About the Author – Anna Down South

Barrel racing has always been a passion of mine. The wind ripping through your hair, the sideways motion of the horses body during turn, the red dirt plying, and clock ticking by the sixteen seconds. It’s an adrenaline rush, the sport that made your mother so nervous when you were younger, and it’s the absolute fluid movement that combines you and an animal you’d give up most in your world for.

The story of how I started racing isn’t that interesting, nor is the fact that I quit my first few years of college for studying. What is interesting is that my sport is one that is unknown to most the world, it’s a minor section of western horseback riding that most people who aren’t into horses have never even heard about. I get “you race horses? Like a jockey?” and I most certainly do not ride anything like a jockey.

This is off the topic of my normal posting, but I thought I’d give you an insight to an incredible world full of very kind hearted people. I thought, since this blog is titled Anna Down South, I might show some of my very southern hobbies. So here is a link that explains barrel racing, a sport that was originally created for bad ass women and bad ass women alone.

Hey all,

My name is Anna Katherine Oates and I’m starting this blog for multiple reasons. It’s going to be mostly a lifestyle blog mixed with creative inspirations and photography. Lets start with a few things about myself:

I’m twenty years old as of this very second, my birthday is on June 7th.
I’m a writer, designer, and photographer by trait. I work layout for a news paper, and do graphics for them. I’m a armature photographer (also known as a photo minor). But above all I’m a writer. I’ve written five novels and am working on my six. I have had poetry, journalism, and prose published. I have also done internships working in commercial writing.
I have a horse! He is spotted and with the French name D’Artagnan, is you know what that is from you get bonus points for being well read (or well watched, the Three Musketeers have countless shows and movies). We barrel race, or, are trying too. We worked very well for a while, but took a few years off with school, and are now trying to get back in the swing. He’s only six years old though, so he’s got time!
I’m a junior at the private Guilford College. It’s small, very green, beautiful, and full of great teachers and classes.
I’m educated in my home state of North Carolina, and love it here more than anywhere else I’ve traveled (even more than Rome, as hard as that is to say). I’m southern to my roots, a little country, a little southern lady, all rolled up in one.

There is so much to tell, but I figure there will be more and more told over time.

My biline in almost all of my social media is: A complex southern girl, living a very simple life.