Heather Jones Training Stables

07/08/2024

Back porch sittin’ on this rainy Monday….

07/01/2024

They are never just RIDING SCHOOL PONIES❤️🐴

One day you may move onto bigger, fancier horses, but never forget the school horse who made you, as without them, you wouldn’t be able to ride anything at all.

The patient soul that tolerated your bouncing while you figured out how to sit the trot.

The kind mare that didn’t walk off when you stumbled up the mounting block, trying to get your foot in the stirrup.

The sweet gelding that picked up the trot even though your body was telling him to do the exact opposite.

The saintly angel that never spooked, which was a dam good thing because your balance was precarious at best.

Too often we forget where we came from. We move on to the next chapter in our lives and say, “Oh my gosh, I’m learning so much! I’m going so far! I could never do this kind of thing on that old school horse!”

But infact you could, you were just not ready to do all these things back then.

But that school horse gave you the confidence to move forward. That school horse took care of you in all respects and allowed you to take the time you needed to find your way. You couldn’t have become the rider you are today without that riding school horse, always remember to love them unconditionally for our riding school horses are what help start your dream, make dreams come true and get you ready for those bigger dreams 🐴

06/30/2024

Any horse shows near me that I can take my Hunter too? Anything between July 12-Aug 12!?

06/28/2024

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

📝 Kimberley Reynolds

📸 Max & Maxwell: Equestrian Photography

03/09/2024

Wear the helmet!!!!

02/08/2024

Call or text to get on the schedule!!!

01/18/2024

We have some lesson times available Monday-Friday’s. Message me to get on the schedule
❤️🖤🤍

01/04/2024

01/04/2024

✨ 2024 ✨

01/01/2024

Happy birthday to all the OTTB’s ❤️🖤🤍

12/30/2023

Last weekend of 2023, hope y’all make it a great one!!
With all the rain we have had and us not having a tack room etc yet, I won’t be able to start lessons till Jan 15th. ( unless I come to your place for lessons) Please call or message me to get on the schedule. I require at least once a week lessons, needs to be the same day and time every week. Hope to fill up my schedule quickly!!

07/04/2023

Proud to be an American today and everyday! Happy 4th of July everyone!
❤️🇺🇸❤️

05/04/2023

As many of you have heard, our fellow equestrian Hannah Serfass tragically lost her life on April 30th while competing. On behalf of her parents and trainer, Robin Swinderman Mitchell, we would like to show our love and support for Hannah and her passion for horses by tagging on social media. We hope to give some support to her family and friends during this extremely difficult time, so let’s come together as a community and show our love for Hannah
Please copy this post and share your own photo.

04/04/2023

We have 3 lesson times available for Thursdays!! 12:30-3:30 times for private lessons. Message me to get on our schedule! 🦄

03/28/2023

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠…

I’ve never seen a more misunderstood animal more than 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞…

I’ve been trying to tell you that I am in pain, but you don’t seem to listen.

I show you that I’m in pain by not being willing to work but you just call me 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 or 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐲. Instead of helping me, you just 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫.

I show you that I’m in pain by rearing when you try to ride me, but you enjoy showing people you can sit to a rear. Instead of getting off and listening, you just say “𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭!”

I show you that I’m in pain by throwing my head in the air, but you just say it’s one of 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬. Instead of helping me, you just buy 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 so that I can no longer 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫.

I show you that I’m in pain by bolting, but you just get scared and decide I’m not the one for you. You sell me and I still remain as 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

It’s our responsibility as animal owners to do right by them, horses can’t speak, they communicate through their actions. So we need to listen!

9/10 times “negative behaviour” is caused my pain, the rest is learnt behaviour. Either way I always check for pain first.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, deserves the world. The amount of tolerance, loyalty, patience and trust the hurting horse has, is something I can only dream of having.

Written by - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫

Artist - Ruby Campbell

03/13/2023

Wear the helmet!! You only have one brain

02/05/2023

We have ONE spot open on Saturday mornings, ONE spot open Mondays early afternoon/late morning and ONE spot open Friday for private one on one horseback riding lessons! Message us to get on our schedule!!

01/30/2023

Diamo ❤️🖤🤍

01/20/2023

We now have available lessons MONDAYS -Fridays now!! Message us to get on our schedule ❤️🖤🤍

01/03/2023

We have private one on one horseback riding lessons available Tuesdays-Fridays. 10:00am-3pm We welcome total beginners through advanced riders ages 3-100! Message us to get on our schedule ❤️🖤🤍

01/01/2023

First day of 2023! Looking beautiful….

12/24/2022

Sweet Ivory was having a difficult time at the shelter. When our animal care staff noticed how shut down and sad she seemed in a kennel, we called upon a kind foster volunteer to give her a break from this stressful environment. Ivory is now thriving in a foster home and, as you can see, very comfortable and content with a person! Ivory would love nothing more than to have a home to call her own. Contact our SLO customer service team at 805-543-9316 x 10 to set up an appointment to meet this 7 year-old sweetheart!

12/15/2022

Just a reminder, we do beginner lessons ( all ages!) all the way up to advanced show jumping. We currently have a few times Wednesday, Thursday and Friday early afternoons available! 

12/10/2022

12/04/2022

Daughter OR son!

12/01/2022

Dear December,

Come on in with your lights,
your music,
your promise of joy.

You make the harsh winter warmer,
the dark months brighter,
and bring us together,
in so many ways.

Let your festive graces,
warm our hardened hearts,
and remind us of what’s important,
each other.

And December,
please be kind,
to those who find your lights,
too bright.

Let them see that hope lives,
in every card,
in every invitation,
in every glass raised.

And for Christmas,
give them memories,
old and new,
like the precious gifts they are.

And show them what to do,
with all that love.

Donna Ashworth

My book, LIFE: https://amzn.eu/d/9Y6E6kz

12/01/2022

I LOVE this horse. ❤️🦄❤️ Thank you Diamo for being my rock since Tango had to leave us. ❤️🖤🤍

11/12/2022

Come ride with us!! We have private horseback riding lessons available everyday of the week. Message us to get on our schedule ❤️🖤🤍

11/09/2022

Crazy 36 year old Cricket after the rain 🐲🦄

11/07/2022

I just LOVE this pic of my assistant Hailey and Ely. The joy in his face just melts my heart. And THIS is why we do why we do ❤️🖤🤍
We still have times available Sundays and Mondays!! Message us to get on our schedule