One thing we both don’t need a break from is the journey of learning and connection with our horses.
August 15 – 17, 2025, was the last J&J Reining show, we don’t know if that’s forever or just for now but either way – we need a break!
We’ve learned an awful lot since we started in 2021 and have crafted and hosted nine shows. We put everything in to the shows – the planning would start each January, and we wouldn’t finish working on the show until September. We can’t thank our sponsors, volunteers, supporters, competitors, show staff enough – without them our dreams would have remained just that.
One thing we both don’t need a break from is the journey of learning and connection with our horses.
Friday Ranch Riding Open Class
For Jen, it’s training other people’s horses and her own, plus coaching her clients and their equine partners to be the best they can be. For Sharon, it’s now a one-on-one with her own horse, as she has her own business outside of horses that requires focus.
For future articles, they will be written from the perspective of Jonas Performance Horses. Jen, as the owner of the business and Sharon, as one of Jen’s clients.
Jonas Performance Horses is operated out of a facility in Cambridge and has been in operation since 2013.
Saturday Working Western Trail Class
Jen has always kept abreast of new learnings and constantly applying them to the horses, taking in to account each horse is different and that what might work on one horse may not work on another. Having a tool kit with multiple tools helps Jen to work with her clients’ horses and her clients – understanding the strengths and possible challenges of each, horse, rider, and the horse and rider combination.
Since J&J Reining hosted one of the first Ranch classes in 2021, Ranch riding and all its off shoots (Ranch Trail Working Western Rail) has exploded in Ontario. Jen’s clientele have embraced Ranch Riding so her focus has shifted more towards that.
Sunday Novice Horse Class
Still with a very keen passion for Reining, Jen’s enjoys the versatility of training in multiple disciplines; all with a solid foundation in the training of the horse to be supple, willing, capable and eager to work with their human counterpart.
Sharon has dabbled a little in Ranch Riding, her previous horses preferred that to Reining but she now has a Reining horse and focuses exclusively on that.
Jonas Performance Horses offer a range of clinics for every level of rider:
1. Improve your riding
2. Ground work
3. Ranch Riding
4. Reining
For more information on Jen, her clinics and to read some fabulous testimonials about Jen and her trainings, visit https://www.jonasperformancehorses.com/
If you have any questions you’d like to ask Jen or any topics you’d like her to cover, you can contact her directly here: jonasperformancehorses@hotmail.com or on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jonasperformancehorses
'From the Trainer's Eye articles written by Jen Jonas of Jonas Performance Horses and one of her students, Sharon Jones of Be A Better You Inc. Both Jen and Sharon are believers in continuous learning - if you're not learning you are not growing'