Jest In Tyme Equine Straightness Training

09/18/2026

Rapunzel and I are working on the shoulder yield. We are in the liberty pillar now. I do still have a lead on her but there is always a great deal of slack in it and we are working "as if" at liberty right now. Very soon I will take the halter and lead off to see how she does totally at liberty. That's when you find out how connected you really are....or aren't. Lol.

08/23/2026

"Return to Self"

I had the opportunity to travel recently to Portugal to learn and study with Marijke and her horses. What an awesome experience it was! I learned straightness training while working with Marijke and her horses but I also learned so much about myself while studying STEREO "bottom up" coaching with Marijke. Letting go of old emotions is so liberating! It was an amazing weekend in an amazing place!

07/09/2026

Rapunzel checking in..,

06/24/2026

Hi all! For those that are following I know it's been a bit since my last update. The winter was not good for anything outdoors so there was not much to report. I asked Santa for an indoor arena again but as that didn't work I had to wait for the better weather to happen.

This week Rapunzel and I passed our Straightness Training Work In Hand 1 Touchstone! She is an absolute rockstar! The pictures show her walking on a circle in forward down, moving the shoulders in on a straight line and the haunches in on a straight line in both directions. We are now moving into the last 2 pillars which are Liberty and Riding. Liberty starts with working on a cavesson and loose lead and then eventually to no tack at all. It's done on the ground and is all about connection with the horse and communication. The horse needs to be willing to follow and to do what is asked of her without leaving you. In the Riding pillar you use a ba****ck pad (no stirrups) and a cavesson with out a bit. We gave them a try a last week and did the first exercise. This involves finding your center while on the horse. Basically you sit as far forward, back and to each side of the horse that you can without falling off. Then you can find the middle that is comfortable for you and the horse. I'm not sure Rapunzel thought this was a good idea but she took it well and let me slide all over her back. She did look a little put out with me by the end though!

02/27/2026

My Katie does this every morning when I first come into the barn. There is nothing better!

Not every nicker means affection, and not every vocalisation is about us.

Horses nicker for many reasons. Anticipation of food, curiosity, herd contact, learned association, or social greeting. Context matters.

But when a horse consistently offers a low, soft nicker alongside relaxed posture, soft eyes, and an approach that is not driven or demanding, that is social recognition.

It is a communication offered within their species specific language. A way of saying, I know you. I have placed you. You belong in my awareness.

As always, we read the whole horse, not just the sound.

Recognition is built through repeated, safe experiences. And when it is genuine, it feels quiet.

02/27/2026

Your Hands Are Not Brakes - Your Seat Is. Here's What That Actually Means!

If your students are stopping their horses with their hands, they're doing it wrong and their horses are telling them that every single time they brace, root, or throw their head. The stop lives in the seat, not the fingers.

Here's how to teach it:
The seat is your most powerful aid and your student is sitting on the most sensitive part of the horse's back, directly over his center of gravity. The horse feels every shift, every brace, every collapse which means the seat can either block movement or invite it and most riders have no idea they're doing either one.

What a halt aid should look like:
It's not a pull... it's a sequence...
Exhale → drop the weight into the saddle → rotate the seat bones down and forward → plug into the horse's back → then the connection travels through the elbow to the hand to the rein.

The pressure the horse feels in his mouth is connected to the increased weight on his back. The halt comes from the whole body working together and not from two hands hauling backward on a snaffle.

Try this off the horse first:
Pull a chair up to a table. Sit tall, feet flat on the floor, both hands resting on the edge of the table. Now exhale, rotate your seat bones down and forward, and gently pull on the table edge as your seat gets heavier in the chair. Feel that? That's your halt aid. That's what your horse feels when you do it right. Run this exercise with your students before they ever get in the saddle and watch the lightbulb go on.

Why this matters:
A horse stopped with hands alone learns to brace against pressure, root against the bit, and ignore escalating rein contact. A horse stopped with a connected seat aid learns to listen to the lightest whisper from his rider's body. Teach the seat first and the hands will follow.

01/03/2026

HAPPY NEW YEAR ✌️💜🎨
Thanks for your support of my small business!
It's been a VERY hard year of moving & tons of knee issues (still ongoing for almost 3yrs) but we're still here! Onwards & upwards in 2026! Moving forward with more creative growth for the community!
Regular hours on New Year's day: 11-8pm (we will close if the studio is empty at 6pm)

🎊 May 2026 be filled with laughter & beauty in unexpected moments, shoulders to lean on in hard times, and courage for the moments you don't think you can survive... because YOU CAN! 🎊

💜Jess💜
(& Erin & Bonnie)

12/30/2025

Lol…