As
most young horse lovers do, Jennifer spent her time mucking
stalls at local barns in exchange for riding lessons. At 13,
she joined the 4-H program and started training and showing
her first horse, SPF Zephyr. She began 2 years of instruction
in hunter seat equitation with MacLay finalist Darla Gentry
and started showing on the AHSA circuit in 1995.
Jennifer
was asked to train a totally wild 7 year old BLM mustang mare,
rescued after being snared in a barbed wire fence. Named "Little
Mare", she was carrying a 9 year old rider into the show
ring 3 months later. Little Mare sparked Jennifer's interest
in training and she then started training horses whenever
possible in exchange for more experience. This also came with
requests for riding lessons.
In
1996 she began studying dressage with Les Wagschall, who was
an apprentice under a graduate of the Spanish Riding School
in Vienna, Austria. Les was also a coach for the Canadian
Dressage Team and won multiple national championships to the
Grand Prix level. Les taught Jennifer her first basics of
equine psychology, as well as the techniques and foundations
of advanced dressage. In 1997 she also began taking instruction
from FEI level dressage rider and trainer Kristi Wysocki and
Danielle Turner, an apprentice of Greg Best, 1988 Seoul Olympic
Silver Medalist in Show Jumping.
Before
moving from Alaska to Wisconsin in 1998, Jennifer and Zephyr
had won consistently in the Hunter Under Saddle and Equitation
classes, as well as Hunter Over Fences to the 3’ division
on the AHSA Circuit . She was reserve champion in the Alaska
State Hunter Seat Equitation Championships, Alaska Horsemen’s
Association Hunter Over Fences Open Champion and Zephyr was
the Alaska Horsemen’s Association Horse of the Year.
Little Mare and student Reigna had won virtually every event
offered including dressage to 1st level, open hunter over
fences, trail, western pleasure, equitation, and games.
Jennifer
then moved to Wisconsin and was a teacher's assistant at the
University of Wisconsin - River Falls in Balanced
Seat Equitation, Dressage Principles and Training Techniques,
as well as Jumping Laboratory for 3 years with Eventing competitor,
Pony Club A rider and equine veterinarian Dr. Peter Rayne.
Jennifer also was a competitor and member of the Intercollegiate
Horse Show Association and showed with the UW-RIver Falls
Equestrian Team in hunter seat equitation and equitation over
fences for two years.
Meanwhile,
Jennifer continued to train and instruct at Windfall Farm
based in Colfax, WI. She expanded her work to inlcude problem
behaviors and developed her own unique method that employed
using psychology in training rather than the force and mechanics
used in traditional training methods. Jennifer's
philosophy attracted instant attention from recreational
and competition riders alike and she began conducting clinics
and seminars throughout the midwest and Alaska.
Jennifer
has now produced nearly 600 confident, willing, and respectful
horses. Her training experience has included starting young
horses, advanced competition horses, and horses exhibiting
problems ranging from simple disobediences to extreme vices
and behavioral problems.
Her
experience spans the gamut of breeds and disciplines, having
trained and shown warmbloods, drafts, ponies, off-the-track
thoroughbreds, quarter horses, arabians, paints and more in
a variety of disciplines. Her horses in training have achieved
many regional and national accolades in everything from western
pleasure and hunter under saddle to dressage and hunter over
fences.
Her
goal-oriented teaching style, whether in clinics or regular
private sessions, gives students the chance to create and
meet short term goals, with the bigger goal in mind. She emphasizes
correct, effective equitation and good horsemanship.
About
Me 
