Jackie Lynch on Riders and Rescues
A Q&A with the Owner of Fort Collins’ Lynchland Stables
Since the day Lynchland Stables opened their barn doors in 1998, owner Jackie Lynch has made an impact in the Fort Collins equestrian community. Between teaching riders, managing the barn, and finding time to ride herself, Jackie has a passion for rescuing horses and training them so riders can learn the values of horsemanship. Our personal interview at the stables revealed what those values are, along with hopes of correcting problems horses and horsemen alike experience in our area.
Q: How did you get involved with horses?
A: I started riding when I was five in Chicago, and when we moved from Chicago to Colorado in the 1970s, English didn’t exist. We had to learn to ride Western, so we rode Western competitively for years and years, and then as I got older and had to support myself, I went into the corporate world. When I turned 30 my sister gave me a horse, and it just went crazy. I stayed in the corporate world for another 10 years or so to be able to effectively afford my equestrian involvement. I started finding out some of the horrible things that went on, with rescue horses, the slaughter industry, the auctions around here. At that point in the game, Colorado State University was actually even having an auction where slaughter buyers came and bought their lesson horses and their research horses, so it became a real passion at that point to see how I could get involved and stop the way that horses were being used as chattel instead of as horses.
Q: Why do you want to teach new riders?
A: I think at this point in the game I’ve got an awful lot of education and information so people can pick and choose what they want to learn and what works for them, rather than being told that there’s only one way for them to learn things. I also see, as the world is changing, that too many students aren’t learning about horses. They’re learning how to get on a horse, and maybe how to ride it, but nothing above and beyond that. They don’t know how to care for it, they don’t know how to deal with injuries and how to prevent injuries. They don’t care, they aren’t vested in the welfare of the horse long enough to think that they should have an ongoing commitment to that horse once the horse can’t perform for them any longer.
Q: What are the ideal traits of a young rider?
A: I’m really not the person to ask that particular question, because it kind of implies that I get to pick and choose who I want to work with. There just isn’t that kind of availability of students. The kind of student I won’t work with is one that is in it just for the blue ribbon, that is in it for the immediate gratification rather than a long term learning experience. So I want people that are dedicated, that are willing to get dirty, that are willing to hit the ground once in a while and get back on and keep going, that will look at their riding education as a component of what their life-long experience with horses is going to be.
Q: What horsemanship skills are taught at Lynchland?
A: I like to think that all horsemanship skills are taught, from ground zero. What brushes you need to groom your horse, to the anatomy of a horse, to how to deal with problem horses, to the role that you can see horses playing in your life. I think the biggest thing I consider in a key to horsemanship is never being complacent and never saying ‘I know it all, and you can’t bring anything else to the table.’ You have to be open to let everyone bring something to the table and be willing to learn from it.
Q: What, in your opinion, is the biggest problem in the horse world today?
A: I think there are a lot of issues, so it’s really hard to say which is the biggest one. There is reckless over breeding. People aren’t being responsible for the animals they create. Because I don’t think there are a lot of things that as an individual or one barn I can impact tremendously, I try to focus on wanting people to become horse people. We want them to become riders, we want them to become something other than just someone sitting on a horse. The lack of involvement is the biggest issue that we deal with. People just want the end goal without putting the work in to get there.
Q: How do you train future horsemen to correct it?
A: We talk a lot, and I try and lead by example. I encourage young riders to spend as much time at the barn as they possibly can, and I bring their parents into the mix as well. If we don’t have the parents understanding why we expect the kids to scoop poop, and the parents don’t understand why we expect the kids to be involved in every aspect, the kids aren’t going to get it.
To learn more about Lynchland Stables, their riding and boarding programs, or to find out about rescue horses, visit Lynchland Stable’s website. If you are interested in rescue horses, visit our shelter listing.
