The lady behind the costume is Tiffany Ulmer, a 19 year resident of Eagle Mountain. Tiffany says, “We started building our home in 2000 and moved in early 2001. It was affordable and Eagle Mountain reminded me of home of growing up in a smaller town.” Tiffany is the mother of two kids, and have some interesting challenges at home. “Married with two kids. Adult son and a daughter in high school. Married 22 years. I may be the one dressing up in costumes for fun, but my husband is dressed up year-round. He has a rare illness called porphyria which makes it so he can’t be in sunlight so he is in coat, gloves, hood, facemask all year round. He gets the police called on him often including schools shut down as an active bomber or kidnapper when he goes out.” Tiffany has many hobbies, but she especially enjoys “horse riding, rollerblading, and playing board/card games with friends”.
Not only has she enjoyed working with horses, but she has also done some pretty interesting things. “I used to ride horses to go order food at McDonald’s as a teenager. I used to teach radKIDS. I did that for 10 years when my kids were younger. I taught mostly at Ranches Academy.” She has been riding in costume on horseback since October of 2018. “I did a little in Sandy Utah too riding as a witch along the Trax line.”
Tiffany explains why she likes to do this for the community. “This is actually a multipart part one. Motivation wise there is the fun part of just wanting to be the headless horseman for Halloween. But then I would only ride once a year. The reason I ride many times a year is I use the costumes as a therapy for myself. I suffer from mental illness. During the winter I need to get out and do something positive for others. There have been days where I have been dressed as Santa waving, and I see the joy everyone is experiencing. Just watching a bunch of construction guys whooping and hollering or some little kid’s eyes got big and wide seeing Santa, and this just brings this gift to me to know that I can make it one more day when it feels much the opposite inside at the moment. So my motivation is that I enjoy watching people get a smile on their face and make their day, and many times it helps me just make it one more day myself. Besides, it is tons of fun when you are in a good mood too. Also, I want people to get share the fun I’m having with the horses, and this is a way I can share it with everyone. It is a way to keep horses in Eagle Mountain’s growing future.”
Tiffany continues, “Since I was 12, a neighbor said they needed someone to exercise their horses. Ironically, I do not own a horse. All the horses I ride, I am doing by loan from owners who let me exercise them for them. I am grateful for their generosity.” But making people smile is not always easy. There is some difficulty riding horseback in costumes. ” Any that cover the eyes are hard as it limits your visibility. One night, I was riding the headless horsemen coming at a fast pace up from City Center. I felt the whoosh of a telephone pole support wire fly a centimeter from my head. The horse cleared it, so it didn’t care, but I couldn’t see it and know to duck. It was too close of a call for me. After that, I didn’t ride in the dark in that costume. Also, it is hard being Santa and not having a “Manly” voice trying to talk to the kids. Kind of kills the illusion.” Residents of Eagle Mountain love to see what Tiffany has come up with and what she will do next. She says that there are “more coming to a horse soon”. Bettina Cameron, an Eagle Mountain resident and Co-Founder of the Eagle Mountain Wildlife group, lives in the same area of the City as Tiffany. When asked about Tiffany, she had this to say, “I just recently started getting to know her this past year after my dog scared the horse she was riding and she fell off. Instead of flipping out she gave me pointers on how to get him used to the horses. She is the kind of person who just loves animals and making people smile.” Bettina continues, “I have seen a number of her posts throughout the last several months and she knows a lot about our Community, she is a resident who cares. As you can tell by most of her posts she has a great sense of humor. She also loves Mother Nature and comments on our Eagle Mountain Wildlife FB group.”Tiffany is amazing! She loves to serve in any way she can. She struggles with illness herself, yet she always wants to help others. Her most visible service is on horseback but she does so much more.
Donna Burnham – Eagle Mountain Resident and City Councilmember
Pictures supplied by Tiffany Ulmer
Pictures taken from Facebook
These pictures were taken from the Eagle Mountain City Citizens Facebook Page.
The professional looking headless horseman pictures are credited to Lynnae Chilcott. She came and did a professional photo shoot during one of the rides for Tiffany.
This is an Cedar Valley Sentinel (formerly i84005) Resident Spotlight. If you know a resident that you would like for us to spotlight, please let us know. You can view other resident spotlights on our Resident Spotlights page.
Mike Kieffer is an IT geek by hobby and trade, with a BS in Information Systems & Technology. He is a proud father of 10, a grandpa, an author, a journalist, and internet publisher. His motto is to “Elevate, Inspire and Inform”, and he is politically conservative and a Christian. Mike has a passion for technology, writing, and helping others. With a wealth of experience, he is committed to sharing his knowledge with others to help them reach their full potential. He is known for his jackassery or his form of self-expression that encourages boldness, creativity, and risk-taking. It can be a way to push the boundaries and challenge traditional norms, leading to creative solutions and positive change.