Putting Down Roots on a Farm: An Introduction (Part 1)

Rainbow over the barn.

It occurred to me that I've never done a proper "introduction." I show up on social media and throw up a website without ever giving you any background on how I arrived in this space. In essence, I feel as if my credentials might be lacking. I've decided to do a three-part introductory series (Farm. Fashion. Family.) that I hope isn't too tedious and more informative.

First up, Farm. Hello and welcome. I'm Joanna Shroyer the one behind Where Fashion Meets Life. I have had an affinity for animals my entire life. As a child, my desire to be a veterinarian was so strong that it followed me all the way to college and is the main reason I landed in the Animal and Dairy Sciences Department at MS State. My parents were so supportive of this dream they financed all sort of animal "adventures" in my growing up years. As well, I worked for several veterinarians prior to and after entering college. The long and short of it is that I did not go to vet school but did graduate with a degree in Animal Sciences with an emphasis in Equine Science and the hard Sciences. Why is this important? Because my knowledge of animal care and husbandry is not just lived experiences but scientifically grounded.

Fun Fact: I'm about 7 months pregnant with our oldest child

I went from undergraduate work straight to graduate school where I completed my degree in Animal Physiology with research in Equine Biomechanics (equine movement is my specialty ;). After a quick stint as an Equestrian Coach at Auburn University, I went back to the classroom and ended my academic career with a PhD in Biomechanics. This collaborative degree between the Kinesiology and Animal Sciences Department at Auburn was the first of it's kind. But, how did I end up in horses?

I think every little girl asks for a horse at some time in her life or other. I was blessed enough to be granted that request. It stuck. Horses run in my veins. I have soaked up equine information (all animal info really) as often as I can and ended up making it my profession. I used to say that all I wanted to do when I grow up is play with horses all day. I wouldn't say that that is ALL I do, but I do have the ability to walk out to the barn and "play" with horses whenever I want.

Today I am putting down roots on a small hobby farm with my family in Canton, MS. We currently own four horses one of which is my youth show mare who turned 30 this year. Read more about her here. The other three are POA that were purchased to teach my kids how to ride. We have embarked on this adventure on top of showing miniature horses. (Miniature horses are my mom's "thing" and my kids have been gifted the opportunity to grow and learn too.) We have two goats, one potbelly pig, and 15 chickens to round out the farm animals. As far as other animals, we have two dogs, several feral cats, and two recently adopted kittens.

Fun fact about me. I have an uncanny ability to identify pure bred dogs at a glance. My husband thinks this is impressive and will often ask me to identify random dogs on TV or the street just to see if I can get them correct. I attribute this ability to the Academic Quadrathlon from my undergraduate years. Any other AQ competitors here?