Running Free

Running Free: An Incredible Story of Love, Survival, and How 200 Horses Trapped in a Wildfire Helped One Woman Find Her Soul

by Ami Cullen

Never rich enough. Never connected enough. Never feeling like she fit in. That’s how Emme felt when it came to the incredible wealth and privilege of the hunter/jumper world. But she loved the horses. So, for a time, she tried to compete — graduating law school and passing the bar exam, traveling in the “right” social circles, and getting engaged to the entitled son of the CEO of one of the fastest-growing hedge fund companies. For a time, the façade worked . . . until she couldn’t pretend that this was the life she wanted. It was time to make a change. A major change.

Not in her wildest imagination did she think she would become the Equestrian Director and Head Wrangler at a dude ranch, responsible for the care and safety of 200 horses. Nor did she imagine she’d be the one to save those horses from a terrible wildfire. But she did, all while learning important lessons about trust, love, leadership, and life itself. While friends and family accused her of running away, Emme knew the truth: she was running free for the first time ever – because sometimes leaving everything behind is the only way to get what you really want out of life.