About Jon
Coming from a "non-horsey" family, Jon didn't start riding until he was around 16 years old; he never owned his own pony and didn't do the usual pony club circuit. However, at 16, Jon started riding at Sawston Equestrian Centre and started riding and helping out there over the next 2 years. After a brief time at the College of West Anglia, Jon moved to Tallands as a working pupil, where he worked up through the BHS stages and completed his PTT. After gaining more experience on private yards, Jon started to groom for local Cambridgeshire eventer, Joe Wise. Jon has now been working for Joe for the last 4 years as his groom, breaking in some of Joe's horses as well as looking after the ever increasing amount of horses at Birds Pasture Farm.
Jon has certainly gained plenty of experience with the top names, having ridden and trained with John Adams, Owen Moore, ridden and broken for Charlotte Bathe, Pammy & Brian Hutton as well as Justine Sole and Gerry Sinnott. The Sunshine Tour of 2006 saw Jon grooming for Larua Ferrier as well as Karl Hester in Spain. To add to the long list Jon has also had experience with Fred Hodges and Sally Foreman, phew - does the list ever end?!
Thankfully, yes, the list does end! Phew!
Jon's biggest passion is breaking and bringing on youngsters. He breaks horses in for Joe Wise, as well as for Tina Ure from Ely Eventing Centre and other private clients at Birds Pasture Farm, finding he connects well with the youngsters and backing them a pleasure. He's taught for the Newmarket and Thurlow Pony Club alongside private clients.
It's not always been horses, during a brief period whilst he was 18, Jon spend time teaching paragliding!
What about the future? Well, Jon has the usual aspirations such as riding around Badminton and the Olympics, but he would also like lessons with William Fox Pitt (if you're reading!), but a more relatable goal is to lose 1 stone before May. Jon is a slim guy, but he's tall and strong with it - making it challenging for him to say light for eventing. For his longer term goals, he'd like to build up his eventing rides and ultimately have his own competition and breaking yard.
