Jay Johnson on learning from his time behind bars and how he’s repaying horses for saving his life by helping to saving theirs...
Never in a million years did I imagine as a child I’d be doing this; backing horses and working with difficult ones. I was in a children’s home and, in five years, had nearly 20 foster homes; my brother and I went through a lot. Then, my last foster parents came along with horses. Everything we had was unbacked or difficult and that’s how it started.
Horses saved my life – I owe everything to them and my parents. I used to self-harm, took overdoses, but I would go and cry to the horses, and that’s what saved me. That’s why I’m so passionate about what I do.
All horses are completely different but you have to outsmart them. It’s a psychological game, but a horse is what you make it. Treat it like a brat and it will become one, treat it like a horse and it will take you to the end of the earth. I love them and am fascinated by them, and you never stop learning.
The best thing about what I do is saving horses’ lives by resetting them when they’ve been written off as dangerous. I’ve been a professional showjumper and jumped up to grand prix level, but nothing compares to riding a horse across a field when the vet’s standing there waiting to put it down because this was its last option. I don’t think anyone will understand just how that feels.
Another day at the office!! Horse been checked by vets so all good, nothing medical at all wrong with the horse!!! Ya Ya…Posted by Jay Johnson on Wednesday, February 5, 2020
What breaks me is if there’s a horse I can’t fix and to see the client cry. My mum brought me up to do the best by any horse.
It is a very stressful job. I only have one chance. If my client gets hurt or I make the wrong decision, it’s game over. It is a fabulous job and I love the rewards, but it is hard work; I go all round the country helping horses, and now internationally too.
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A lot of people have asked if they can do what I do and I say it takes endless years. It’s about feel; you have to understand the horse and the situation.
I wear my safety gear because I’ve been hurt. I’ve fractured an arm, dislocated my shoulder, broken every bone in my face, and my ribs, three or four times. I also have a plate in my jaw, but you just have to get on with it. I landed on my back once, on concrete, and thought, “I need proper gear.” People may laugh at my “body armour”, but it’s saved me; I would have smashed myself to smithereens without it.
One injury was when I forgot to tighten the girth. Even at my level, and the length of time I’ve been doing it, I didn’t tighten it, and paid the price. I got absolutely dumped. But we all make mistakes, and you learn from them.
Everything I’ve been through makes me good at my job. All the foster homes, the terrible things; one driving force has been to prove I can do it, and I never stop learning. I went to prison because I was standing up for a friend and I paid the price. I also didn’t mean to go on the run, but I’d broken the day licence and thought I wouldn’t get parole, so I did. But if I hadn’t been to prison, I wouldn’t be able to fix problems. Horses and humans learn from routine.
People say I’m good at what I do, but I want to better myself so I can help more horses, as I’ll always be in their debt.
Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
