My Story

My history with horses began when I was nine years of age. I think I was in Minnesota. There used to be a summer program for families. Mothers and fathers would sign their children up to go on adventures to get to know how other people, other cultures, and other communities lived. If I remember correctly, I was coupled with my younger brother, Doug, and we went with our cousin to White Bear Lake. So, back in those stone ages, the time it used to take to go from South Minneapolis to White Bear could take upwards of three or four hours because there were no freeways or stop signs and there weren't highways. It was quite an adventure. The family we stayed with had horses. So, that's when we took an interest. At least for me, I took an interest in riding horses, grooming them, and enjoying it. This was in the late 60s.

When I went back to college to get a degree in law enforcement, I connected with some individuals who have become my lifelong brothers and sisters. One of the things that was a treat for us, while bearing the weight of our academics, was to get in JB's car, get in Tyson's car, or get in Carl Branch's car, and go horseback riding. We showed up, anywhere between 10 and 20 of us. Some had never ridden and some came in with the horse riding them, but we did it many times over two years. There came a time when the stable trusted me and I could take three or four of us out without having a lead. My friends, to this day, talk about it and are grateful that I encouraged it because it’s something they did for their children.

I think the last time I rode was around maybe 2009 or 2010. I'm probably in a better position to ride now than then. Depending on the physiological ailments in your body, it's not safe to be on a horse. There’s the thought of being thrown from a horse and having another head injury and that’s something I don’t want. My statement is, "I deserve to grow old with my children and my grandchildren.” So, I gave them permission to protect me from myself. They haven't said anything about horseback riding in years, but I taught them all how to ride, took them horseback riding, and we used to go on hay rides. It was the whole nine yards.

INterview

What obstacles or challenges have you noticed within the equestrian industry?

During my childhood, I remember hanging out with families in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas. They were a bit challenged by the fact that this family was hosting us African Americans. They'd ask, "Do you know what you're doing? Do you know how to ride." We'd say, "Yes, we do." Even then, we could convey to them that we're going to ride with respect and treat the horse with respect. So what I did, coming out of my high school years into my adult years, was staying with at least two or three of the same stables. So, when I called and I showed up, there was never an issue of who I was or what I was doing because I created a track record.

I've been removed for a number of years, but in the early years, it wasn't an issue. Like I said, there were so many riding stables in just the six counties. There were riding stables and they were profitable. There was never an issue with discrimination or anything else. Most of them knew us. There was one, I think it was Hansen's riding stable, which we were quite fond of. They would always accommodate us. I would only ride lead horses. Lead horses don't act up. We also went in a large group. We did well doing it that way and typically, we would do that at the end of the week of our academic workload. We would take time out of our Saturday or Sunday.

I think, for me, it has a lot to do with the way I was raised. That is, you don't start talking crazy to folks, you're always polite, you're always engaging, and you don't have to always be complimentary about what they're doing, but let them own the fact that they own the ranch or the riding stable. You're invited to come in even though you're a paying customer. So, we never had those issues. We always called in advance. Particularly, Hansen knew me and so if I was bringing people out, he'd ask, "how many are bringing this time, Jerome?" I don't think I had those issues because I was using common courtesy and everybody understood that you do not want to mistreat a horse. That animal is extremely powerful. If you get to cutting up, it'll let you know that it does not appreciate your behavior.

We only rode at the break of day. If we were there during sunset, we just walked. We didn't ask the horse to gallop, to sprint, or anything because we don't know what that day was like for the it. You want to be respectful. Therefore, get on it and just walk. Let it take you out and bring you back in, but not all that other drama that the horse experiences. So, having learned that at our early age and riding well into my 50s, that was just a no brainer. It had a lot to do with just being polite, honoring, respecting, and also having a bit of knowledge about how the stable wanted their horses treated and taken care of.

I can get that this is an issue because there's often distrust when society puts a negative spin on a different culture or ethnic group. People buy into that. We end up having to disprove it.