I’ll start with the very simple and first part of our name, Jockey. We used the word Jockey for my mare Sky who had previously been a racehorse, I didn’t want to use her name in the brand name but wanted to represent her as she was my heart horse and is the reason I started the brand.
Then for Jill…
So many people ask me who Jill is, if I’m Jill, or if there is a Jill. Obviously, you all know that my name is not Jill, but I’d like to tell you where Jill come from and what the name means to us.
When I was little my mum used to read me stories that she used to read when she was a little girl, they were about a little girl in the mid-20th century who had a huge passion for horses and riding, she moved to the countryside with her mum and was lucky enough to get herself a pony.
The stories follow the tails of all the adventure she got up to with her ponies, including then getting a second pony, and all the competitions she did. Although the books are set long before me and my mum were both alive and that the world that Jill lived in and the world, we live in now are so different, we all have the same passion.
I recently discovered that a new author (Jemma Spark) had started writing about Jills adventures into her late teens, and it was amazing to read the stories again about a girl who wasn’t too far off my age who had a big passion for horses, as I do.
It just goes to show that although there’s all these new gadgets, all new ways to do things, exciting new products, clothing, and training methods. The underlying love for these animals is timeless.
I would highly recommend trying to get your hands on the old Ruby Ferguson books, and definitely on Jemma’s books. They are such light-hearted books that you can enjoy at any stage of your life!