Since its inauguration in November of 2021, McKrell Baier, “Coach Mac”, has successfully directed the BridgeUP Giddy Up Program staff and students through activities designed to develop elite level equestrians as well as serving participants’ holistic personal development. Mckrell is a native Memphian and received a BS from the University of Miami Honors Program in Biology/Anthropology in 1999. As a professional horseman, McKrell has shown winning hunters, Grand Prix horses, and coached students around the country since January of 2000. A lot of her work since then has shifted from competition and has become almost exclusively education and development of new programs in order to increase the accessibility of equestrian sport. She is dedicated to investigating and offering novel solutions for some of the hardest to solve issues in horse care and welfare. Having been in the equestrian world for decades, she has plentiful experience to pull from in regards to the various spheres within the equestrian world.

In this guest author blog, McKrell explores the ways in that power takes forms across different industries and fields. When stepping into new lanes of creation, whether it be in the art sphere or sports sphere, criticism is inevitable; especially when you are a woman. McKrell takes a look at Beyoncé’s, Cowboy Carter, and how her step into the country light was an act of bravery and resistance. Her image doesn’t necessarily fit cleanly within the conventional notions of country and she receives backlash because of it. McKrell focuses on the beauty within this piece of work and the power it symbolizes.

Thank you for your inspiring words, McKrell!

A friend of mine spoke these wise words to me recently, “no one willingly cedes their  power.” He and I had been discussing specific attitudes and patterns of behavior in  Memphis and its surroundings, which we see recurrently in our very different (but quite inherently linked) professional fields. It made me stop and think about how much his statement reflects the attitudes of so many in our local, national, and global  populations when facing the vision of women stretching their boundaries and being  simultaneously rewarded and punished for their bravery by stepping into new lanes of creation and in some cases, redefinition of whole genres. Caitlin Clark no doubt faced  years of criticism as she proceeded to live out loud her destiny as one of the greatest  game-changers in college basketball history. Dawn Staley never had an easy road to travel,  but has not only proved herself as a player, coach, and developer of greatness on the court, but also as a true supporter of local community and stoker-of-fire in the bellies of those whose lives are enriched by sitting court-side at her women’s games. 

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album has (as everyone knows) received both incredible accolades and equally as incredible criticism, but what is most surprising to me (a  major fan of this album, though not a self-proclaimed member of the BeyHive until its release) is how much of that criticism has been aimed at Beyoncé from the equestrian  community. To be sure, equestrians are a unique breed of human, obsessed with  literally every nuance of correctness and insular knowledge (beyond any other group of  humans I have ever been a part of). The funny thing is, when I saw the cover of the album, I thought to myself, how BEYuitful! The horse on the album cover has its head and neck in a noble posture and is completely unhindered by the rider on top. The sentiment of the artistry behind the album cover is lovely— it’s harmony, it’s resilience,  and it’s art of the highest form and function (in my humble opinion)— representing the harmony between two species. 

Whether you like all, some, or none of the tracks on Beyoncé’s most recent album, I  think she deserves a big round of applause from every woman, every member of a  marginalized community, every member of the powers that be in music and entertainment at large— because she represents fearlessness, and that is what every great force in the history of music has always done. She stands on the shoulders of greatness herself— in my mind I imagine her standing on the shoulders of the  Godmother of rock n roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, from Cotton Plant, Arkansas, standing up there, and reaching out her hand for all the other fearless people of the world to know that they are welcome on the top too— whether it’s the top of the charts, or the top of the horse. As long as we are fearless, we all deserve the chance to prove ourselves as the greatest in our respective fields. What holds back those who criticize rather than celebrate (even if it’s not to their own taste) is the fear that somehow someone else’s success will minimize their own, and that is simply no way to reach the pinnacle in any endeavor. Leaders don’t give into their fear—they live into their vision, their values, and take action.

So in your own way, I encourage everyone who reads this to abide by your own aim in life, and never willingly give up your power. And if you ever feel self-doubt, remind yourself to: 

Be like Beyoncé… 

Catch hold like Caitlin and  

Dance in the spotlight like Dawn! 

– Coach Mac, Director BridgeUP GiddyUP