Horse Illustrated Magazine

Chanel Rhodes is a first-generation equestrian in her family. Growing up in the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, Rhodes didn’t have access to horses in the city. However, she always dreamed of owning a horse one day.

As a young girl, Rhodes didn’t see Black cowboys or cowgirls being represented on TV or in magazines. She asked her mom, Valerie Griffin, if horseback riding was something she could do. Griffin encouraged her daughter to pursue horses, cultivating Rhodes’ love and passion for the equine industry.

As a busy single mom, Griffin instilled a hard work ethic in Rhodes and took her to riding lessons sporadically throughout her youth.

Finally, Horses

Rhodes spent her entire childhood dreaming of and praying for a horse. When she turned 20, she began a serious search, determined to find a way to be around horses without having a lot of money or resources.

She began her journey and became a working student for Cliff Salter, a trainer in Long Beach, Calif. Under Salter’s guidance, Rhodes learned about training, horsemanship and horse care.

After seven long, dedicated years and with the help of her mom, Rhodes finally purchased her first horse, a dependable bay gelding named Cha-Cha. Fast forward another five years, and she’s currently a working student for a hunter/jumper program at Mountain View Farms South in Anaheim, Calif., with trainer Jasmine Wheatley.

Rhodes currently has two horses: Lady, a 16-year-old Paint mare, and Gabriel, an 11-year-old OTTB who belongs to her mom, whom Rhodes inspired to ride.

The Art Project

In 2019 during Black History Month, social media and other news outlets shifted the focus to Black cowboys and Black equestrians in the industry.

“I noticed a lot of people doing a lot of different projects with their horses during Black History Month,” says Rhodes. “That’s kind of the time when the media started to shine a light on Black cowboys and we finally got discovered.”

She felt inspired to try her own project. Creative by nature, she had been doing her own hair for years. Rhodes made a prototype wig for Lady to match her flashy tobiano colors and emphasize her beautiful mane.

Initially, the wig didn’t work how Rhodes envisioned, but her fiancé (now husband) Andrew Garces wanted to capture a video of the pair together. She called this art project “Afrocentric Pony.”

Shortly after releasing the video, the Young Black Equestrians podcast (now called Black in the Saddle) contacted Rhodes about coming on as a guest. When she was asked about her plans for her creation, Rhodes’ initial reaction was that this wasn’t a business. But that burning question fueled something in her, propelling her to push forward into the unknown.

Meet Mane Tresses

Product development for the hair piece proved to be challenging and frustrating for Rhodes. If it was going to be marketed and sold, it had to be perfect.

“Every time I wanted to try the wig, I’d have to drive 10 miles down the street to the barn and wait for my product to fail,” says Rhodes. “And then I’d go back home to the drawing board. It became very tedious; I resented it for a little bit.”

When Covid came along and put Rhodes out of work, it gave her unexpected time to focus on product development for Mane Tresses. A professional manufacturer was unaffordable, but Rhodes’ mom bought her a sewing machine, so she began to watch YouTube videos and learned how to sew her wigs.

After going through about 50 prototypes, the result is a flexible, colorful, synthetic hair piece that seamlessly attaches to the mane, tail or forelock. Mane Tresses officially launched in 2021.

Being a Role Model

Despite all the roadblocks and struggles along the way, Rhodes maintains a positive, can-do attitude and encourages anyone with a dream to make it a reality.

“Ignore those outside voices,” she says. “If you have a passion for something, that’s what life is all about. If you have something in your heart that you love, you should work toward it. Start that business, get it off the ground, and never give up, because you’re going to fail 100 times. But those failures just propel you forward.”

Along the way, Rhodes has had the Hollywood spotlight shown on her entrepreneurial spirit. She was on “Access Daily” with Mario Lopez, “Tell The Truth” on ABC, and a commercial for Facebook.

While these are notable highlights, she says her proudest moments come from positive feedback from customers. She ships worldwide and is always humbled when she hears from a mother or grandmother who has a child that looks up to Rhodes as a role model. Those are the moments that make it all worthwhile.

For more information on Mane Tresses, visit www.manetresses.com or @manetressescc on Instagram and Facebook. Follow along with Chanel at @cowgirl_chanel on Instagram.

This article about Chanel Rhodes and her business Mane Tresses appeared in the July 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!