This is Jenn, Chris Micek’s business partner–and the woman who won his heart by calling him an idiot (see my post “All I wanted to know about horse rescue . . .” ). Although they didn’t tell me, I’m sure her smile clenched the deal. Her smile could brighten up the skies better than July 4th fireworks, but don’t get the idea she’s soft. She’s not only Chris’s partner, she’s the mother of four enterprising, energetic boys. Don’t mistake her for a pushover.

 Something else they didn’t tell me–didn’t have to–is that she has a stubborn streak. She told me of one horse that was unpredictable, and Chris had ordered her not to try to ride it. Which, of course, meant she was on the animal’s back the first chance she got. She had no problem climbing into the saddle or riding around a bit, so she rode him through the woods. After awhile, she climbed down for a little break, and when she remounted, he threw her. She got a concussion, but she dusted herself off, caught the horse, and had the good sense to pull her cell phone from her pocket and call her husband. They kinda ended the story there . . .

Jenn on Dandy

She wanted to learn how to train horses and would stop at nothing until she was as good as Chris. At one point, Chris had a young client he was teaching to ride. He was totaly frustrated with the girl, feeling nothing he taught her one day stayed in her head until the next. Each session lasted three hours, and during that time, Jenn would be out with them on another horse, listening to her husband and doing with her horse what the other young lady wouldn’t do with her own. Next thing she knew, Jenn had trained her very first horse.

I received an e-mail from her just the other day telling me she was just given back a horse she had trained. I wasn’t totally truthful about Jenn being not beinga softie–when it comes to horses, she’s a regular powder puff. She loved this horse, named Pepsi, so much that when the owner took her away, she cried. Pepsi’s owner lost his pasture lease, and he remembered how much Jenn loved her. Jenn said she was standing at the MacDonalds when he called her–and she cried again, right there in front of God and everybody, I imagine. In her e-mail, she wrote, “I am so thankful. I am not sure what we will do together, but I know it will be great things. I guess I was just meant to have her. I bonded with her so strongly while she was here. Here I go again crying…”

Chris and Jenn have such heart for horses. The motto for their business, 4M Horse Training, is “Patience Over Persistence.” They exercise that same patience with the horses they rescue. An overview of some of the rescue stories–some I posted here, and some I didn’t– is in their website (4M Horse Training), along with a way you could donate to the cause, if you’re so inclined.

Meeting these two has really enriched my life. I can’t wait until next month when I get to visit again!