From Ballet to Barn: How One Horsewoman Found Strength, Grace, and Unbreakable Bonds

From Ballet to Barn: How One Horsewoman Found Strength, Grace, and Unbreakable Bonds

Must Love Horses interviews Jesstine Yost

From her first day at the barn trading ballet slippers for breeches, Jess Yost found more than just a hobby — she found her tribe and a place to truly belong. Over 25 years, she’s learned that horses teach strength isn’t just physical, and grace is never a weakness. Her proudest moments include patiently teaching a strong-willed horse to cross water despite countless setbacks and transforming a terrified rescue thoroughbred from feral to fearless.

The secret to success? Never giving up, leaning on a supportive community, and always trusting her instincts.

"Find a mentor and a community. It will save you from many mistakes and make your journey so much richer."

1. What about horses captured your heart and made you fall in love with them?

As with many Horse Girls, I have been in love with horses for as long as I can remember. I was in a small ballet class when I was 6 or 7 and the instructor's sister always came home from the barn, messy, in her overalls but always smiling. Something about her love of horses captured my childhood heart. After a few weeks of incessantly bugging my parents about taking horse riding lessons,  they talked with the sister, and just like that I traded in my leotard for breeches and never looked back. I remember my first day at the barn. My mom, not a horse person at all, bless her, was a little out of place, but from the second I stepped in the barn I felt at home. I was enamored with the smells and sounds, the fuzzy muzzles sticking over barn doors and knickers as I was shown around. My instructor was a girl just a few years older than me, maybe 15, and she didn't just give me riding lessons, but gave me horse lessons.

Cleaning tack, mucking stalls, routine vet care, we even practiced how to fall off before I could trot and canter indepently. Everyday at the barn left me fulfilled but wanting more. Barney and Kiley, an old appy and a beautifully talented Connemara, the first two horses I ever rode, embodied everything I wanted to be as a little girl: strong and brave yet graceful and peaceful. The way the horses let me not only ride them, but be in their space gave me a feeling I really can't describe and one that has stuck with me for the past 25 years. I wasn't a girly girl, I had brothers and was on the extreme end of being a Tomboy.

In reality, looking back, I think horses showed me that strength didn't have to be masculine and having grace wasn't weakness. You could be tough and durable yet graceful and loving and I think that subconscious realization is probably what has drawn me to horses my entire life. Horses were the first place I ever felt like really "fit in". 

2. In your experience, what’s the most fulfilling moment or accomplishment you’ve had while working with horses?

Wow, I am really not sure how to pinpoint the most fulfilling moment or accomplishment. I am blessed to own three horses and have had the opportunity to work with a handful more through a local rescue. My two geldings are as different in temperament as two horses can be. My Arab quarter horse, Indie, is strong willed and opinionated. He was a bit of a spasm when he came into my life as a green broke 5 year old. When I bought him all I was told was that he bucks, but something about his eye captured my soul and I just had to have him. We have been through a lot together, in the horse world and just in life in general. I trust him with my life. He is my Dressage and jumping partner but also my trail partner and over the years, through training we never hit a roadblock as concrete as WATER! I was taking him on a trip to Wyoming for Cowgirl Camp and was told he had to be able to cross water. I jokingly say that I have done hard things, I have run a full marathon, I have summited Mt Rainer, but getting Indie to willingly walk into and now easily cross streams and rivers is the accomplishment I am the most proud of with him. There were many days I thought it would never happen. I literally spent hours at river banks and streams to get nowhere except maybe one hoof touching water and a face streaked with tears in frustration. Much like the end of my marathon is a blur of pain and exhaustion, I don't really recall how I eventually got indie into water, except that we didn't give up, and we kept at it week after week. It wasn't really until I was at the aforementioned cowgirl camp, in a line of 15 horses, out on a wilderness trail that we came across a stream and he had to go forward. Admittedly, we jumped over the first few, but eventually, with perseverance and watching other horses ahead of us cross, he began to less frantically cross and by the end of the weekend he was walking through water like he was never adamantly against it in the first place. I still take every chance I get to get him into water to make sure we never end up crying and snorting by a river bank again but it sure feels good to cross through deep water with him. 

Dublin, my rescue thoroughbred, came to me from a kill pen at the age of 2, two days before being shipped to slaughter, completely feral and terrified of humans. Honestly, I had no business buying him, for the price of his meat. He was dangerous, and scary. It took me over a month to even touch his nose. A month of round penning daily. It took a solid three years and 3 screws in my right elbow for him to be safe to be around. My elementary aged neighbors now ride him and he has carried me through trails in 5 states and has started his career as an eventing horse. He went from terrified and frantic, to bold and brave. He soars over jumps for me and carried my husband on 9 days of rugged southern Utah trails on our honeymoon. I used to be utterly scared to be in a stall with him. He is big (well bigger than my little arab) and powerful and he used to be so reactive. Now his power is my favorite attribute of his. He is so gentle around babies and loves attention. watching him transform completely is hands down the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced in my life. 

3. For someone just starting their journey with horses, what’s the first piece of advice you would give them to ensure a successful and enjoyable experience?

Find a mentor and a community! When I got back into horses after a 10 year hiatus of highschool, college and grad school, I didn't know any horse people and bought my first horse on craigslist, as mentioned, knowing nothing more than his age and that he bucked and then shortly after brought home Dublin from the Kill pen. I didn't know anything. Looking back over the last 8.5 years of horse ownership, I have learned an immense amount, but had I had a mentor, a lot of dangerous situations could have been avoided, and there likely would have been more trial, less error. I am now fortunate to have a truly wonderful horse community full of resources thanks largely to Cowgirl Camp and meeting some amazing horsewomen as well as connecting with and volunteering at the local rescue as well as a non-horse husband who has fully jumped in to the horse world and encouraged and aided me to pursue all my horse girl dreams. 

4. If you could sit down for a conversation with any horseman or horsewoman—past or present—who would it be and why? 

If I could sit down with any horseman It would be TIk Maynard. His book, In the Middle are the Horsemen, was pivotal in shaping my adult horse ownership years. As I mentioned, I didn't have a mentor when I started out and his book talks about his journey of horsemanship. He was able to learn something from everyone, no matter the discipline and curated his own education across a wide range of equestrians from German Dressage instructors to working ranchmen and has always kept communicating with the horse and the horse's best interest at the forefront of his equestrian career. 

This journey is a testament to the unbreakable bond horses inspire — a relationship built on patience, trust, and love. Whether it’s a challenging stream or a frightened rescue horse, the key is to never give up and surround yourself with people who lift you up. For anyone starting out, remember: your path with horses is uniquely yours, but you don’t have to walk it alone. Thank you, Jesstine!

Welcome back to Must Love Horses. Here’s to learning about each other's love for horses. I hope you join the blog's journey ahead. Check out more interviews:

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