My name is Tia Jones and I have a passion for horses! I've been playing with and starting horses for over 10 years. I've studied with many great horseman and I regularly attend clinics. I also learn from other great horseman through books and videos to keep my horsemanship fresh and ever-expanding.
Since I was a little girl, crawling around on my hands and knees whinnying, I've loved horses. When I was finally able to afford my own horse as an adult, I dove in head first and I've never looked back. I want to be the best I can be and I'm enjoying this journey of never-ending self-improvement.
Most of my foundation is based in Parelli principles as I believe that to be the best horsemanship program available. I am officially a L4 student with plans to begin submitting my level 4 videos this year and earn my black string. I also study and learn from Buck Brannaman, Mark Rashid, Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance and many other greats.
My Skills
I enjoy trick-training and find it very useful to my relationship with the horses. I ride endurance and plan to ride a 100-miler like Tevis in the next year or two. I'm an avid trail rider and take multi-day trips to the mountains as often as I can. I recently added Dressage to my bag and I'm bringing my gelding along in this exciting new (to me) area. I spend a lot of time developing my horses and myself with groundwork, on line and at liberty. I am also a barefoot trimmer and my horses compete (even my endurance horse) completely barefoot.
I've been starting horses for the last few years. I've found that putting a basic foundation of positive response to pressure through groundwork makes the first ride a breeze for both me and the horses. Some horses can get a nice start in just 30 days while others need more time. I focus on keeping the horse in a learning frame of mind, not worried or nervous, but confident in what's being asked of him. The horse will always do what we ask, as long as we've set them up to say "yes"! 