High Point Equestrian Centre is not only new and beautiful; it is a first class facility in so many ways.
On November 5th & 6th I was fortunate enough to have the use of this fabulous facility to host a Jay O’Jay Horsemanship Clinic.

The response to my advertising campaign was nothing short of awesome. I had a full clinic in just a couple of days, plus a waiting list of names for the next Jay O’Jay event being offered here on the West Coast.

A strong turn out of auditors was a definite bonus as well. They were involved, enthusiastic, focused and always ready to clap and cheer on each rider as they conquered the challenges I set out for them.

The improvements of both horses and riders were totally noticeable especially by the end of day two. I had a lot of positive feedback along with a genuine interest from most participants in attending another clinic.

As for myself, I can truly say that my biggest reward is when I see the concepts I’m teaching hit home. You know, when a person really gets it and understands the lesson being taught. I say this because without a mental understanding there is very little chance of ever achieving success on a physical level with any horse.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone; the participants, the auditors and all those that helped make this clinic the all around success it was.

Until we meet again, happy trails to you all.
Remember, success with your horse starts with you.

I truly keep life exciting as I embark on yet another new adventure.

I moved out to the West Coast sometime towards the end of May, and for those of you who are familiar with the area, I should be easy to find. Where the heck am I? Well, I’m just outside of Fort Langley at a breeding barn called “Time Out Farms”.

However, I have to be honest, there is no time out for me! I’ve been keeping myself busy starting colts, giving lessons and of course, teaching clinics.

After spending so many years out in the East Kootenay’s, where it’s hot, semi arid, and never rains I couldn’t help but wonder how I was going to mentally prepare, or should I say mentally condition myself for a “rainy” West Coast experience.

Without a word of a lie, for the entire month of June out here in Fort Langley the sky was consistently grey and it hammered out rain, rain and more rain. And, just when I was getting used to water puddles and wet feet – Behold – it was like magic – the sun came out. In fact, it’s been blue skies since the beginning of July, and as we roll into August, the forecast is calling for more of the same.

So, you ask, what’s happening in the near future? Well, let me start by saying, nothing in the life of an adventuresome cowboy such as myself, should ever be written in stone. Why? Because schedules and time lines can change without notice. Nevertheless, I am excited about the possibilities of going over to Germany for six weeks sometime this coming November to teach my personal style of horsemanship and transferable skills.

This opportunity presented itself as the result of a horse breeder, rider and enthusiast who came over from Germany to work and train with me for a couple of weeks. Thank you Branko!

Once my German engagements are complete the plan is to head over to Saudi Arabia to demonstrate how a Canadian horse trainer goes about connecting with horses. Exciting stuff to say the least!

Until we meet again, happy trails to you all.
Remember, success with your horse starts with you.

Once again my co-pilot was accompanying me on an early morning drive. We were off to Carsland, Alberta with our trusted road map and directions in hand.

The Fun Country Riding Club from Strathmore, Alberta was hosting 2 Jay O’Jay Horsemanship clinics and our mission was to find the location. After a few wrong turns we both felt, at least we were consistent about getting lost. By the way, this is the main reason we leave so early in the morning; it gives us a chance to find our destination before the day is over.
After a few more turns and gravel roads, there we were, right where we were suppose to be. Our clinic host, Bea Winter was there to meet and greet us as we wheeled up with my horse Cisco in the trailer.

Now, I have to tell you what a great bunch of folks it was that came out to take the clinics. My personal description of everyone could be summed up with “focused & quiet”. I tell you, in the beginning it was hard to get them to say a word, they just keep listening as I demonstrated and laid out my lesson plan. The good news is, as the day unfolded they actually started talking and asking questions. Of course, I’m exaggerating about how quiet they were, but I’m having fun doing so.

As a clinician, it’s always rewarding when your students understand the mental concepts of what’s being taught. Obviously, this is a critical component, and should be viewed as the first step in achieving, not only a solid partnership, but also the building block from which all successful physical responses are taught. I can honestly say I left feeling good about the accomplishments of everyone taking it. Thank you Fun Country Riders and also thanks to Nora & Rick Maidman for the use of their arena for the clinic.

In closing, thank you to my co-pilot coming out and taking so many pictures of the clinic. Check out her website at:
www.takeapeekphotography.com or www.flickr.com/photos/takeapeekphotography Below are some photos from the Clinics…Enjoy! (click on thumbnails to view larger then click the back arrow to get back to this page)

It was early morning as we drove along and sipped from our “to go” coffee cups. My co-pilot was none other than Janet from the office. We were looking for a riding facility that was located somewhere in the picturesque countryside of Millerville, Alberta.

We turn a few corners, drove some straight lines, navigated a curve or two and then out of nowhere, there we were. Yes sir, we were in the foothills of Alberta with rich green grass that seemed as thought it were painted on each hillside; no matter which way you looked. And did I mention the stunning view of the mountains? What a gorgeous setting for a riding facility to be sitting on.

Being a true fan of nature, I was pumped! However, the icing on the cake was that my host “Angie”, told me we’d be holding the clinic in the outdoor grass ring. So there I was with this outrageous view, teaching a clinic in the great outdoors of Alberta. What a day I had!

Now I’ve taught a lot of clinics, but I have to tell you, everyone in this group was tuned in and in a learning frame of mind. As a result we covered an amazing amount of material. What a great group of people I had to work with; thank you all!

We would also like to thank Jan for allowing us to use her place, Angie for her help and Kathy & Holley from Performance Standardbreds for getting all of us together!

As an added bonus Janet from www.takeapeekphotography.com brought her camera along and she managed to get some great shots of everyone in the clinic.

I can honestly say 2008 was a busy year. How I managed to fit my entire schedule into one short year is nothing short of being amazing.

Although my 2008 adventures were hectic at times, the enjoyment I got from connecting with so many people and their horses made it all worthwhile.

Looking back, I’d like to take this opportunity to once again, say hello and thank all of these wonderful people for all their support and generous hospitality. Wishing you the very best in 2009 and looking forward to hooking up with you all again in this New Year.
Knowing what is important to a horse and understanding the motivations that drive equine learning behaviors, in my opinion, is the foundation of horsemanship. By learning how to work with the “true nature” of a horse, rather than against it, we will discover the path to enhancing every aspect of our horsemanship skills.

In the world of horses, individual goals are what inspire individuals to achieve. In my teachings, it’s my goal to help each person achieve personal success by guiding them through their individual journey of horsemanship. I can honestly say, there is nothing more rewarding.

Cheers
Jay O’Jay

Those mountains are a lot taller than one might imagine. I should know, I had to cross over them in order to move to Alberta. Incredible as it may seem, that process took me over two years. The good news is; officially, for the second time in my life, once again I’m an Albertan.

Although I love all parts of Western Canada, my move to Alberta is entirely based on keeping my loved ones united as a family. In doing so, my family will have an opportunity to enjoy and take part in what the Alberta horse industry has to offer.

I have lived in Invermere BC for over twenty some odd years and in that time; I’ve managed to collect a lot of “stuff”! For the last few months I have been primarily focused on physically moving all of that stuff! You know, load up the horse trailer, drive to Calgary, unload the trailer, drive back to BC, load up the trailer, drive to Calgary, and on and on it went. Throughout this entire process, I must admit, the moving has left me feeling pretty much “disconnected” to all aspects of my life and career.

I will be using the month of September/08 to get my horses settled into their new facility and back into a consistent training program. For myself, I will also be adjusting to a new home, all of which is going to be very exciting! They say variety is the spice of life, so I guess I’m in for some serious “spice”.

Two years ago my wife Caroline and I leased a training facility in Spring Bank, a community on the western edge of the Calgary city limits. Like our facility in BC, we are using the name “Stoddart Creek Stables” for the Spring Bank facility. For the past two years Caroline has built up a cliental of both junior and adult riders who are wonderful people, so wonderful in fact that we consider them as family. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the atmosphere at the barn is very warm and friendly. I should mention here that Caroline and our daughter “Erin” are Hunter/Jumper riders and trainers. Caroline has worked hard to break into the Calgary horse show scene, and her students keep proving how effective she is as a coach. On a competitive level, they keep bring home the ribbons!

I will also be using the Stoddart Creek Stables facility here in Calgary as a home base when I’m not traveling down the road with “Horses Naturally” doing clinics or demonstrations.

On a closing note, I would just like to say that I am now on a journey of connection, or should I say, a journey of getting “re-connected”, as I work my way into the horse industry here in Alberta. I look forward to meeting new friends, I know there are a lot of good people and good horses in this part of the world and I hope to meet as many of them as I can. So, don’t be shy, send me a note or a letter and let me know what’s happening!

Cheers,
Jay O’Jay

From my window seat, my eyes followed along as a river laced its way through the quilted patchwork of the Canadian prairies. I was flying to Winnipeg, Manitoba en-route to the Bar K Ranch, where I was scheduled to do a three-day horsemanship clinic.

I was traveling with the lovely Janet Werstroh we all know from the head offices of “Horses… Naturally” with Jay O’Jay in Calgary Alberta. Yes, Janet was truly excited about leaving the city behind and immersing herself into the lifestyle of a 16,000-acre working cattle ranch. And may I add; a ranch that is very well known for its foundation bred quarter horses and breeding program. Click here to check out their website.

I was impressed with the natural ease with which Janet calmly turned off the buzz of urban living, allowing herself to fall into the day-to-day routines of this working ranch. Let me put it to you this way; her jeans were dirtier than mine at the end of each day and I don’t think she even noticed.

Just in case you’re wondering! Janet was traveling with me mainly because she was going to be taking photographs of all the different aspects of the clinic; including all the participants, their horse and whatever else she had time for. I was amazed; in three days Janet took over 1800 images! Now she has the tedious task of editing, sorting and burning selected images onto CD discs to send out to all those who made requests. My bet is that the next time she travels with me, the amount of photos taken will be considerably less.

The images attached to this blog are Janet’s, so if you like them please drop her a line and let her know. We will also be adding more of her images throughout the web site – see if you can identify them.

As we disembarked from the airplane and headed over to pick up our baggage, the anticipation of getting to the Bar K Ranch caused me to tingle with excitement. I truly was looking forward to meeting up with all the people and all the horses that would be taking part in this spring tune-up clinic.

There she was, I spotted her right away! Susan Kopec was waiting for us at the bottom of the escalator. And as we made our way over to her with the mounds of baggage we were packing, I could feel the warmth of her welcome reaching out to us from across the room. I could tell this was going to be a good clinic!

From their family owned and operated Bar K Ranch, Susan and her husband David Kopec were my clinic hosts for what was being officially named the “Spring Tune-Up Clinic”. Their hospitality was second to none. I even got to stay in an attached cabin to the main house with lots of room to spread out my traveling gear and relax.

David and Susan had all the bases covered, right from a portable round pen set up in the indoor arena, a quality sound system, bleachers for the spectators and, they even had the parents of local 4H kids cooking up great lunches.

Right from trailer parking, camp sites, stabling and portable toilets, nothing was overlooked. Heck, they even had an evening trail ride planed for those who cared to join in. We actually rode home under the light of a full moon – hard to beat!

In my humble opinion, being aware of the needs of others is a good thing, but doing something about it deserves to be commended.

“Win a Colt”! For five bucks you could buy a ticket in an effort to raise money for the “Riding for the Disabled”. The Bar K Ranch donated the newborn foal for this draw, but the interesting part was that there were approximately 52 foals to choose from. That’s right, there were 52 brood mares in their foaling pasture and every morning of the clinic, there was sure to be the cutest newborn baby found standing along side its mother.

Monique, a clinic participant, won the contest draw and when I saw her last, she was still walking amongst all those newborns scratching her head. A bit confusing for sure – good luck with your decision Monique!

Staying with David and Susan at the Bar K Ranch was an exceptional experience for me. I think the intentions behind all we do in life speak louder than any words and are a direct reflection of our integrity and self worth. I hope they know how much I appreciated those days I spent in Winnipeg, and that I can’t wait to return again in the fall.

It’s time for the episode you’ve all been waiting for: The First Ride! Jay has gentled this mustang enough that he thinks it’s time for Matt to get on for the first time. Check it out to see how it goes! This isn’t the last episode of the series though, so stay tuned.

Hello everyone, Colette here. I’m happy to announce the release of episode six in A Mustang Story: A New Perspective! In this episode, Jay does some fencework with the mustang. It’s a great technique to use before someone actually gets into the saddle, that’s for sure.

Also, the very last segment of the interview with Matthew Ford has been released, too. Jay and Matt look back on the whole experience of the mustang and talk about what an impression it made on them.

My truck was in four-wheel drive and I was hanging onto the steering wheel with my eyes wide open. It sure didn’t look like springtime in Alberta with all the snow and ice I was driving through.

I was on my way to the Mane Event Horse Expo in Red Deer, Alberta for the 2008 Trainer’s Challenge. Equine Canada had invited me to be their color commentator for this very popular event. Together with Sylvia Schneider and Diana Balbar we were going to be interviewing each of the trainers and following their progress throughout this challenge. What a flip/flop!

Last year I was one of the featured trainers and Canada Equine covering my progress. It was fun being on the other side of the fence! You won’t be disappointed if you tune into these comprehensive podcasts. Visit The Equine Podcast and Clinician interviews on my web site.

Now for more exciting news! Lammles Western Wear is now selling my DVD’s along with some of my horse tack. They kicked off my new product line at the Mane Event – so, whenever I wasn’t covering the Trainer’s Challenge, I was at the Lammles Booth. Let me tell you that I have been shopping at Lammles for years and have the shirt collection to prove it!

On a closing note, I would like to thank all the people who came over to talk to me. There were so many and I must apologize for not remembering everyone’s name. If you only knew how encouraging it is to have that much support from the horse community! I want to thank each and every one of you for your support because it gives me the opportunity to be out there doing clinics, workshops and demonstrations. What a wonderful way to make a living – working with people and their horses – it’s my passion and it’s my life.

Jay O’Jay