Jenna and Lori Lazar and Tino

                            You'd never know the two horses pictured below were the same horse. "Tino" is an eleven-year-old thoroughbred boarded at Bookmark Farms and owned by Jenna and Lori Lazar. Under a variety of previous owners, Tino raced when he was two, and cross-country evented for a number of years. For a while he worked at a YMCA camp, but later fell into neglect. That's when Lori and Jenna stepped in. They bought Tino in 2008.

"He was skin and bones, but so sweet," says Lori. "You could see every rib. Soon after we got him, he pulled a suspensory. He's been in rehab for a long time."

With supplements, schoolings and lots of love and attention, Lori and her 14-year-old daughter Jenna brought Tino back. In Lori's estimation, Tino has put on 220 pounds since they purchased him. This past April, Jenna showed Tino for the first time, placing second in walk/trot canter equitation, first in hunter suitability, third in dressage suitability, third in training level test two, and fifth in training level test one. Tino is a cheerful and friendly member of the Bookmark Farms boarders community.

Jenna, a student at Watkins Middle School,  started riding at the age of three, when her grandfather bought her and her cousin a pony for Christmas.

"He brought this little black pony out of the barn on Christmas morning. "'Black Jack' was wearing red ribbons," Jenna says, smiling at the memory.

She started Western lessons at eight years old, but after attending summer camp at Bookmark Farms when she was ten, started training in English. Jenna showed "Woody", a favorite of Bookmark Farms' students, at the Delaware Series when she was twelve, entering poles and cross rails classes. She and Woody made a great duo, winning many ribbons together (see below - center picture). Jenna's also proud to have jumped "Henny", another Bookmark Farms favorite, at the Delaware Series during the summer of 2009, where they received a third, a couple of fourths and a fifth (below right). Karrin Winslow has been Jenna's instructor since her first lesson at Bookmark Farms, and Lori attributes Jenna's success to Karrin's patience.

As a member of the Bookmark Farms Equestrian Team, Jenna went to IEA Zones in 2009 and Regionals in 2010. She says her biggest challenge was working through the nervousness of picking a horse out of a hat, which is a requirement at IEA competitions.

"I was a more timid rider before IEA. Getting on horses I didn't know made be a better rider. I worry less about falling off because I proved to myself I could do it," she says.

In the meantime, Jenna's mom Lori is busy building her equine massage practice. As a licensed medical massage therapist (for people) specializing in neuromuscular massage with a background as a physical therapist assistant in a multitude of settings, Lori moved into massage work for horses a few years ago. She is a certified equine massage therapist, and currently works with Bookmark Farms boarder's horses as well as the B.F. lesson horses. Needless to say, Tino has benefited from Lori's training, not only because Lori's work helps pay for his board and training, but as seen below, he enjoys the relaxing muscle work she does on him!                                                      

Both Jenna and Lori plan a future in the equine industry: Jenna wants to go to equine college and study to be a trainer, and Lori is pursuing her massage practice for both horses and riders full time.

"I'm finally combining my love of massage and horses," she says with a smile while she gives Tino just the right press.

From the look in Tino's eyes, she's doing a good job!