JumpStart Training

11/07/2024

Beautiful ☀️northwest autumn 🍂 day called for an impromptu photo shoot after and her partners Trident 🔱 and Cupid 💘 were working hard in their first no stirrups exercises of the month 👏

10/31/2024

Halloween fun at JumpStart Training!
The ponies will always try their tricks to get more treats.
“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets behind or forgotten” -Lilo & Stitch
My 🐴 certainly make sure that is true of their herd or they will all turn into 🦈!
Happy Halloween everyone

10/14/2024

Who’s getting excited for No-Stirrups November?!
Everyone in my program will be completing this challenge-you might as well earn a beautiful ribbon to show off your completion and donate to CANTER USA.
If anyone wants to do the Pattern Challenge and earn the medal too, we can incorporate a pattern as a good lesson goal. Sign up by October 20 to save $5

https://www.equisarteshows.com/no-stirrup-november.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3l_Jc86oiCgqzCA8wlok29Bxneh6279hCcPrjDA2OyUY61q-PaZrY4VgU_aem_QckF0lhIOCZoIOMv7kuV_Q

09/18/2024

That’s not your horse! It was switcheroo day for the ladies- they traded horses for today’s lesson.
While building a relationship with your horse is one of, if not the core principle of my program, I also encourage riding different horses which makes you a better rider and helps you understand your main partner that much more.
Cupid 💘 and Luke 🍀 were so good to their friends and Amy and Stephanie had fun sharing their fur babies with each other- I reckon this won’t be the last time 🥰

09/06/2024

The ladies group for the Seattle Kraken, the Ladies Of The Kraken hosted a fundraiser last night with, the Gentle German, Phillip Grubauer for Save A Forgotten Equine - SAFE. JumpStart Training was thrilled to support this fantastic event. We are also so thankful to our friends, High Score Equestrian for contributing to our cause. If you didn’t win the raffle, check out the coupon at the end of this post and get yourself some beautiful bling which will also continue to be a donation to SAFE through September 30.

It couldn’t have been a more fun and successful event hosted by our hockey friends 🏒. We raised over $24,000 for Save a Forgotten Equine!

07/14/2024

Luke and I decided we didn’t need hounds, we just went out directly and followed a deer across the fields-is that still considered a hunter pace? 😆

05/29/2024

Accountability breeds response-ability.
― Stephen R. Covey

If you want to make progress as a horseman, you have to hold yourself accountable.
An instructor can tell you to open your left rein, but only you can actually open your left rein! I can tell you to step right. I can tell you to step right more, or reword it until you do it enough that your right seat bone drops down where it belongs. I can remind you to do it every 30 seconds. I can remind you again every time we change directions, or change gaits, or after your horse tripped. But none of my riders take a lesson with me every day! At some point you have to remember it and execute it all on your own. And isn’t that the type of rider you want to be???
I mean, When you are doing a dressage test, I can’t remind you to sit back in the corner or to not over bend the neck in the shoulder in.

The only time I am the head trainer is when I am instructing myself. Otherwise, I am always the assistant instructor and YOU, THE RIDER, HAVE to be your own master. I am merely the Layman who tells you where we are at in this project, and what step needs to happen next. You are the lead contractor who needs to make sure it gets done. (I know enough people who have major projects going on at their facility that maybe this is a really bad example! Lol but you get my drift hopefully)

I’m not sure how I made it through the levels as far as I did knowing how long it took me to get accountable on actually keeping my inside rein open 🤦‍♀️. Now I’ve realized how often I, just for a moment, open my outside rein when I’m supposed to be using my inside leg. I’m NOT letting this habit go on for years. I’m not. I’m not. I’m not working on anything else until I’m so consciously competent when I do allow my subconscious to take over, it sticks! Even then, I’ll be checking in regularly.

I had an adult student say that she’s always ride with puppy paws/piano hands (thumbs turned in, fingernails posted down) and “good luck changing it”. My tone was light hearted, because that’s who I am, but I basically told her that if she can’t hold herself accountable for something so easy to fix, get off the horse- why bother! It helped that I gave her the REASONS why it was important- it isn’t just to be pretty. But fixing it was hard for her because it’s so tough to turn her wrist- it was “hard” because it took focus.
Put in the focus. Hold yourself accountable.

05/08/2024

This looks like a happy horse. Happy life.
🪲

04/21/2024

When an opportunity presents itself to snap a few pics of .Training horses and friends by the beautiful cherry tree 🌸 at Ravenswood Farm, sometimes you take the moment to 📸. Just because!
A staunch competitor will never settle and will always be wanting to progress and do better but sometimes it can be good to take a moment to pause and reflect just how lucky I am to have the opportunity to work and play with these beautiful creatures.

🌸
🔱

04/15/2024

Don’t miss out! Sign up here for an inspirational weekend of learning and fun with the dressage community!
So excited Trident 🔱 and I get to be a part of this special weekend as demo riders. Come see us!

THANK YOU to the wonderful sponsors!


Also a good time to THANK YOU to JumpStart Training partners!


💓💓💓💓
It takes a village! This would not be possible without all the support! 💗

04/02/2024

This looks like a great evening of horsemanship lessons by some of our acclaimed specialists including Dr. Rachel Gottlieb who would love to see some of you 🩷
It would especially enhance some of the lessons my clients have been learning so check your calendars and sign up! Also a good reminder to get your WSHJA membership renewed if you haven’t yet 😉

WSHJA presents...
GALLOP TO GLORY: Elevating Equine Performance
Thursday, May 2nd from 5 to 8pm
Join us for an educational evening learning from some of the most renowned experts in equine sports medicine. Presentations will start promptly at 5:30pm. Taco buffet provided. Beverages available for purchase. Free for WSHJA members and $35/person for non-members. Limited spots available! Click on the link below to register & secure your spot today!
SEE YELLOW QUICK LINK: GALLOP TO GLORY at wshja.org HOME PAGE for RSVP or see link below
https://forms.gle/PRzJQLfxZ17RBgwj6

01/04/2024

All my students and clients should sign up for the Winter Warm-Up Challenge!
You should all be able to achieve 25 rides or Horsemanship sessions and you deserve to get a beautiful ribbon for your accomplishment coming out in some of these cold not-so-ideal conditions when goals like shows feel like they’re miles away!

What is the Winter Warm-Up Challenge? This challenge is meant to help motivate you, stay focused, and stay accountable this winter as you work towards your own equestrian goals and dreams! What...

12/26/2023

Is it the most wonderful time of the year? The JumpStart Training horses could argue so! They love their 🍎🥕☕️🫖🌾🥗🍬 Christmas lunch 💜
We all hope you have a holiday 🎄 season as sweet as your horses 🐴. JumpStart Training is always so grateful you trust us in your care and training or we literally wouldn’t have who we have to share around (and perhaps over 🤪) our trees. Sweet treats from The Little Horse Bakery 🐎

12/24/2023

A little tidbit for everyone to 📖 over the holidays while you’re missing your 🐴

I classify myself as a dressage rider looking to make it to the highest level of the sport. But I spend most of my time teaching clinics all over the U.S. and Canada and run a pretty sizeable training program out of my homebase in Marshall, Virginia. In any particular year I teach about 200 riders,....

12/22/2023

I think Christmas came a little bit early for my JumpStart Training horse, 🔱! Peak Saddle Fitting designed a beautiful jump saddle for us. The “Altitude” has a panel option that doesn’t interfere with his very large shoulders yet still offers support. The pictures don’t show half as pretty as it turned out with the purple stitching 🤩
May Valley Holistic Veterinary and Saddlery Services

12/02/2023

10/29/2023

No one would know how hard these two worked in their lesson on Friday by the look of this fall trail stroll. So proud of how Katie has progressed she fully deserved this lovely reward

10/29/2023

“Dressage kicked my @$$ today.”
Amy Grant & TRIDENT 🔱
Thursday, October 26