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Jennifer started riding lessons at seven and joined Pony Club shortly after. Her first training project was a 9'1 hh Shetland rescue pony named Smudge, which her grandparents raised from two weeks old. Jennifer made Smudge bombproof by exposing her to various toys while playing on the lawn. At ten, she backed Smudge herself when the pony was three years old. Jennifer only knew how to lead and ride, so she walked beside Smudge saying "walk," then jogged and said "trot," and then hopped on and said the same. Canter was trickier because she couldn't run that fast, but they got there eventually!  Her training journey took her on different paths after that, but recent influences have brought her back to that overall simplicity and fun.

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In her early teens, Jennifer spent summers at her father's guest ranch in Manitoba. She happily spent all day in the saddle, taking out trail rides. She also gained experience driving the team for hayrides and moving cattle with the horses. Jennifer set up a summer riding camp that continued to run for many years. One of her favorite skills she picked up with public trail rides was the ability to quickly assess which horse's personality would suit each person best, ensuring a safe and enjoyable ride.

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Jennifer was introduced to Three Day Eventing through Pony Club viewing of the '84 Olympics and was hooked. It wasn't until she was eighteen that she got her first horse, Power Surge aka "Jones," an opinionated five-year-old thoroughbred cross gelding. After finishing school, Jennifer fully immersed herself in pursuing the sport with Jones and became a working student, first with Margaret Godson and then with Peter Gray, each implementing a strong foundation in horse management, conditioning, training, and competing.

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Following her working student positions, Jennifer worked at Cornerstone Farms for Barbara Mitchell and John Taylor, teaching up to 135 students of varying experience per week.  This was a fabulous opportunity to gather extensive teaching experience with riders of all ages and gain an understanding of operations involved with a robust facility. Here she also obtained her NCCP Equestrian Canada Coaching Certificate at 22 and then headed their programme for assisting others to get their Certification as well. Cornerstone Farms not only had a large riding school but also over a hundred boarded horses and ran horse shows and clinics year-round. There was a learning moment around every corner.

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From there, Jennifer went out on her own, running a small riding school, starting and training horses, galloping Thoroughbreds, and continuing to compete Power Surge up to the Advanced level. They had a great run at the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** and were named to the Canadian Eventing Shortlist. The learning opportunities during this time were amazing, and Jennifer was fortunate to receive coaching and mentorship from many world-class trainers involved with the Team. After Power Surge retired happy and sound, Jennifer continued to bring along other horses to the upper levels, keeping a spot on the CET lists or Talent Squad for over a decade.

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Throughout her career, teaching has always been Jennifer's passion. Starting young with creating the summer camp, moving on to riding schools, and being a coach and mentor to competitive students, many of whom have become top competitors, top grooms, and coaching professionals. Regardless of the level, Jennifer finds the greatest reward in helping the horse and human have a better understanding of each other, whatever the task.

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More recently, Jennifer has competed in the Thoroughbred Makeover in Lexington, Kentucky, with finale finishes on both occasions. In preparation for this unique competition, she was introduced to Harmony Horsemanship TM. With this new approach to her training and being inspired by watching Cavalia Odessyo, Jennifer has become intrigued to learn more about liberty, trick training, the use of positive reinforcement, and the science behind it.  Now, with moving to Diamond Valley, Alberta, Jennifer has been bitten by the mountain trail bug, hard not to living so close to the beautiful Kananaskis country and being able to explore this on horseback is certainly a whole other level of riding the trails.

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​With these influences on her training, Jennifer has found a new levels of partnerships with her horses, whether on the ground or in the saddle.  

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And like everything she does, as she learns it, she's excited to share it with you!​​​