The breaking-in guru

Jay Johnson on learning from his time behind bars and how he’s repaying horses for saving his life

- Jay Johnson

Never in a million years did I imagine as a child I’d be doing this; backing horses and working with difficult ones. I was in a children’s home and, in five years, had nearly 20 foster homes; my brother and I went through a lot. Then, my last foster parents came along with horses. Everything we had was unbacked or difficult and that’s how it started.

Horses saved my life – I owe everything to them and my parents. I used to self-harm, took overdoses, but I would go and cry to the horses, and that’s what saved me. That’s why I’m so passionate about what I do.

All horses are completely different but you have to outsmart them. It’s a psychological game, but a horse is what you make it. Treat it like a brat and it will become one, treat it like a horse and it will take you to the end of the earth. I love them and am fascinated by them, and you never stop learning.