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Jenni
Martin McAllister
The
Junior Years
Interested
in riding horses at the age of three,
Jenni jumped into competition at five
years old. Her first instructor was
her older sister Cecily. This student-teacher
relationship lasted into her teens
- Cecily trained young horses, including
Toy Soldier and Apple Annie, for Jenni
to ride.
Jenni was
also trained in dressage by Franz
Rohvansky. She competed successfully
in Three-Day-Event up to the preliminary
level, taking clinics with Bruce
Davidson during that period. As
a junior rider in Southern California,
she placed 2nd in the Pacific Coast
Hunter Jumper Association Junior
Jumping Finals in 1986 and 1987.
She was occasionally coached at
shows by Hap Hansen, was selected
by USET for jumping clinics given
by Olympic Gold Medalist, Joe Fargis,
and rode in a number of clinics
given by the eminent hunter-jumper
trainer, George Morris.
At sixteen,
as a member of the Gold Medal West
Coast Team, Jenni, riding her half-blind
Thoroughbred -Trakehner mare, Apple
Annie, helped her team to win the
CSIOJ Junior Nations Cup in Culpepper,
Virginia. She also took the Individual
Bronze Medal. The following year,
going against other U.S. and several
very strong Canadian teams, she
and Apple Annie competed for the
AHSA Zone Ten region team at the
North American Continental Young
Riders competition, pulling out
the Silver Medal for the USA by
jumping the only double-clean rounds
of the day.
From Canada
To Connecticut to California
After
turning professional at eighteen,
Jenni moved to British Columbia
and worked for trainers Lindy Townley
and Caroline Weeks for six years.
During her Canadian tenure she rode
Apple Annie to two Pacific Northwest
Exhibition Grand Prix wins in Vancouver.
Moving to
Connecticut in 1993, Jenni met Steve
McAllister, who owned and ran Highborn
Horse Park in Southbury. Soon they
became partners in the sales, training
and showing end of the business.
This successful coaching, business
& personal partnership continues
to this day. In 2003 they moved
to Southern California where they
continue to acquire and train top
horses to compete nationally as
well as internationally.
Jenni has
a tremendous talent for preparing
horses to excel at the Grand Prix
level. With the exception of Rio
Grande and Pop Socks, all of the
following mounts were in their first
year of Grand Prix competition:
Ready or Not, Dennis, Leonne, Think
Big, In Effect, Greystone, Dollar
D'Amour, Libera, Alcatraz 34, Sunrise,
The Real Thing, Fabius 45, His Horse,
Technicolor
Many of these horses have moved
on to successful careers with other
professional and amateur riders.
High Ranks
Over the years, Jenni has proven
herself to be one of the top International Grand Prix riders. She is World-ranked in the top twenty
percentile.
Steve
McAllister
Raised
with Horses and Basketball
Respected coach and trainer, Steve
McAllister has been involved with
horses all of his life. His parents
owned and trained fine Quarter Horses
on their farm in Connecticut and
Steve began riding competitively
at the age of five. As a junior
rider, he represented Connecticut
and New England at the world-renowned
Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus,
Ohio.
After graduating
from high-school Steve was torn
between his love of horses and his
success as a star high school basketball
player. He decided to turn down
sixty-five basketball scholarship
offers in favor of pursuing a career
in the equine world.
Attending
Post College, Steve made the Dean's
List majoring in Recreation and
Physical Education, obtaining teaching
certification in forty-two different
sports. He also completed the horseshoeing
course at the University of Pennsylvania
and proceeded to develop a very
successful business servicing over
800 horses in the late '70s and
early '80s.
In the mid-80's
he built a seventy-two-horse facility
and began importing and training
horses from Europe. One of these
horses made the short list for 1986
World Championships in three-day-eventing.
Unfortunately,
a tragic fire destroyed the facility.
But Steve regrouped under the name
Highborn Horse Park, which included
training, showing, horseshoeing
and sales.
Meeting
Jenni
In 1993 when Jenni Martin relocated
to Steve's facility, he immediately
recognized her natural talent, skill
and drive, and started working with
her. They quickly developed a mutually
beneficial working relationship
and the highly successful association
between the two has never faded.
The Success
of Jenni Martin Enterprises
Steve was instrumental in acquiring
and training horses that would take
Jenni to the National and International
level of competition. Included in
this group of mounts were Ready
or Not, Dennis, and The Real Thing
- all owned today by Jenni Martin
Enterprises. In addition, he is
always on the ground for her at
competitions.
Together they
have successfully campaigned, Rio
Grande, Augustin Walch's Hanoverian
stallion and Canadian Olympic horse,
winning the $50,000 Rio Vista Grand
Prix at Minden, Nevada in 2000.
And the Westphalian gelding, Pop
Socks, rose to the International
Grand Prix level under their tutelage.
With Jenni on board, Pop Socks won
the 2002 $75,000 Del Mar National,
placed 8th in the West Coast 2003
World Cup standings and finished
9th in the jump-off in the invitational
Las Vegas Grand Prix held during
the 2003 World Cup.
Custom-Fit
in California
Moving to Los Angeles in the fall
of 2002, Steve and Jenni are continuing
their quest to bring horses to their
fullest potential in the show-jumping
arena. After determining how to
best utilize their combined skills
and expertise, they decided to take
a select group of horses and riders
into their custom-fit program concept.
With Steve's extensive farrier knowledge
and excellent coaching technique,
the program integrates all the proper
angles - from horse's hooves to
hunt-seat. Beginning with the basics
to riding on the Grand Prix circuit,
the hand-picked staff at Jenni Martin
Enterprises offers a unique custom-fit
program for horses and riders. Building
full at-home and on-the-road programs,
the team takes pride in analyzing
goals and deriving the formula to
achieve them.
Steve is available for freelance coaching at specific horse shows. For further information, click here to contact him.
Cecily Martin Perkins
A Love for Horses
Cecily was raised in Southern California around the Covena area. She always loved horses but wasn’t able to start riding until she was 12. Her father told her, “If you can buy one you can have one,” so that’s exactly what she did. She began doing odd jobs at the local equestrian center. Her first horse was $200 and after that she mucked stalls to pay for her board and lessons.
When she was 14, Cecily started teaching beginner lessons. She was also helping to train one or two horses a night. For the young high school student that meant long days ending at 9 pm. It also opened many opportunities for Cecily. She was able to attend clinics with George Morris and train in the fundamentals of dressage with Franz Rohvansky. She uses that training to frame her riding philosophies. “I feel that every rider should be able to do a second level dressage test if they are going to jump.” She believes the key ingredients for a perfect ride are straightness, bending, balance, and movement.
The Importance of Listening and Adaptation
According to Cecily, the most important quality for a horse and rider team to have is a willingness to listen, and to understand and adapt to each other. Riding and training are Cecily’s passions. She loves to take on horses that need re-training and turn them into a champion. Cecily also loves working with people. She said, “I love seeing people change. I love the confidence it gives them and the freedom.”
Cecily’s favorite student was her sister. She started Jenni riding when she was only five-years-old. At 11, Cecily gave Jenni her first horse, Apple Annie. The horse was blind in one eye, but as Cecily worked with her she saw nothing but potential. After a lot of hard work Jenni and Apple Annie were jumping 4’6’’. Under Cecily’s tutelage Jenni was soon competing on the Zone 10 Junior team on the east coast. “I don’t know how it happened, it was a lot of work but it was amazing.”
A Return to California
Cecily helped Jenni with her first training facility in Bell Canyon California. After a year Cecily moved to Oregon to start a family. This year Cecily has returned to JME. Her daughters, Kiley and Christine Perkins are also riding with Jenni. Cecily is thrilled to be back and hopes to help JME continue their outstanding equestrian program.
Kris
Di Carlo
Kris Di
Carlo’s first experience with
horses was unintentional. It happened
quite fortuitously. Growing up
in St. Louis Missouri, Kris spent
many hours of family time at his
grandparent’s farm. It was there
that he learned the basics of
horse care in a very organic way.
This childhood hobby slowly blossomed
into Kris’ passion, and like all
true horsemen, he was hooked from
that point on. Throughout high
school, Kris worked weekends at
a local show barn riding and teaching.
He spent summers traveling the
country working for different
trainers in Minnesota and Virginia.
Even with all his hard work and
talent, Kris had no intentions
of making horses his career. So
as many horsy high school graduates
do, Kris packed up his books and
saddle and decidedly focused his
thoughts on William Woods University
in Fulton, Missouri.
A dedicated student, graduating
with a major in Business and a
minor in Equestrian Science, Kris
kept his options broad for future
endeavors. His plan was to pursue
the world of business until he
was offered a job to ride for
Horses Unlimited and work with
Olympic Level Dressage Trainer,
Cesar Parra, in New Mexico. Far
from the sleet and snow of Missouri,
Kris was headed for the “Land
of Enchantment”. He not only taught
riding and competed but also learned
the ins and outs of breeding and
raising foals. After three years
of valuable experience covering
many facets of horses, Kris met
Jenni and Steve Martin through
mutual friend and horseman, Craig
Martin. From that moment on, the
trio had an instant connection.
As the newest member of the JME
team, Kris eagerly fills the role
of assistant trainer. Up at dawn
and working through dusk, Kris
is busy riding young horses, teaching
and showing. He is enthusiastic
about his opportunity and appreciates
the core of their program; “Jenni
and Steve have a way of training
their horses with sensitivity.
They use a lot of massage and
stretching on the horses to unlock
their muscles instead of forcing
them. It’s something that’s new
to me, and I feel fortunate to
be exposed to this school of thought.”
Taking
part in the sale of “China Doll”,
a young, green horse from their
program has been a highlight for
Kris. “Watching the horse from
start to finish was amazing, as
were her wins at Indio. She was
winning at her first show! She
came a long way in a short amount
of time.”
As hard
as he works, Kris says he could
not do it alone. The tight knit
team behind JME includes Kris,
Martina and Julia, who all happily
call the polo property where they
run JME’s Hunter-Jumper business
in Indio, California home. “We’re
all passionate about what we do
and at the end of the day we may
be tired but the horses are all
doing well.”
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