About

Jan  Brons was born on June 2nd, 1964 in Vlaardingen, Holland. He lived an average childhood free of having to worry about going into a certain career.

His parents were very easygoing and allowed Jan to pursue in whatever interests he had without feeling like he was forced to do it. He took control of his interests and at the age of eleven with slight encouragement of his mother to do some sort of activity, Jan began horse riding lessons.

With this passion budding, Jan would find himself staying afternoons at the stables in hopes of having another lesson with his instructor when someone failed to show up. This along with his other hobbies such as writing kept Jan busy during his childhood.

When Jan wasn’t at the stables or playing with his pets he found himself writing because he felt as if it was an activity that was highly involved and allowed him to express himself fully.

While in his sophomore year in high school, Jan clearly remembers the time at which he decided to become serious with equestrian riding. Then, after high school, it was already evident that young Jan wanted to seriously continue his passion with horses and enrolled in an equestrian school where he would spend the next twelve years training under Robert Dover who he owes to his successful career. Robert Dover pushed Jan to become the best he could in his field.

Jan stated that throughout his career, it has not been just one person who has influenced or inspire him to be the person he is. He has been inspired by a collected of people who train hard and put in a lot of time or effort into their life and work.

That is the type of mindset that Jan has adopted in his life and would like to continue working to be like the people who inspire him- hardworking and passionate.

Over the years Jan has lived in Holland, the Hamptons in Long Island, Nashville and West Palm Beach. He is truly grateful that his work has allowed him to come from overseas and set up his life in America to which he now has a flourishing business that he takes pride in.

Upon discussion it is clear to see that Jan enjoys visiting and taking his business to other states to help accommodate his clients.  Jan sees this as a trait that makes him different in his line of work.  His willingness to travel, to go to meet clients on the off season, or going to an event to help assist in those who hire him are things that set apart Jan’s business in comparison to others that may be similar in nature.

Jan takes pride in that when choosing his business, clients know that there is no third party or secondary trainer that interacts with clients or the horses. All training is done by Jan himself to ensure that the results of the clientele are always satisfactory.  Jan has no interest in hiring another person to assist him in training to keep the results of his work constant.

Nothing not even his own work could stop Jan in doing what he wants to do in life. He states that, “If I really wanted to do something, I could do it, nothing holds me back. That is the benefit of being your own boss.” Since he is his own boss, Jan decides how many clients to take in every season.  During the winter the max amount of horses he will take in are no more than 18, while he will take no more than 12 students. However during the summer he will only take between four or five horses as their riders come and go throughout the summer. Training mostly occurs during the winter when the weather is cooler and horse show season is in effect.

New students are usually recommended by previous students who have worked with Jan previously. It is with these recommendations that Jan is able to evaluate the situation with the horse and then work with his clients. As clients grow increasingly comfortable through their lessons, riders will see their progress through results in horse shows. With progress comes a demand for a harder work ethic to help these riders to obtain their goals through which they seek in taking lessons.

JB Dressage takes pride on the one on one lessons that they offer and it is through the satisfaction of riders who have trained under Jan that they recommend to others his training services. It is through word of mouth or the results of horse shows that JB Dressage spreads the word of the quality of the work put into their clientele and horses.

Training with Jan as an amateur rider will be like taking gradual steps on a ladder, working on one item at a time to ensure both the comfort and safety of horse and rider. There are basics that must be taught before riders can expect to further their training and experience. Once they are at a certain point in their training where they are comfortable and showing progress in what they learned they will then be introduced new material. Riders who are already experienced will be expected to know the basics and will be pushed to learn new items more quickly than those with less experience.

It is Jan’s job to teach a rider recognize how to properly reward a horse and create a balance that is beneficial for the relationship of the horse and rider. It is through teaching his riders a proper reward system for horses that they will build a relationship with their horse and be able to accomplish goals in their riding.

Jan also focuses on the needs of both his students and horses, adjusting training regimens to accompany either the rider’s needs or the horses’ needs as necessary to keep everyone safe. A priority at JB Dressage is the safety and comfort of both the riders and the horses during training.

It is important as a rider to maintain a healthy lifestyle and upkeep personal fitness as it allows riders to maintain control over their body and sustain their balance all while enhancing the rider’s ability to give their horse proper aids while riding. It is recommended to exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle to enhance your training experience.

Jan wants to make it known to his students that it is important to not be worried or stressed at horse shows by thinking they will not win.  Jan believes that, “Not getting the results you expected”, is a great opportunity to discover your potential, try to learn from mistakes that are made and figure out where improvement is needed.

After a tiresome or stressful day, Jan enjoys relaxing in front of a television, taking a jog, watching videos online or going to the gym. To him, an ideal morning day would be waking up at six a.m., having a nice breakfast reading the paper and taking his time to start his day. At work if a stressful situation comes up, he never loses his composure.  Jan likes to stick to the mindset of, “What’s work is work, and doesn’t follow me home.” Describing himself as an introvert, Jan enjoys his free time at home and would like to travel to the west coast to visit places like Oregon or Washington State.