Introduce yourself

I’m Jenny Jones, I’m 47, and originally from St Albans in Hertfordshire. Horses entered my bloodstream when I was 5, and have circulated my body ever since!

Aged 14 my family moved to Bournemouth where I worked in my mum’s Post Office and General Store. We also got our first ponies then, two rescue New Forest yearlings, who were with us until the ages of 27 and 30.

After school I started a full-time live-in job at the local riding school, my dream being to become an instructor and ride dressage. I got as far as BHSAI, PTT and Riding 3, and NVQ L3 in horse care, management and riding with additional business section, before a back injury forced me to end my professional career. The sheer heavy work in a riding school with 120 boxes had taken it's toll, and the GP said if I didn't stop, I could be in a wheelchair by the time I was 30.

I was devastated, but at least I still had my ponies at home. Being a bit of a petrol head and loving teaching, I decided to become a driving instructor at 23, becoming the youngest female on the register, and with a pass rate within the top 5% nationwide!

Six years later I then went to Egypt, and overcame a water phobia to train as a PADI Divemaster and work as a dive guide in the Red Sea – it was either that or bar work! Returning to the UK, I then trained as a Life Coach and Dog Behaviour Coach, then in 2011 I bought a pet shop in Cornwall as I badly needed to work with animals again, and I introduced a second-hand equestrian department as I was missing the connection.

Tell us about Hall Barton organic farm

I met my partner 12 years ago. He’s a 3^rd generation organic farmer on two farms, one family owned, and the other as a Duchy tenant, Soil Association certified in 2000. When Covid arrived I became full time on the farm, and that was it, I became an organic farmer! We supply organic beef and lamb to Riverford, and organic barley which goes into milling or animal feeds.

I absolutely love it. Working with the cattle, sheep (including several pet sheep), the chickens (all rescues through the British Hen Welfare Trust), and my horses of course, I’m living the dream! It’s a 14-hour day, 365 days a year, so yes, it’s hard work, but for me it’s not work, it’s a lifestyle.

Our two farms are Hall Barton and Waylands, just 3-miles apart in the beautiful East Cornwall countryside just outside Looe with stunning sea views across Talland Bay. We farm 450 acres across both farms, and I run the Hall Barton Camping and Shepherd’s Huts on the family farm, which has been running for around 35 years. We have 5 hook-ups, the Shepherd’s Hut and the Pig Pod. Over on Waylands we also have a holiday cottage which is situated right in the middle of the farm, which proves very popular as our guests are surrounded by the cattle, sheep and horses.

What’s unique about it?

We’re one of two organic beef and lamb suppliers in Cornwall for Riverford Organic Farmers nationwide veg box scheme.

Also, in February 2023 I came across Zeolite, an incredible natural mineral which I’ve been detoxing with. It effectively removes heavy metals and pollutants from the body that we  absorb on a daily basis. I was so impressed with the difference it made to me that I became the sole UK supplier for Zeo Natural, an Australian family-run company. Their zeolite, dating back 305-million years, is also the only one I could find that is Organic Certified, so I knew it was the one for me. I'm so excited to share this knowledge and offer their products to the UK.

We have a FB group called Zeo Natural UK for interested people to join and learn more about it - https://m.facebook.com/groups/1697624500735499/?ref=share

Who and where are your customers?

Our customers come from all over the world. They read all our 5-star reviews, and because we’re small and intimate our guests know they’re going to get a peaceful, quiet, relaxing holiday, and that’s why they keep coming back.

I love helping our guests have a fantastic holiday with us - meeting everyone brings really interesting conversations and lots of laughter. They tell me they want to come back year after year, saying they don’t want to tell their friends about us in case they can’t get booked in because we’re full!

Future plans?

Our future is to continue with our cattle and sheep; we’ve increased our suckler herd of organic Herefords, while reducing our flock down to 34, which includes the breeding stock, rams, and my pets and retired sheep. Our campsite and holiday accommodation is just right for what we can manage ourselves. We don’t employ anyone, we run everything ourselves. Then of course, I have my horse and two ponies who are my world.

(which links us nicely to ... ) Your horses

I’m the proud owner of Chumley, a rising 10yr old rescued DHP; Santos, another rescue DHP, rising 4, and Matilda, who is rising 3 and a Cluffolk! Aka a Suffolk Punch x Cleveland Bay (it’s not a registered breed!). Matilda is going to be my next riding horse, whom I’ll be backing myself when she’s 6, at least. I’ve raised her since she was 5 months old, and she currently stands at approximately 16.1hh, so she’s a big girl in every way!

Why do you buy from EquiNatural? 

My EquiNatural journey started about 7 years ago, when my last dancing partner, my beautiful Dutch Warmblood, Vico, got diagnosed with navicular. Deciding to take him through barefoot rehab was the start of a very long, but very exciting journey, but little did I realise just how much of an impact this was going to have, not just for him, but for me also.

Diet, diet, diet, along with all the other key elements of rehab, was how I heard about EquiNatural. I was initially looking for a balancer to help Vico’s barefoot transition, and was on the look out for what was going to give him the very best. I wasn’t interested in who had the biggest presence online, or the biggest number of followers. I was only interested in the important details - what’s in it.

What do you buy from EquiNatural and how do you use it?

EquiNatural's certified organic herbs drew me in, and exploring their website was a revelation – what a find that was! The depth of information, articles, blogs, the science, the biology, how all the systems function, it just made perfect sense to me and I knew I could learn so much here.

When you see the products, you can just tell the pureness and quality of them. My late WB thrived on EquiVita, as do all my horses, living on a track system with a hay-only diet, although Matilda gets a few hours on grass as well.

Chumley is a complicated soul, having been rescued off the moors and didn’t get a good start. Every day my little Chum has her favourite ‘gloop’ of MetaTonic and DuoBute that I syringe in, and she can’t get enough of it! We’ve seen remarkable improvements with her leukocyte levels normalising, she’s lost weight, she’s softer throughout her body, more relaxed, and so much happier in herself. When she hears me shaking the bottles to measure it out into the cup, she’ll walk over to the shed and stand at the door waiting for it - it’s her special time and she knows it, her special treatment.

Matilda’s also had the BioCare as a natural antibiotic, and the SiboCARE for hindgut discomfort. Little Chum had a liver, kidneys, and lymphatics cleanse with the LKLCARE when I first got her. An annual detox with OptimaCARE and Wildfed enrichment are part of their routine, along with DuoBute in the cupboard for when they need it. They love their herbs!

Carol is my go-to every time. Honestly, I’d be lost without her now, and my horses wouldn’t be so happy, healthy, and look so well, because there’s no other company like EquiNatural.

Is organic/provenance important to you?

I’ve always been mindful to avoid chemical-based products/foods etc, and certainly as an organic farmer, using organic products is very important to me, as is knowing where those products have come from. It’s really important to us here that we know how our livestock have lived and what they’ve been fed on. We also grow our own fruit and veg in season.

How have you seen the horse world change?

During my training almost 30 years ago, there was very much an ‘old school’ mentality of “This is how we’ve always done it”, and sadly so many still keep doing what they’ve always done.

It doesn’t mean it’s right. Horses had a very different purpose years ago. They’ve gone from our transport and working the land etc, to more recreational and competitive, with welfare being sacrificed for ego, money, and reputation. We all know that there are some serious welfare issues within the equestrian world going on right now in all disciplines.

Fortunately, there’s now ongoing research focusing on pain indicators, the use of gadgets, riding practices, the age that young horses are being started, and the young horse’s skeletal development. Thankfully there’s a positive shift happening and it’s long overdue.

When I was teaching full time, everyone also seemed so obsessed with how the horse’s ‘frame’ looked when ridden. Even then, I was more interested in focusing on the rider to make the horse’s job easier. Since taking Vico through barefoot rehab, this completely changed my focus for life, teaching me the importance of prioritising the horse’s welfare and happiness over riding, and putting their needs first.

We must always stay open, quiet, listen, observe, absorb, engage, connect, trust, respect, give, to enable horses to show us what they want to say and how they’re feeling. It’s all there, if we just pay attention.

Who’s your favourite equine guru, and why?

This has to be the one and only Tristan Tucker, of TRT Method, aka Brett Kidding! Since joining his online training program, Matilda has become a completely different horse. I love the fact that the majority of his training is groundwork. I love the fact that it’s not about us trying to control our horses. When you’ve got a 600kg+ horse wanting to do their own thing or going into flight mode, you have no chance trying to control them! However, when you teach your horse how to control themselves in response to external pressures, this is where it becomes so easy.

As owners, it is our job to be the greatest mentors for them, to guide them and show them how clever and capable they are. TRT is not only a great training method for our horses, it’s also an amazing method for us to become aware of ourselves and our own behaviours.

I’ve backed horses over the years in the old-fashioned way, and I now look back and cringe. If anything, over the last 10 years, I’ve un-learned as much, if not more, than what I was taught. Every day when I’m with my horses, I take that moment to realise and appreciate just how lucky I am.

What’s your favourite drink – a cuppa or something long and cool?

My favourite drink is the cuppa I wake up to every morning. It’s a combination of two herbal teas, YogiTeas Feel Pure with Lemon,   Dandelion & Liquorice, and Pukka's Three Ginger with Galangal & Turmeric, then I add in organic ground shatavari, ashwagandha, and more liquorice. It’s so refreshing and gives me a lot more energy to get going than a coffee!

Who knew?! Tell us one unusual fact about you 😉

Hmmmm. So about 20 years ago I was the Assistant Manager of a hotel where the then Prince William would come regularly for dinner with his friends. I was waiting on them for the evening and at the end of the night, having consumed a bottle of Courvoisier VSOP between them in the lounge bar, I was given about 12 cards to make payment. They were having a bit of fun with me, asking if I knew who people were (which of course I didn’t) which they found highly funny. So I thought two can play at that game!

When it came to the last guest’s payment, I entered the card into the machine and put in the amount. Fortunately back in those days there was always a delay while the machine was connecting to the server, so I looked at the chap and said “I’m ever so sorry sir, do you have another card?”

Well, his face was a picture, chin on the floor. Then the receipt started spewing out, so I ripped his copy off, took the card out, handed it back to him and said “Only joking!” Needless to say they all found it very funny!

As he’s now our Landlord at Waylands Farm, I’ll be looking forward to our next visit from him where I’ll enoy reminding him of that evening!

Oh, and a useless piece of trivia about me - I'm also an alcohol licensee! 

Final word?

I love coaching, opening people’s minds to new things, learning and developing new skills. And have happy horses! And happy guests! And happy livestock! Oh, and I suppose I’d better add a happy OH! 😂

I’m all about keeping life natural, using our earth's natural supplies to keep healthy. I also believe everything in life happens for a reason. Stay true to yourself, follow your passion, do what feels right for you regardless of what everyone else is doing. Trust your gut instinct, your inner guide. That’s my philosophy anyway. It has taken me 47 years to get to this point though, and I’m not finished yet, I’ll never be finished…

Links

Hall Barton Organic Farm Camping & Shepherds Hut - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054252110099

airbnb.com/h/cornwallfarmholidays
 
Ploughmans Cottage, Waylands Farm

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/43957638?guests=1&adults=1&viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76&fbclid=IwAR0Ys9rO07oyOSxBVR3HWft12xKC_rC8YCvmm5w48n4KFD0oyBlUynEwRL0&source_impression_id=p3_1705761070_45CgzZAHWbcAviXa

Zeo Natural UK - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1697624500735499