Jai Johnson

ester said:
someone somewhere said its because he's been bolted with.
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yes now youve said it i think i heard that too BUT if he doesnt want to sit on horses that may bolt hes in the wrong job? and again.... not necessarily doing whats in the horses best interests?

the man has a skill. no doubt, and balls, but i think its gone too far in to ego and bravado now.
 
ester said:
someone somewhere said its because he's been bolted with.
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I think it was me. He said on a post or video somewhere that he had been bolted with and thats why he wears the mask etc. At one point he wouldnt get on any horse unless it had a pelham in for the same reason, but he seems to have phased that out now.
 
Glad I’m not the only one who can’t see how he can realistically turn these horses around in a matter of days(some of which look to have serious issues) & I thought the grey rearing mare was supposed to be sorted yet it still seems to spend a lot of its time rearing.....
 
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I feel sad to read all of the Jay bashing! He is an incredibly kind and humble man, who puts the horses first. He gets on horses that Monty Roberts and all other professionals refuse to work with. For most of the problem horses he works with, their next port of call would be the kennels. I’ve seen a video of him starting a feral warmblood from the horse first having the tack on to being sat on and walked around, with no breaks in the video. He was kind, calm and quiet, and the horse took to ridden work without drama. With regards to his ‘ya ya ya’ catchphrase, he created this for his clients who were nervous to get back on their difficult horses to give them confidence and to make them breathe. Like us, he is always learning and his methods are always changing, and some of his little techniques had changed in the six months between myself working with him. Through using his methods, I have restarted and reschooled lots of tricky horses with great success, and have been able to pass on these techniques to their owners who have been able to get back on their horses with control and confidence.
With regards to the grey rearing horse, she is mine, and without Jay’s help I would still be struggling to canter to a cross pole. He had to come out and help me again because I had slipped back into bad habits, and it was my riding that caused the horse to start rearing again. Jay’s philosophy is that it is NEVER the horse’s fault, and their actions are always the result of poor riding/management.
As for bringing up his past, shame on you all. We all have a past, and luckily for people lots of their own issues are not readily available on google. He is an incredible horseman, an exceptionally kind human being and someone that I would call a friend. It makes me very sad to see people bashing him based on a few videos and his online persona.
 
You put Jay on the big grey knowing it was lame. Theres a really horrible to watch video where you openly say you know the horse is lame but you "want its head right first" or some other similar drivel.

And the smaller grey mare is still rearing, so its not been some magic fix for her either.

And thats my issue. Lots of the horses he works with are unsound. The next step should be a vet work up for most of them, and if the owner isnt prepared to do that then theres much worse fates than the kennels.

I think it would probably be worth mentioning that you benefit financially from your arrangement with Jay, so hardly an unbiased opinion either ;)
 
Leo Walker said:
You put Jay on the big grey knowing it was lame. Theres a really horrible to watch video where you openly say you know the horse is lame but you "want its head right first" or some other similar drivel.

And the smaller grey mare is still rearing, so its not been some magic fix for her either.

And thats my issue. Lots of the horses he works with are unsound. The next step should be a vet work up for most of them, and if the owner isnt prepared to do that then theres much worse fates than the kennels.

I think it would probably be worth mentioning that you benefit financially from your arrangement with Jay, so hardly an unbiased opinion either ;)
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with regards to the big grey horse, not true. I have never said that he is lame. As you have hidden the videos you won’t have seen the improvements that the little horse has made, and any regression is down to rider, my, error.
As for finances, I am sorry for trying to make a living 🤷🏼‍♀️
 
ycbm said:
I am really, really struggling to see this as a positive.

I'm also intrigued that you don't think that going on the run from prison while serving a sentence for wounding with intent matters.

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It gives these horses a second chance at a happy life after they’ve been ruined by other people. I can’t see that being a bad thing for any animal.
No one knows what happened other than Jay. That has nothing to do with his incredible work with horses.
 
SwalesSnails said:
It gives these horses a second chance at a happy life after they’ve been ruined by other people. I can’t see that being a bad thing for any animal.
No one knows what happened other than Jay. That has nothing to do with his incredible work with horses.
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If other experts whose opinion I respect and/or are already known for dealing with problem horses say that they shouldn't be ridden, then imo they shouldn't be ridden.

It is, imo, better for a horse to be dead than to be persuaded to work in pain by a mentally and/or physically strong rider.

We all know that he served a prison sentence for a very serious charge, wounding with intent. And we all know that instead of serving out his sentence and rebuilding his life, he went on the run under a false name which he currently trades under. It has everything to do with trusting him as a supplier of services, to me.

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SwalesSnails said:
with regards to the big grey horse, not true. I have never said that he is lame. As you have hidden the videos you won’t have seen the improvements that the little horse has made, and any regression is down to rider, my, error.
As for finances, I am sorry for trying to make a living 🤷🏼‍♀️
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Yes you have.

I've just been to look out of curiosity, The smaller grey mare was lame at Addington 3 day show last month. You say this yourself. You discussed it wtih Jay and kept going anyway. You stayed and competed her there for the whole show over courses that you refer to as being "huge".

For anyone interested its worth watching her videos with the sound off. When you stop listening to the gushing and start looking at the horses it shows a very different, pretty sad picture.
 
ycbm said:
If other experts whose opinion I respect and/or are already known for dealing with problem horses say that they shouldn't be ridden, then imo they shouldn't be ridden.

It is, imo, better for a horse to be dead than to be persuaded to work in pain by a mentally and/or physically strong rider.

We all know that he served a prison sentence for a very serious charge, wounding with intent. And we all know that instead of serving out his sentence and rebuilding his life, he went on the run under a false name which he currently trades under. It has everything to do with trusting him as a supplier of services, to me.

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That’s exactly how I feel, except I trust his opinion. It’s totally the same, we just trust different people and opinions based on our own judgements and experiences as individuals. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I too agree that some horses are better off being PTS if they are not physically or mentally able to enjoy a job, or simply be a horse in a field. That is why all of my horses are worked under the guidance of fantastic vets, physios, chiropractors, saddlers etc etc.
As for the last statement, that is personal preference, and again we are all entitled to our own opinion.
 
Leo Walker said:
Yes you have.

I've just been to look out of curiosity, The smaller grey mare was lame at Addington 3 day show last month. You say this yourself. You discussed it wtih Jay and kept going anyway. You stayed and competed her there for the whole show over courses that you refer to as being "huge".

For anyone interested its worth watching her videos with the sound off. When you stop listening to the gushing and start looking at the horses it shows a very different, pretty sad picture.
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The little horse has a vet check up around once every six weeks to check that all is well, not to mention chiros, physios and everything else on top. I would not ride a horse that if a medical professional had told me not to. Why would I do that?
I don’t really know what else I can say, as you clearly think I’m a terrible person who forces lame horses to do a job against their will 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️
 
SwalesSnails said:
That’s exactly how I feel, except I trust his opinion. It’s totally the same, we just trust different people and opinions based on our own judgements and experiences as individuals. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I too agree that some horses are better off being PTS if they are not physically or mentally able to enjoy a job, or simply be a horse in a field. That is why all of my horses are worked under the guidance of fantastic vets, physios, chiropractors, saddlers etc etc.
As for the last statement, that is personal preference, and again we are all entitled to our own opinion.
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I cant really comment on the lameness of horses as i don't know anything about them and have not watched enough to know, i guess when you see horses throwing themselves around its typically a pain response and can be sad to watch someone hang on and work them through when they are so badly telling you they are in pain, this is of course not always the case and i have known a few horses that do just need someone brave to sit tight and work through, these riders capable and brave enough are rare and valuable so its a shame for him with all his obvious talent to have that aspersion cast over and certainly should be perhaps taken into account with your posts that if he is sitting on horses like this that they are fully cleared by vets first.
Personally i would not have any judgement on his history, i know several pro riders with 'chequered' pasts its just not common knowledge and i wouldn't let that affect my decision to hire someone to ride.
 
I have to say a friend had him out and some of his "techniques" were really upsetting (stabling 24/7 for at least a week to name one).

I have followed you on Facebook SwalesSnails and actually I have stopped now as I saw the big grey gelding was lame and extremely uncomfortable at being ridden and its not really changed much if I'm honest.

Of course everyone has their own opinions but genuinely I feel sad that I'm seeing videos of this sort of thing and it feels like a game and is deemed as funny :(
 
Dyllymoo said:
I have to say a friend had him out and some of his "techniques" were really upsetting (stabling 24/7 for at least a week to name one).

I have followed you on Facebook SwalesSnails and actually I have stopped now as I saw the big grey gelding was lame and extremely uncomfortable at being ridden and its not really changed much if I'm honest.

Of course everyone has their own opinions but genuinely I feel sad that I'm seeing videos of this sort of thing and it feels like a game and is deemed as funny :(
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same here.
I also unfollowed on FB as I found it made me quite sad to watch.
I think it was an own goal digging up this thread which had disappeared off under hundreds of others.
 
SwalesSnails said:
I don’t really know what else I can say, as you clearly think I’m a terrible person who forces lame horses to do a job against their will 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️
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On 2 videos you posted you talk about riding lame horses. That poor big grey horse, I'm assuming hes retired now as your partner now has nothing to jump and is looking for rides. I really hope so as the videos of him were heartbreaking.

The most recent one of the rearing mare wasnt nice watching either. You kept your mare at a show and continued to jump her in "huge" classes over 3 days even though she was lame, and you knew she was. Its not me thinking anything. You openly say this. So you are jumping lame horses and I'm pretty sure it is against their will as they are rearing bolt upright to try and scream at you that they arent happy. I'm not sure theres anyway you can spin that to show you in a good light.
 
Leo Walker said:
On 2 videos you posted you talk about riding lame horses. That poor big grey horse, I'm assuming hes retired now as your partner now has nothing to jump and is looking for rides. I really hope so as the videos of him were heartbreaking.

The most recent one of the rearing mare wasnt nice watching either. You kept your mare at a show and continued to jump her in "huge" classes over 3 days even though she was lame, and you knew she was. Its not me thinking anything. You openly say this. So you are jumping lame horses and I'm pretty sure it is against their will as they are rearing bolt upright to try and scream at you that they arent happy. I'm not sure theres anyway you can spin that to show you in a good light.
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Honestly, I normally just observe, but this is just a distortion of the facts and is just bullying of an individual who has been brave enough to come on here to comment. You are entitled to your view but not to be rude surely - as a professional horse person who worked on a 50 horse yard for many years (looking at the videos of the grey mare) I am currently seeing a happy horse who jumped consistent good rounds recently at Discovery level at the end of October - hardly "huge". The rider is clearly doing something right with what was previously a difficult and suspicious individual. If only I saw more happy horses like that out and about.

For the record I have no connection with any person mentioned on this thread, and don't even live in the UK.
 
How is it a distortion of the facts and bullying? Its quoting what she says herself. The huge is in quotation marks as, again, its what she says herself, that the courses were huge compared to normal heights yet she kept a lame horse there and continued to compete over the huge courses for 3 days. The big grey horse again she openly said he was unsound but she wanted Jay to sort his head out so he was ridden and jumped and continued to be for some time despite being lame.

Anyone is free to go and watch the videos and listen to the commentary, but it would seem that most people dont want to as they find them uncomfortable viewing.
 
brave? to pull up a 4 month dead thread, what an odd thing to say.
But then I'm equally confused when people say 'we all have a past' suggesting everyone has done stuff they shouldn't have (legally) at some point. My past is VERY boring, googleable or not.
 
Like I’ve said above, Jay Johnson would not be sent any of my horses unless it was the final straw before a bullet (but to be honest I’d probably go straight to the bullet!)

I glanced at the blog of the grey horses when this thread was first made and it grated on me and was never going to be something I’m interested in following.

I’ve just gone and watched the rounds at Addington 22-24 October expecting it to be uncomfortable viewing. I have to say Leo Walker, I don’t see what you are saying. The horse didn’t appear unduly lame/unhappy and produced reasonable rounds. Room for improvement, for sure (but that applies to pretty much everyone).
 
I don't know JJ but I can vouch for Michael Peace. I sent a very talented 4yr old DWB to him for consolidation training. It was the best investment in her future ever, he adored her and she adored him so much that I felt guilty taking her back home. The lessons he gave me were lightbulb moments. He makes everything seem so simple.
 
Who knew that the Horse and Hound Forum is a bitchier place than Facebook! I simply came on here to explain what Jay does and how he works to people who haven’t had first hand experience of his work. Instead I have been ripped apart for the work I’ve done with my own horses. Maybe instead of criticising everyone else from an anonymous internet profile, your time would be better spent improving your own skills 🤷🏼‍♀️
 
The phrase 'learned helplessness' springs to my mind when I watch Jay's vids. It's really sad and one of the biggest mistakes we can make for our horses is making them feel helpless... like no matter how much they tell us they're in pain, we won't listen, so in the end you get a numb horse saying 'what's the point' and doing everything you wish like a robot as it's easier than telling us something is wrong.
 
bucksdaphne said:
Hi Jai/Jay Johnson difficult/dangerous horse trainer applaud or avoid??
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Hi this is too every body on here that has these negative comments about Jay Johnson from Fastrack pro horse breaking. Firstly none of you know mr Johnson as a person or understand his work properly! This man risks his life too save horses lives!! Hes not trying too look big or too do it for Ego! Mr Johnson went threw alot as a child, he ended up in the famous children’s home in Liverpool strawberry fields. 1970-1984.

Him and his brother had over 15 different foster Parents in this Time. Mr and Mrs Johnson came along who were horsey. The frosted Mr Johnson has his brother that’s how Mr Johnson got into horses. My foster Parents let compete under John Johnson as a child to protect him from his real family. He’s always been known in horse job since a child as John Johnson and when He got out of prison He change my name out of respect for his foster parents.

At the age of nine Mr Johnson as a young child was caught by his foster mother Mrs Johnson trying to hang him self, For years Mr Johnson as a young child took endless Overdoses and always ended up in hospital and never stop self harming threw his teenage years! Thats why the tattoos!

Mr Johnson as a young Boy turned to the horses when things got bad, Horses saved his life. So Mr Johnson will always be in debt to horses that’s why he does what he does today. Mr Johnson Is also a professional showjumper But risk his life from week to week saving horses it’s a love and the passion he as for horses.

Mr Johnson at a very young age did get into trouble (1998) for fighting he end up going to prison. He was sticking up for a friend in the car park. At the end of the day there is no excuse for what i did, but any of you would stick up for your best friend, if they were being attacked!

As for mr Johnson being on the Run he was on a day Release and had broken the License rules by being late so decided to let the police find him because he was going to go back to jail in anyway. He has now paid for his mistake, I have been with him on many Jobs now and watch this guy work his magic! He He is so passionate and loving towards all the horses he is nothing but a true professional at what he does. It has took him over 30 years to understand the psychology of a horse that’s why he can do the work he does in four days. No one cries about Monty Roberts doing it in a day so I don’t know what the problem is.

He get amazing results for horses and clients. all the Safety gear he wears is because hes rode more dangerous horses than you guys have seen hot dinners!, been smashed too bits. Mr Johnson is a true professional and make sure these horses are physically right before he rides them. Please have some respect He saves endless Horses lives a year! And helps so many of his clients get there horses back.
 
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