Jessica Lyons Horsemanship LLC

12/18/2025

💜 Grateful to share my story!

Back in July, before Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue, INC's Appalachian Trainer Face Off 2025, the amazing Dana Wolinsky, founder of Project FAVA , featured me in their newsletter. I’m so excited to finally share it here!

Living with FAVA has been a journey of , , and finding ways to keep moving —even on the hardest days. have been my constant source of healing and inspiration, helping me push through challenges that sometimes feel overwhelming.

The newsletter piece highlights my journey from to , and the and purpose I continue to find through . I hope it can others in the FAVA —or anyone facing chronic health challenges—to keep pursuing what brings them , , and .

Read the full story in the photos below (because the almighty algorithm hates links!)

💜 To anyone navigating FAVA or chronic health challenges—you are not alone. Small steps each day add up.

12/10/2025

It’s one thing to know something. It’s another to take the long view and quietly watch someone else figure it out—especially when you knew how the lesson would unfold.

There’s a strange humility in setting something up for someone to learn. You can’t cheer too soon—or at all sometimes. You can’t give too many hints, and you have to get comfortable with their discomfort. They have to uncross their own fences, navigate their own obstacles, and find the path themselves.

It’s hard. You want them to succeed—or you may need their help—but the value is in them discovering it on their own.

The most powerful lessons are the ones we uncover ourselves.

Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself—it’s thinking of the other person more. And in teaching, that often means letting the lesson do the talking.

12/10/2025

You may have noticed me use the words “feel-based horsemanship” in my interview with the Del Val student. I wanted to expand on that here—especially because “feel” is often marketed as this elusive talent equestrians either have or don’t have. I’m here to tell you it’s something you develop when we slow down and stop listening to screaming instructors.

I had a conversation with two peers a while back who told me they are learning feel-based horsemanship, and it really made me pause and rethink how I want to train. Horsemanship is a lifelong study.

For me, feel-based horsemanship is about considering the horse in their training and care, integrating their environment and individual needs, refining my feel, noticing the horse’s smallest tries, connecting to that still space, and responding with timing, softness, and clarity—making training a conversation, not a fight.

This is a process, and I’m learning that progress matters more than perfection. I’m not perfect—and I never will be—but every small step toward truly listening to my horses and responding with awareness is worth it.

Every ride, every session, every quiet moment on the ground is a chance to practice feel, patience, and clarity. I’m excited to see where this path takes us.

💛 Progress over perfection. Always.

12/05/2025

This video does a great job explaining when the pelvis and spine actually finish maturing. Every time I revisit material like this, I rethink how I handle my young horses — even something as simple as how I lead them.
Always learning, always adjusting.
Sharing in case it helps someone else too.

12/04/2025

A student reached out to interview me about horsemanship for her careers class… and it reminded me how much teaching horsemanship matters to me....like in my bones.

With her permission I want to share her interview 🩷🤠

Shout out to Ava Morgan and Delaware Valley University!

Here’s a bit about my career and a few thoughts for students heading into this industry.

1) what degrees do you have and where they were from?

Answer:
I earned an Associate of Equine Studies from Delaware Valley University. My work centers on feel-based horsemanship and postural health as the foundation for building sound, versatile equine athletes. That focus gives me a unique perspective on horse care, training, and behavior.

(2) the career steps you took to get there?

Answer:
After graduating I gained hands-on experience in a variety of equine settings — working in tack shops, assisting trainers, boarding barns, and therapeutic programs.

I volunteered as the training coordinator at Safe Harbor Sanctuary for five years and now run my own lesson and training program. Over time I developed an approach to rehabilitation and training that emphasizes partnership, balance, and listening to the horse. Continuous learning and observing horse-centered trainers has been essential.

(3) what your day-to-day work is like

Answer:
No two days are the same. I plan sessions, train and assess movement and posture, problem-solve physical and behavioral issues, and communicate progress with clients. Much of my job is observation, adapting plans to each horse’s needs, and helping horses build strength, confidence, and cooperation. I also consider herd dynamics, environment, nutrition, and the horse’s overall well-being when making training decisions.

(4) what advice do you have for current students that may want a similar job someday?

Answer:
Be curious and keep learning — every horse teaches you something new.

Learn to observe. Small details matter.

Build strong communication skills with both horses and people.

Be adaptable; working with animals rarely looks the same every day.

Learn the basics of running a small business — even if you plan to work for someone else someday.

Learn practical hoof care and how to work with a good farrier and veterinarian (hooves and x-rays matter).

Study biomechanics — how a horse’s body moves will inform everything you do.

Know how to evaluate hay quality and manage feeds efficiently.

Get insurance for your business and understand basic legal/safety practices.

Especially as a woman, protect yourself professionally: set boundaries, know your limits, and have a career plan that can adapt if your physical capacity changes.

Journal your training, nutrition, and observations — writing clarifies thinking and builds confidence.

Slow down. Progress with horses is often measured in months, not days. Patience and consistency win.

Seek out experienced, horse-centered mentors — people who have done the work in the arena and care about the horse first.

A few industry truths I care about:

✨The sport and industry will improve when we stop measuring trainers only by show results and start prioritizing the horse’s soundness and long-term welfare.

✨Your horse is your teacher — pay attention and lead with calm, confident consistency.

Warmly,
Jessica Lyons

11/11/2025

Horsemanship isn’t a checklist or a set of techniques —

it’s not a perky-ear photo or perfectly squared knees.

It’s quieter, more nuanced...
Horsemanship is a heart-set.
Horsemanship is a mind-set.

It shows up in how we respond when emotions run high,
in the picture we hold in our mind of our horse and their try,
and in the stories we tell ourselves while training or in a lesson.

It’s in the feel that travels to them through our hands, our seat, our legs — from our heart —
when we ride, when we clean our tack, when we speak through our lead rope,
and even in the way we reach out — to correct them, and to pet them.

These small, unseen things shape the partnership we build.
They give life to the skills we practice in the ring, on the trail, and at home.

We have so many equestrians who take pride in doing things well —
beautiful rides, polished boots, thoughtful work.

This deeper layer — learning to let intuition guide what we do —
is the foundation all of that stands on.

It’s the foundation that allows a horse to trust,
even in moments that feel uncertain or downright dangerous.

Whether you’re just beginning to explore this deeper connection,
or you’ve been walking this path for years —
every moment spent in awareness, kindness, and curiosity
is where horsemanship grows.

— Jessica

10/31/2025

“Every step forward is a step worth taking as long as your going in the right direction”

10/30/2025

This was a morning Jessica ponder, and if you've ever been lucky enough to be around for one, you know this post is a bit long. Sit down, and ponder with me 🤠

I’ve talked before about my fascination with the horse world’s idea that humans are predators and horses are prey.
That analogy has always felt oversimplified to me.

The relationship between humans and horses — and between humans and nature itself — is far more complex. And like most simplifications, I think something important gets lost in translation.

It’s my opinion that we humans haven’t really evolved much past the “human 2.0” version that roamed the earth during our hunter-gatherer era. The drive to hunt, gather, protect, and connect is still written into every one of our atoms.

Back then, humans relied on each other — and their resources — to take down prey for food or neutralize danger. Sometimes both were accomplished with one well-aimed possibly proverpial "stone". Sometimes a person had to flee from something terrifying and run back to their village, trusting that others would help neutralize the danger. And when they did? They ate, they celebrated, they felt safe.

Sound familiar? Every holiday, we gather, eat, and dance — it’s that same ancient rhythm of survival, safety, and connection replaying in modern form.

Of course, we’re not being chased by saber-toothed tigers anymore. But the instinct to “hunt,” “defend,” or “neutralize danger” still lives deep within us.

And I’ve been thinking… maybe that instinct is part of how some people approach the horse.
Maybe they see the horse — or the horse’s behavior — as something to hunt, fix, or neutralize before they can relax and feel safe again.

On the other hand, some of us try to quiet the stories we tell about our horses — the histories, the traumas, the fears — because we’re told those stories “muddy the waters” or are “too anthropomorphic.”

But what if storytelling is actually our natural way of seeking safety?
What if, when we share our horse’s story, we’re simply running back to our village — asking for help to understand and neutralize what felt too big to face alone?

After all, storytelling has always been how humans learn, teach, and make meaning. It’s how we figure out “what happened before what happened happened.”

Maybe when we give space to those stories — when we unpack the fear, the challenge, the misunderstanding — we finally neutralize the danger.
And maybe then… we can all sit down, share a meal, and feel safe for dessert. 🐴🔥

Jessica

10/23/2025

with my two boys at . Oh, how they have both grown 🏆🫶🏼

10/23/2025