10/16/2026
“You are second guessing yourself. Don’t do that!” - Jacqui Sharp.
The last words of advice I got from a great horsewoman.
Today, was Jacqui Sharps Memorial service. The room was packed and the stories that were told barely summed up how this one woman changed the lives of many.
As I listened and looked around I could only think of how much I learned from this fireball of a lady that pretty much ran my barn without anyone knowing since the day she stepped through the door.
Jacqui was quick to love or hate something. Everyone knew that. She would announce how brilliant something was and within a week she would make sure everyone knew how awful it was.
Do you know how scary that is as a barn owner? I knew I had maybe weeks before she insisted on leaving our care. So I came up with a game plan. I avoided her as much as I could. That way she couldn’t point a finger and tell me what was wrong. It was mostly based on her moods. So- I would ask the boarders- how is Jacqui feeling today? If they said she was cranky I would run and wait for her to leave a voicemail of the stuff to fix immediately. That was our relationship for the first year. There was no way I could face her when she was going on a rant about something. She was scary.
Soon though I had figured out that all she wanted was the best care, and all of her ranting was training me to be as great as her. Instead of running I learned to pull her in closer.
The secret that nobody knew was- anytime we were going to make a change or I was planning something new I called her and said: “this is top secret- tell no one, what do you think of this idea?”
She gave me the best advice, and was my backbone to standing up or sitting down when needed. After I put her at the “head of the round table” we became partners in crime.
She was a mother figure to me. She forced me to say “no” to many things. She also is the reason we agreed to import a horse from Ireland. She insisted I was to keep this horse, she loves him. We are keeping that horse!
Since her passing, the barn has felt different. Less energy, less complaints, and… less things to worry about. We are all sad. Especially the dogs and horses. Jacqui was the treat queen. The animals would hear her voice and gather around her like she was the master of hounds.
It will take time for my next in line mentor to step up to the head of the round table. She’s been so busy dealing with the grief of her best friend. It takes an army to run a good barn and I feel like we lost our sergeant in charge. The bar is held high because of Jacqui and it has to stay that way. Insider info keeps it there.
When I say this barn is like family I mean it. All of our past and current boarders were there today. Many spoke of Jacqui and miss her. We all have wonderful memories of her and I’m just so glad that she didn’t leave us in the first two weeks of being here, and stayed with us since we opened five years ago. She is a forever boarder now. Gone but never forgotten. I can proudly say her work ethic rubbed off on many including me.
Till we meet again my friend.
