The Giving Tradition Continues at Wheeler Performance Horses

By Delores Kuhlwein

In December 2022, Wheeler Performance Horses began a new tradition – the first lesson ever – free!

Not only has it drawn youth to the industry, but it provided an opportunity as a holiday gift for kids who love horses – or those who have never touched one.

Read on to see our January 2023 article to see how this phenomenon began:

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In late 2022, Jenn Wheeler of Wheeler Performance Horses made a bold move.

Below was the message posted on the Wheeler Performance Horses page in December 2022:

“Somewhere, out there, there was a little girl or boy that truly LOVED a horse. And it’s OUR JOB to give that GIFT to them! This month of December if you know of a young person that has always LOVED these amazing animals…ONE. FREE. LESSON. No questions asked, to any child or human that’s ever desired to touch a velvet nose. Or be valued unconditionally… or FEEL the most inexplainable love you’ve ever felt… ONE FREE LESSON on us. Because there’s nothing more valuable that we could ever share. There’s no greater love than you can ever imagine. And it’s ON US.”

Lessons for free? Who can do that, and what was she thinking? Jenn admits Justin, the other half of the training duo, had his doubts, too.

But you see, Jenn was convinced, due to her own experience riding a pleasure horse the first time in high school, that people need to try riding a pleasure horse to give them their due.

“Justin and I both feel that most of the all-around horses, who are based off the Western Pleasure horse, don’t get a great rap.  I’ve always debated that to get people to like it, they have to try it.  It’s not a spectator sport, and until you do it, you don’t appreciate it.”

Since she already had horses there for lessons, she explains she knew it wouldn’t hurt her to give a child a free gift for Christmas. “I thought maybe this is something their parents can give as a gift right now as times are tight,” she adds.

So she offered the lessons, and they came. In droves.

In fact, the Wheeler barn ended up seeing over two dozen kids in December, and all were local.  Some didn’t even know the barn was nearby in Hollister, California, Jenn explains. And they all asked to come back.  “I loved contributing to the community and working with the kids.  I haven’t been this excited to go to work every day for a long time because it reminds me why I got into this and how I felt the first time I swung my leg over a show horse.”

Her offering was more than just to get people to appreciate a misunderstood discipline, however. There were many factors weighing on her.

“I’ve had countless conversations with people about why kids aren’t participating, and I couldn’t answer why.  It’s not the money – we work for a lot of middle class families, and once they understand their kids are dedicated, we make it work,” she reveals.

A family friend had asked Jenn why the local 4H programs in the area were gone, and she knew access to resources was one of the reasons. “I donate a lot of my time locally and the kids don’t know their leads, and they don’t know there are trainers out there to help them,” she says.  She adds that for kids who want to get into college riding, many aren’t aware there are Division 1 scholarships.

“Kids don’t know they love horses, and some of those kids ride and never want to stop,” she reveals. “All the youth kids that went to the World Show with me started here as a lesson kid, doing putt-putt lessons.”

Jenn says they’ve met many cool families and have already opened up a new world for some, and she had to answer the call with a lesson package.  “It gives us another income, and though it wasn’t about that at first, it can be a whole second income for others. Besides, it has been one of the most positive things I’ve done since having our own kids.”

She’s had to expand her work hours, but it has also forced her to organize herself better, and it hasn’t affected her show horse training. “When the older kids ride, I can train some of my older show horses while riding with them, so I’ve been able to incorporate 3-4 more lessons a day.” She also intrigues the kids with teaching them how events like Trail are scored, because she explains that they don’t know if they like it if they’ve never seen it, and the response has been overwhelming.

“These programs need to happen,” she emphasizes. “If you let a kid take a lesson a few times, and those parents see they have that bug, then they want to figure out how to make it work financially. You can’t say it’s just about the money because it’s not. Don’t scare people off by saying they have to spend a minimum of $50k on a horse to get started. We’ve had a lot of kids work their way up on inexpensive horses.”

Though she didn’t have any intention of expanding their program, just thinking she was doing something nice for others, it grew into an important reminder.

“A lady messaged me and said no beginner is ever going to buy a show horse, and it isn’t true.  We’ve had 4 or 5 girls go on to ride on equestrian teams after starting here as beginners, but we put in a lot of work. Our industry doesn’t feel sustainable, so how do we bridge that gap? We have to show them what is fun and remind ourselves we all started somewhere – riding a carnival pony or watching Yellowstone and wanting to try it,” she adds.

Jenn says when all is said and done, she has to ask herself if she can call herself a successful trainer.  “It doesn’t hurt me to show others what we do.  The first lesson is on us from now on,” she declares, so the first timers can meet the Quarter Horses and the Paints, and so the Western Pleasure horses get a little more credit. “I really do hope other people try this. It’s good for the industry and good for the communities.”

Find out more about Wheeler Performance Horses, located at 351 Hospital Rd, Hollister, California, by visiting their Facebook page, or you can call (408) 427-6731.