Rachel Jessop, a native of New Zealand, first came to the US with a strong desire to better understand how she might seek a path to compete at the highest levels of eventing while learning to master the fine art of starting and training horses for her personal use. That changed dramatically when she entered a mentored horse development teaching program and began the transformation to the path she now walks as a master trainer for horses with humans.  And while she trains with motivation that came from having unhappy and resistant horses, her training is in the direct style of master horseman like Ray Hunt and Tom and Bill Dorrance, along with other contemporaries well known for their horse development skills.  Her education is one of a personal and dedicated journey to learning how to get a real and solid  connection with horses at a higher  level.  No over flexing at the poll, contact and collection only when  solid self-carriage is achieved, creating rhythmical steps with swing and elasticity and to her, the most important element- seeking and achieving relaxation in every gait. It has been and continues to be a demanding and exhilarating journey in her view.  As Rachel’s  passion grew, she was compelled  to share the obvious connection she had discovered by becoming a horsemanship coach. She sincerely loves her work – seeing people learn and excel with their horses. And also loves encouraging people to believe in themselves and let the horse be part of that journey.

Rachel has been an integral part of the Horse Development Program evolution at Silverhorne Sporthorse since 2005.  She and husband Don Jessop, also a trainer, started, developed and showed 6 of Silverhorne’s horses for the International Hunter Futurity at Del Mar, presented horses under saddle and mares and foals at Silverhorne’s American Hanoverian Society Inspections and has started the vast majority of  sale horses for the past 13 years.

While living in the USA for the past 20 years, she has achieved, through mentorship and study,  a high degree of horsemanship that she shares with her own horses as well as clients.  She has always been passionate about most all of what she does with horses and people. She is a habitual learner and lives in a constant state of thinking of ways to help horses.  Her enthusiasm, for those lucky enough to land in her orbit, where nothing holds her back, is her gift.

As author of the fictional, Dreams With Horses, Rachel has combined her writing skills, horsemanship, and imagination to share her journey of discovery with her clients and her followers. Rachel lives in Montana with husband Don and 11-year-old daughter Shona.

Ms. Taylor’s life-long passion and empathy for her horses have allowed her to develop strong equine partnerships with Silverhorne’s horses. As head rider, having joined the training and show barn in July of 2015, she focuses exclusively on the development of young horses from the established breeding program. Background coupled with experience in show and training barns under mentorships with Amy Bissell Hess, Gry McFarland,  Lane Clark, Mickey Hayden,  and Jim Hagman’s Orange County based Elvenstar made her an excellent fit with Silverhorne’s focus on horse development- from raising, starting, developing to show ring.

Kelly has furthered her professional development with a well-conceived and mentored ground work program, an innate ability to read a horse and understand how important it is to break it down so he fully understands and walks away from each training session feeling like he’s done things right.  She studies and applies training techniques brought to her by peer professional training sessions.  She has learned the art of how best to achieve reciprocal communication with her equine partners.  Preparation of each horse and attending to the needs of the horse matched very well with the focus of the Silverhorne program; show the horse every consideration, develop good and clear boundaries, break down each step in the training process and make the horse right each step of the way. Kelly’s ability to prepare the well-bred European bloodlines in a way that American clients can succeed with her horses is the hallmark of her and the Silverhorne Horse Development Program.

Growing up on a ranch near Fresno, CA, horses have been a part of Kelly’s life for 25 years. She was introduced to riding at an early age and developed her love for them through means afforded her by her parents: riding to school, showing in all disciplines, learning to ride and jump bareback, and swimming her horses in the Kings river. Growing up with these experiences, she developed a unique and deeply personal relationship her horses where communication came honestly and naturally. Competing began at the age of 5 and while she has experience in many disciplines, her heart remains loyal to show jumping.

A three-year stint as Captain of the UC Irvine Equestrian team, she was the top IHSA rider in the Western Region of the US in 2013. That same year she was awarded the UC Irvine Female Student Club Sport Athlete of the Year and represented the US at a collegiate competition in Europe. At 19 she turned professional.

A graduate of UC Irvine with a B.A. degree in Social Ecology, her focused major has helped in the psychological aspects of successful teaching, learning, and relationships. This combined with heightened horsemanship skills and her ever-growing love for horses has significantly improved her relationships with horses under her care and leadership. Kelly believes that a combination of patience, understanding, communication, and fun create the best learning environment for the horse.