Our Trainer | Durham Equestrian Club

Jenny grew up riding in California beginning on the local circuit and showing all the way through the Big Equitation. As a junior she qualified for all of California's major medal finals with notable wins in the NorCal Equitation Classic and SNHSA 2’6” & 3ft Medal Finals. After years of competing in the equitation and jumpers as a junior, Jenny went to college at Sweet Briar College in Virginia where she rode on every riding team available at the time -- showing on the IHSA, ANRC Novice & National, "A" and "B" Show, and Field Teams. She rode for her teams at ANRC Nationals twice where her scores helped Sweet Briar win the 2014 ANRC Novice Championship. She also won the SBC and Randolph Medal Finals aboard Sweet Briar horses. While she majored in English & Creative Writing, she also has an Equine Certificate with a concentration in Teaching and Schooling.

Her real passion, though, lies in teaching. Jenny has dedicated herself to helping riders achieve their goals and reach their full potential. After graduating from college Jenny went on to manage a 40 horse program at St. Timothy's School in Baltimore, Maryland where she oversaw the daily care and welfare of all horses on the property. Jenny also taught lessons to students ranging in age from 5-75 and in skill
from never-touched-a-horse-before all the way through to riders participating in the Junior
Hunters, Big Equitation, and 1.05 jumpers all over the East Coast. Jenny's riders have shown at
prestigious locations such as WEC Florida & Ohio, Vermont Summer Festival, Capital
Challenge, Devon, GLEF, Harrisburg, and more. Her student's accolades range from IEA
walk/trot National qualifiers to local association year end award winners to Children's & Junior
Hunter Finals qualifiers and everything in between.

Through Jenny's use of the American Forward Riding System, riders are able to develop
a strong foundation of skills and techniques that allow them to excel in the show ring. With a
focus on developing and improving a horse's natural way of going, Jenny works tirelessly to help
riders build confidence and improve their flatwork skills, in order to develop well rounded riders
able to excel in whatever ring they step into.

Some of Jenny's highlights include:

Jenny was the winner of the BCHSA Transglobal Trainer of the Year Award in 2022.
Coaching the Champion JHC/ANRC Junior Nationals Novice Team 4 years in a row & the Champion ANRC Jr. National Team in 2022.
She also coached the MHSA Regional Jr. Equitation Champion on four separate occasions, the MHSA Low Children’s Medal Finals Winner in 2018, and the MHSA Children's Pony Medal Finals Winner in 2022.
Jenny coached the Champion of the BCHSA Short-Stirrup, Pre-Adult, and Adult Medal Finals in 2021 & the winner of the Jr. Pony Medal Finals in 2022.
She has helped qualify numerous students for IEA Nationals including a rider who earned 2nd place honors in the Open Flat.

Contact

Trainer

Carly Parent

Carly is an assistant trainer at DEC with a solid background in both hunt seat and dressage. She is equally passionate about training the horses in her care, developing her students at DEC, and taking the team to compete in horse shows.

She is a 2021 graduate of Saint Andrews University with a BA in Business Administration with a specialization in Equine Business. While at college she was a member of the IHSA Hunt Seat team for 4 years, the IHSA Western team for 2 years, the IDA Dressage for 2 years, the ANRC team, and the Show Team. As a premiere equine facility in the region, with over 120 horses, the IHSA and IDA teams hosted many regular season, regional, and zone competitions. Though COVID-19 did disrupt team competitions junior and senior year, she was able to compete at ANRC nationals her sophomore year and won the Novice Horsemanship Test, and was ale to compete at IHSA regionals and zones her sophomore year. She was also able to travel and show her mare, Alpine's Ruby, at C and A rated shows in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Carly discovered her love of working with youth as an instructor in YMCA Camp Seafarers Horseback Riding Program in 2019 and as the Director of the Horseback Riding Program in 2021 and 2022.

In the 2021 and 2022 camp off-season, she sharpened her dressage skills working as the assistant trainer to USDF Gold Medalist Susie Wiedman at Encore Sporthorse in Sanford, NC. Carly and her mare Alpine's Ruby are working towards earning their USDF Bronze Medal.

Carly joined DEC in March of 2023. She and her dog Gronk are enjoying supporting the horses and students of DEC in achieving their riding goals and showing off their skills in competition!

Trainer

Katie Jaworski

Assistant trainer Katie Jaworski is a lifelong equestrian from New Jersey with background in the Hunter Jumpers, western pleasure/games, and Pony Club. She is currently expanding her dressage skills, and looks forward to stepping into that arena in the coming year her pony Sutton.

She has been riding and training for over 20 years, and started her equestrian career serving as a working student for fox hunting and hunter jumper farms in her hometown of Red Bank, NJ. She worked and trained under Mimi Kesselmen of Hidden Hollow Farms until she retired and then went on to be a working student and pony rider for Jody Lancaster at Lancaster Equestrian. There, alongside Jody’s daughters she helped start their show and lesson program schooling and showing the ponies and assistant taught the popular pony camp. She competed in pony hunters, baby greens and hunter paces. Under Jody, Katie learned a lot about Welsh Ponies and developed a passion for the breed.

Before heading off to college in the summer of 2012, she won Monmouth County’s Scallywag Pony Derby aboard Dazzle. At Rider University she rode on the IHSA team and participated in Pony Club.

She has served as the head trainer and stable manager for Edgewood Stables, stable manager for Last Chance Ranch and warmed up horses and ponies for IEA shows throughout NJ and PA. She holds a masters in plant biology from Rutgers where her concentration was in natural products and human health. She spent time researching and analysing animal behavior as part of natural product development studies for humans and animals.

Since moving to NC two years ago she has taught lessons and camps locally around the triangle at Hunter jumper and eventing barns and put training rides on horses and ponies for lesson and therapeutic programs.

Katie is passionate about helping riders build confidence in and out of the saddle and instilling sportsmanship between our equine partners and fellow riders. She emphasizes safety, horsemanship and fun. Katie is also a certified yoga teacher and incorporates yoga philosophy, poses and body awareness in her lessons.