About the Trainer

Janine Holmes has been involved with horses for over 18 years and acquired most of her training in South Africa where she was born and raised. Janine acquired her first horse when she was 9 years old and began her riding career doing show jumping. Over the next 10 years, great investment was made into her riding career, with extensive training and instruction. By then, the equine discipline of dressage had really attracted Janine’s attention and this became her true passion.

Janine met her husband-to-be, Lynn, in the summer of 2001, working as a camp counselor at Grace Youth Camp and subsequently married in South Africa in August of 2002. The couple established residency in Grand Rapids in March of 2003 and Janine started working at a local tack store.

Through communicating with clients, Janine saw a great need for a traveling trainer – one who would go to people’s houses and work with them and their horses on their property. One client, became two, became three, and so on, until Janine finally realized that she needed to start her own business business - JH Equestrian Training LLC, in March of 2004.

JH Equestrian Training LLC now operates out of Serenity Farm located in Byron Center Michigan.

Since her stay in the USA, Janine has made it a priority to continue her equestrian training by riding in various clinics. She has attended numerous natural horsemanship clinics with trainer Clinton Anderson, Pat Parelli and John Lyons; Hunter Jumper clinics with Chris Grahl; and many dressage clinics with local trainers such as Mari Monda Zdunic (USDF Gold Medalist); and international trainers from the Spanish Riding School, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada.

Regarding Janine’s showing career, most of her showing was done in South Africa. She was, inter-alia, chosen to represent the “Eastern Inter-regional show jumping Team” in the championships and her ultimate achievement was riding for her country in the African country, Botswana, where she competed in a 3-day-eventing show and acted as an ambassador for her country.

Janine is also an active participating member of the USDF (United States Dressage Federation) and the USEF (United States Equestrian Federation) and has attended these rated shows as well.

A Personal note from Janine

Even though I have been fortunate enough to have received phenomenal international training, I will always say that my greatest trainer is ‘The Horse’. Nothing and no-one can teach one more about riding than ‘time in the saddle’. Over the years, I have literally ridden hundreds of horses and they have taught me the most valuable lessons. There is no such thing as a bad horse, but rather a challenge that will only further one’s equestrian knowledge.