The Cowgirl Project-Taneile Hammond
@Piapotpearl @pearlsnapphotographycanada
Frontier, Saskatchewan, Canada
The reference photo that I used to paint “I'll Do This For A Lifetime If I'm Lucky”
When I’m choosing stories for my work, I’m not looking for perfection or polish. I’m looking for truth. I’m looking for women who are living this life with their whole chest—even when it’s heavy, even when it’s lonely, even when it would be easier to quit.
That’s why I chose Tanielle Hammond.
Tanielle ranches in southwest Saskatchewan, right along the Montana border. She owns and operates her place alongside her daughter, Loretta, and has been building it since 2020—still standing, still figuring it out, still in the game. Her cattle operation is practical and no-nonsense: half-blood Longhorn/Angus cows bred to Hereford bulls. Her horses are raised the same way—old school, turned out year-round, tough and honest. Everything about how she runs her operation reflects her values: do what works, do what you can afford, and don’t worry about keeping up with anyone else.
That independence runs deep.
The Beginning of “I'll Do This For A Lifetime If I'm Lucky”
I usually start with a very simple drawing and then quickly get into painting the sky. The skies are made on a whim with very little preplanning.
In addition to her own ranch, Tanielle manages a large grazing co-op—around 1,000 cow-calf pairs—from April through December. It’s a big responsibility, and she does it with the help of her daughter and, as she puts it, a pack of dogs. The horses she raises aren’t for show. They’re for work. She starts and uses them herself, building animals she can rely on because her life and livelihood depend on it.
But what struck me most wasn’t just her work ethic—it was how fully her daughter is woven into this life.
Tanielle didn’t change her path when she became a mother. She brought Loretta with her. That choice comes with challenges she’s honest about, but also with a kind of closeness and resilience that can’t be taught any other way. She’s raising a daughter who knows—deep in her bones—that she is capable, useful, and strong.
“One To Lead” includes Loretta and her cousin Katie.
The photos I chose of Tanielle include Loretta, who looks to be around the same age I was when my whole world revolved around my pony. At that age, horses weren’t just animals to me—they were freedom, confidence, and joy. They were where I felt most myself. Seeing Loretta beside her mother, already a part of the work and the rhythm of ranch life, hit something tender and familiar in me.
Tanielle’s story isn’t linear or neat. She’s worked everywhere from PMU barns to stockyards, from racetracks to McDonald’s. She took every opportunity that came her way, and it carried her into pasture riding—where she’s found her deepest sense of purpose. One of her first pasture jobs came because she climbed on two broncs at a ranch rodeo, back to back, and someone figured if she could do that, she could probably handle pasture riding too. That detail made me smile—it’s grit and courage in its purest form.
The original photo reminded me of all the times we moved cows across the bald Alberta prairies. Often id have a horse in tow for exercise and for the kids to hop on and off of.
She also creates. Through Pearl Snap Photography, she documents her life and the people around her, turning a personal passion into a small business. It’s one more thread in a life built by hand, one decision at a time.
What I connected to most, though, is this: Tanielle is a mother making it work. The bills rely on her. The responsibility is hers. She carries the weight of providing, protecting, and guiding—while still holding space for tenderness, regret, growth, and reflection. She speaks honestly about motherhood, about what she wishes she could have given her daughter, and about her commitment to giving her everything she can—including the belief that she can do anything she sets her mind to.
That is the kind of cowgirl I want to paint.
Not a costume. Not a highlight reel. A woman building a life with her daughter at her side. A woman choosing grit, responsibility, and love, day after day. A woman who didn’t follow a script—but found her own way and kept going.
Tanielle’s story matters because it’s real. And because there are so many women out there living lives like hers—quietly strong, deeply committed, and worthy of being seen.
That’s why she’s here.
Stay tuned as I plan to paint a few more of Taneile’s photos.