HORSE-SENSE is written by author and clinician Jessica Jahiel, Ph.D.,
a familiar name to readers as well to
the regulars on many horse-related mailing lists and newsgroups.
HORSE-SENSE started in 1995 with a few hundred subscribers and has
grown steadily in popularity every year.
Jessica's system of training,
Holistic Horsemanship®, employs the training techniques
and riding elements of classical dressage. The methods
and goals of classical riding -- balance, harmony,
suppleness, rhythm, and clear, kind communication in the
form of a constant dialogue between horse and rider --
are classical precisely because they are kind and correct
and they work. These methods and goals have stood the
test of time. Much of what is currently termed
Natural Horsemanship represents a modern
rediscovery of some of these classical principles of horsemanship.
Whether a rider's interest is in classical dressage as such,
or whether it lies in using good training to improve the
mind, physique, and athletic ability of an eventer, a
jumper, a hunter, a reiner, a cutter, an endurance horse
or a trail horse, this system will work -- without fear,
force, or pain, and without gadgets or special
equipment designed to increase a rider's leverage or
control.
The key concepts in Holistic Horsemanship are
communication, confidence, balance, and harmony -- not
coercion or control. The development of communication
between horse and rider establishes cooperation between
them. This cooperation allows them to work confidently
together in balance, which in turn promotes harmony.
Holistic Horsemanship® uses finesse, not force, and the
results are achieved more smoothly and easily than most
riders could possibly imagine.
Publications
Her books include the two American Horse Publications award winners (*):
The Horse Training Problem Solver Forthcoming Summer 2007.
The Rider's Problem Solver: Your Questions Answered: How to Improve Your Skills, Overcome Your Fears, and Understand Your Horse. [Amazon.com]
The Horseback Almanac. An introduction to English riding for children 8-12. (Out of print)
*The Parent's Guide to Horseback Riding New edition. [Amazon.com]
*Riding for the Rest of Us: A Practical Guide for Adult Riders [Amazon.com]
Jessica served as USPS (United States Pony Clubs, Inc.) Associate Editor of the
three-volume USPC Manual of Horsemanship, and chaired the USPC
Curriculum-Standards Committee from 1992-1995.
Her articles, reviews, and stories have appeared in national
magazines, including
Practical Horseman,
Horse & Rider,
Horse Show,
The Chronicle of the Horse, Trailblazer,
Western Horseman, the
USCTA News, and the
USPC News.
Her award-winning column "Teaching Learning Teaching",
appears in Riding Instructor, the official publication of
the American Riding Instructors Association.
Lectures
A popular speaker, Jessica has presented at EquitanaUSA in Louisville, KY and is a regular at the
American Riding Instructors Association's National Seminar. On the radio, she has been a regular
on Rick Lamb's syndicated show, The Horse Show.
Clinics
Due to her heavy writing schedule, Jessica is only available for a limited number
of clinics. Please email Jessica for more information.
If you're read this far, you could probably use a break.
Here's a picture of the
desktop icon Jessica looks to for
inspiration while writing HORSE-SENSE. And here's a picture at three months old
of her July 2007 foal, Temprano (aka Baba Looey), half-Andalusian son of Temerario VII