2018 Miniature Horse World Magazine WINTER 2018 Volume 34, Number 8 | Page 30

miniature tales
Jen Joines
and Kricket
Jen Joines didn’t set
out to be a Miniature
horse owner, all she
was really looking for
was a companion for
her Paint mare.
T
“
here was only one
other horse on the
property where I kept
my horse,” says Jen. “So when
I took her out to ride, the
other horse would panic, and
vice-versa.” Jen worked out a
deal with the property owner
to find a Miniature horse that
would keep the left behind
horse company. The horse
she found turned out to be a
rescue named Kricket from the
Falcon Ridge Equine Rescue,
but shortly after that the other
horse on the property passed
away. “I couldn’t in good
faith change my mind at that
point… so Kricket came home
with me.”
While she was in the best
physical shape of the three
Miniatures who had been
rescued together, Kricket
was still a mess: she was at
a good weight but had no
muscle tone, and didn’t know
how to move faster than
a walk due to a lifetime of
confinement. Jens’ teenage
neighbor stepped in to help,
riding the Paint mare while Jen
slowly started bringing Kricket
into shape. Jen has ridden a
variety of disciplines, but most
recently had begun training in
endurance; she followed those
principles to condition Kricket
with long, slow, stamina-
building miles.
When a teenage neighbor
expressed a desire to try an
introductory endurance race in
May of 2017 — which requires
an accompanying entered adult
to be within one minute of
a youth rider — Jen scoured
the rules, realized that there
was no rule that explicitly
stated a horse had to be ridden
and signed herself up as the
accompanying adult…with
Kricket.
28 Miniature Horse World
WINTER 2018
“We walked 18 miles in the
mountains. And just like every
other entry, we vetted in,
did the ride, had our mid-
race vet check and vetted
out.” The long, slow miles
of conditioning had done the
trick, and while it may have
taken them quite a long time
to finish, Kricket did in fact,
finish.
those that for whatever reason
totally fall apart at the sight
of a Mini — she and Kricket
move to the side and let others
pass as needed. “The only big
problem I’m noticing now
is that when they have water
offered on the trail, it’s too
high up for Kricket to reach!
I pack a collapsible bowl for
her so she can get a drink with
everyone else.”
One big bucket list item for
Jen was the AERC-sanctioned
Grand Canyon ride. When her
mare was diagnosed with a
respiratory condition, Jen was
unable to compete last year.
“So I said ‘come hell or high
water, we’re going this year,’
and we ended up turning it
into a hundred-mile ride over
ten days across four states.”
And that, of course, included
Kricket.
“Everyone thinks I’m out of
my mind, but so far no one has
challenged me on it,” Jen says.
She does make sure that she’s
respectful of other horses and
riders on the trail, especially
Jen’s goal has been just to have
fun and chronicle her progress
with Kricket. Becoming
popular on Facebook and
the internet is just icing on
the cake. She is happy that
Kricket inspires others to