Jodie’s mom Laurie has always been a horse person and bought Jodie her first pony at the tender age of two. “Little Joe was a Shetland pony that rarely did more than a walk,” says Jodie. “My mom was a rider and had her horses at our small barn at home. She would put me on Little Joe with my western saddle, and I would sit on him for hours while she was able to get all of her barn work done. He was considered the best babysitter in the world.”

Photo – Jodie Kelly Dressage Rider, Trainer, Clinician

From there young Jodie was hooked. Laurie probably had no idea what she’d started. The next pony would prove to be her first show pony as well as a member of the family for the next 19 years.

“All of my horses have been amazing, from my first ponies, all the way up,” beams Jodie. “They all have been perfect stepping stones in my career and most of them just came to me; I have never actually been horse shopping for myself in my life.”