Jake is 31 years old and has worked at the same job for about two decades.
Walking around in circles and patiently standing still for long periods of time are part of his job description.
And when they tried to retire Jake, it almost broke his heart.
Jake is a Palomino quarter horse Morgan and he is part of the school horse program run by Susie Palley, a member of the Prince George Horse Society, at the Agriplex. Palley has run the program since 1992.
Leslie Battersby is Jake’s owner and growing up in Vancouver she had always dreamed of owning a horse.
“But instead I got horse wallpaper,” Battersby laughed.
“So when we were married, my husband gave me Jake as an anniversary gift, and he said to me ‘just get it out of your system.’ He thought I would have a horse and after a few years I’d get out of it but I’ve had Jake for the last 25 years. My husband always says Jake was the best anniversary gift he ever bought me because Jake has brought so much joy and love into my life.”
Battersby said Jake has the ideal temperament to be part of the school horse program.
“Jake has always been gentle, and doesn’t do anything crazy, doesn’t spook and because he’s been around little kids, he knows what to do and he knows his job and he’s just a good horse,” Battersby said.
In the school horse program Jake is used as the beginner’s horse.
“He has a wonderful positive forward gait,” Palley said. “And he’s able to take kids who are maybe a little bit scared or nervous and give them the calmness and understanding to be able to start to work with a horse. He’s taught more than 120 kids to feel confident on a horse.”
There have been circumstances where Jake has helped heal people who have been injured, as well.
“I will do a bit of a rehabilitation program with the rider so it doesn’t become the elephant in the closet for them,” Palley said.
There have been people, for example, who have ridden in Mexico and been injured, she added.
“And Jake will give them the confidence to ride again,” Palley said. “Jake is a fantastic horse. Having the school horse program for 30 plus years, I generally do not leave horses in the program for 18 years because it’s a very difficult job. It’s an emotional job and physically draining because they are teaching somebody who doesn’t have the balance to be on top of him. But Jake has such a spark for it.”
They tried to retire Jake about five years ago and it almost broke his heart, Palley added. Jake's decline took place when his duties were taken away.
“His health was failing because he didn’t have all the kids around him and he didn’t have all the love,” Palley said.
“The Agriplex is very special and for a horse to come in every day, and we brush them and we love them and we feed and we give them cookies and then when we pulled Jake away from that there was a negative reaction.”
When Palley realized what has happening to Jake he was brought into the fray once again but this time with a lighter work load.
Now he’s the horse that children learn to ride with and then they move on to another horse to gain more skill, Palley explained.
“Jake will canter you around this whole arena until he can’t,” Palley said about the big-hearted horse.
“But because we are aware of that and we know what his limitations are that have come with age, we structure his weekly work program to that. He has days off, he has days where he spends time in the arena with a horse friend, and days we call ‘some groomin’ and some lovin’ up’.”
Battersby said Jake is an icon in Prince George.
Palley has a group of riders who call themselves 'Susie's Girls'.
“I’ll be out in the community and I will see a sweatshirt with Jake on the back of those sweatshirts that say ‘Susie’s Girls’ on the sleeve, and I’ll think – ‘they must ride Jake'.” Battersby smiled.
“It’s nice to share him with people, it gives me great joy knowing people are learning to ride with Jake.”
“And when Leslie hears that someone is learning to canter with Jake, because that’s one of the hardest things a rider can learn, she’ll come down and sit in the stands to cheer them on,” Palley smiled.
“It’s because I am living the dream through the kids,” Battersby laughed.
