrigued by the women who were brave enough to leave their rural roots to pursue their dreams in Music City. These women are a blend of strength and beauty–fierceness and femininity; each made her way from their open-aired family ranches to Nashville carrying a dream and a Stetson.

As a photographer, Loren’s desire was to capture the true essence of what makes each woman unique yet relatable by highlighting the people and places that built and shaped them. Here are their stories.

Grab a cup of steaming hot coffee and let’s go on a road trip with photographers Jenny McClary and Allie Leepson of The 1909  to their cozy cabin tucked away in Vermont.

The morning begins with mapping out a scenic route to their destination with the help of newly adopted German Shepherd, Bryce. Jenny wears the 1865 Distressed Open Road in Walnut.

Morning light. Allie wears the 1865 Distressed Stratoliner in Silverbelly.

Time to hit the road and explore.

Stetson embodies the spirit of the American West wherever your journey takes you.

We tapped Briana Malmquist and Kelly Thompson to share with us their story of turning a passion for ranching into a life of purpose.

Finding your passion isn’t just about careers and money. It’s about finding your authentic self, feeding your soul, and nurturing your heart.

When your hobbies become your passion and purpose in life, it’s neat to share that with the person you’re closest to. Not everyone is interested in sleeping in the nose of a horse trailer, waking up early and hitting the trail for 13 miles and calling it “vacation”, but together that’s what we most enjoy.

Kelly grew up in Ione, Oregon population 329. His Dad has been a hired hand on working ranches Kelly’s entire life, so he was involved in the riding and ranching lifestyle from a young age. One of Kelly’s favorite childhood memories is his Dad riding to pick him up from pre-school, with Pokey the appaloosa for Kelly to ride back home.

I was raised at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Ronan, Montana on eighty acres my Dad put up in hay every year. Riding from before I could walk, my first paying job opportunity came along when I was ten years old, riding the neighbor’s mare for a dollar a day. Fast-forward to age 27 when I got my hands on my first camera and my love of photography, horses, and the western lifestyle collided.

And thanks to a little app called Instagram, our shared love of horses and the western lifestyle, a small-town Oregon boy and a small-town Montana girl met and now reside in Southeast Washington state.

Although we both work outside the home (Kelly is an electrician, I am in Human Resources), we nurture our ranching heritage every chance we get. We have begun dipping our toes in the world of breeding American Quarter Horses – out of the ten horses we own, one is a Hollywood Dun It bred stallion (Dunit With A Wiggle) and three are in the herd for broodmare purposes. We also spend a lot of our time either helping family friends with their cattle, or roaming the wilderness in search of adventure.

For Kelly’s birthday this past year, we loaded up our dogs and a few horses and hit the Pacific Crest Trail, with no other plans or obligations other than riding, exploring, and enjoying each other’s company.

On the back of a horse, with your best friend by your side, the rest of the world falls away. There’s something so basic and vital about trusting your life to a thousand-pound animal, to taking care of them and meeting their every need, to watching them come into the world, to thrive. And to share that passion and way of life with someone… well, that’s the definition of feeding your soul.

Christmas in Lander, Wyoming by Joe Haebarle with Sofia Jaramillo.

Sofia wears the Gallatin Outdoor Hat.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Over a thousand miles of country between our destination, two Midwest families took off for West Utah. Drawn by the promise of a rare cowboy and cowgirl experience, we set up camp outside of Salt Lake City for the 32nd annual Antelope Island State Park Bison Roundup.

Story and photography by Ann Millington. Visit her work here.

Beginning with an all-rider meeting after sunrise, we donned our Stetsons and greeted nearly 300 riders. Our saddled horses were shaking with nerves, hooves pounding the ground, neighs going up across the hills. 

We rode 15 miles, herding hundreds of buffalo across the hills, up Heartbreak Hill and down through the rocks to new grazing land. It was a long, amazing day on horseback. The experience was even more rewarding with good company, sturdy horses, a classic Stetson, and a successful buffalo roundup.

We took a brief break from sin city and all of the 60th Las Vegas NFR festivities to join Shelby M Hall and father, Roger for a desert getaway to discuss the time-honored tradition of attending and supporting family members participating at the rodeo.

(Photo Above) Shelby wears the Western Snap Front Shirt and Shasta 10X Premier Cowboy Hat. Roger wears the Shasta in black.

Photography by Heath Herring.

Roger is a horseshoer and rancher in Nashville, TN. He’s been attending NFR for years supporting his favorite rodeo participants and brought his daughter this year, continuing this tradition through the generations.

Roger wears the Altan Black Goat Hand Stitched Boot.

Shelby wears the Embroidered Tencel Blend Jacket.

Behind every great daughter is a truly amazing dad.

Shop the looks during NFR at Stetson Country Christmas at Sands Expo, Cowboy Christmas at Mandalay Bay and the Las Vegas Convention Center daily 10am-5pm until Sunday, December16, 2018.