by Lindsay Humphrey
Photos courtesy of Morgan Vance
Surrounded by horses of every shape, color, size, and age was a unique way for Morgan Vance and her younger sister, Madison, to grow up. In rural Pawnee, Oklahoma, their family’s Diamond V Ranch juggled bringing new horses into the world while simultaneously teaching kids young and old how to ride and care for their equine partners.
When Vance was born, both her parents, Gary Vance Jr. and Karen Kapp-
Vance, D.V.M., were horse trainers, and her mom doubled as a veterinarian who specialized in equine reproduction.
“I’ve been surrounded by horses my entire life; to fully illustrate that point, my mom’s baby shower was held at the 1995 Pinto World Show,” Vance explained. “We were at a horse show almost every weekend, and it felt like a little vacation every time because I was with the people I loved the most in the world, experiencing new places together — all while participating in the cutthroat competition of showing horses.”
Topping out right at five feet tall, Vance decided she wasn’t cut out for school sports. She was, however, born to live in the barn, and that’s where she thrived.
“I always thought I would grow up to be a horse trainer. I love the horse community — that’s where I met my best friends, and so that’s where I thought I would stay,” Vance said. “Little did I know all those life lessons in the horse industry would lead me to where I am now.”
Learning from Horses
Following in her parents’ footsteps to Oklahoma State University, Vance graduated with two degrees, one in agricultural communications and a second in economics. Although life took her away from the show pen and ultimately the everyday barn chores, Vance’s rural roots run deep and continued to guide her decisions as a young professional.
“Now, looking back as an adult, I can really appreciate all the experiences I had out in the barn because they helped me develop a lot of drive and grit that helped me in life, relationships, and the workforce,” Vance said. “My sister and I didn’t get the polished, push-button horses out of the gate. We had to work really hard and create a partnership with our horses so they would be ready to go show.”
Picking herself up out of the dirt when a horse got a little froggy prepared Vance for the metaphorical bronc that life can be at times.
“I think as kids, we believe we know how our life will go or how it’s supposed to play out, and there’s a certain timeline that life is supposed to follow, but we all know now that’s not the case,” Vance said. “I feel like my time with horses taught me some serious strength physically, emotionally, and mentally. And I took those traits into adulthood, and they’ve helped me be adaptable to everything that gets thrown my way.”
MPacting the Future
A few very different types of jobs in the marketing and communications sector of the agricultural industry were the precursors to Vance taking a leap of faith in 2023. What seemed to be an opportunity out of the blue was a calculated business decision on her client’s part that was a direct result of Vance’s time moonlighting as a freelancer for almost 10 years.
“My future mother-in-law, Aimee Hale, asked me to help promote an upcoming event, and I gave it my all,” Vance said. “That ties back to how I was raised and every lesson I learned in the barn or on the back of a horse. Right after that event concluded, I had other inquiries to do similar work, and things just took off from there.”
MPact Creative was launched almost overnight as Vance assembled a small but mighty team to serve her growing client list. As a full-service brand-marking agency, Vance and her team of impressively talented creative people provide clients with a long list of services: brand identity, graphic design, print and digital marketing materials, website design, and social-media management, to name a few.
“Owning this business has been such a blessing, and it’s genuinely a dream come true to get to work with agricultural producers and Oklahoma-based businesses to bring their dreams to life through my dream business,” Vance said.
“This business has given me firsthand experience of the fact that success comes only with hard work and respect for others, and those baseline character traits were learned in the barn. Going to a horse show, that success was measured when you stepped into the arena. You were either rewarded for your hard work or found a gap to focus on fixing before the next time. Of course, there are those basic things you learn like time management and discipline, but I think the lessons I learned from horses go so much deeper than that.”
Vance and her future husband look toward a future together that eventually includes horses of their own. Vance’s old show mare is still in Pawnee living out retirement in a lush pasture. If Vance’s mom has anything to say about it, that mare could have some kid horses join her soon.
“I know how horses impacted my life, and I would love for my kiddos to have that same experience and community as I did growing up,” Vance concluded.
