Jessie “Jess” Hargrave – was born and raised on a farm in rural North Carolina, where she and her two brothers began riding as soon as they outgrew their indoor rocking horses. Described as “pony mad” Jess got her first pony at the age of three and she soon joined her local pony club at age 9 she was introduced to three-day eventing.
Hardworking and driven, Jess progressed through her pony club ratings, and achieved the coveted ‘A’ rating at only 16 years of age on an OTTB she trained herself. Committed to continuously expanding her own base of knowledge, Jess is also a Ride Right Equestrian Sport Psychology certified level III coach, a USPC National Examiner, and is pursuing the USEA training for ICP certification.
A constant pursuit of high level training throughout Jess’s riding career is evident, and she has been fortunate enough to train extensively with some of the very best coaches and most talented riders in the sport, including: Lucinda Green, Mary Gordon Watson, J. Micheal Plumb, Tim Grubb, Holly Hudspeth, Rebecca Howard, Sinead Halpin, John Michael Durr and Tamra Smith.
With a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master’s degree in Early Childhood, Special Education, and International Education, Jess has a strong foundation in the art of teaching. Her self-described “love of learning” and passion for educating, coupled with a background in learning theory and a myriad of teaching experiences, allow her to teach and instruct a broad range of students and horses in a variety of different settings. With a special interest in challenging or “difficult” horses, Jess prides herself on being able to cater to individual needs of both equine and human students alike to maximize their results. Her coaching interests ranging from Pony Club, to pure Dressage and Eventing
In 2013, Jess relocated to the West Coast and is currently located in Temecula, Kingsway farm, California. With her background in pony club, and enthusiasm for coaching young riders, she is pleased to offer regular lesson programs and training for riders and horses of all ages and disciplines.
Jess describes her style as free spirited and minimal, she gravitates towards darker blues, purples, greys and black/whites, but absolutely loves turquoise. She wears a lot of bracelets that all have a meaning or are meaningful to her in some way. Most people can recognise her at shows by the bracelets!
The Stylish Equestrian 