Our first annual winner of the Jamison Albright Foundation for Farrier Scholarship, Miss Jenna Kristine Solheim! May 2, 2009 - Miss Jenna Solheim was born in Grand Folks, North Dakota and now lives in Moorhead Minnesota. She has grown up around horses her entire life, even her mother jokes that she began “riding in the womb”! She was always active with horses, working long hours at her local horse stable where she would wake up at 3:00 am to feed thirty to forty horses, clean their stalls, and then return at night to feed and water them again. She did this without pay and was granted free boarding for her own two horses, ‘Bubba’ and ‘Snickers’. Bubba was her five-year-old barrel racing horse who sadly passed away due to a rare colic disorder after competing in only a few rodeos with Jenna. Snickers was the family horse, a blind but highly intelligent horse. Jenna was able to ride her in unfamiliar territories by guiding her with simple verbal commands. Jenna tells the story of how one day at the barn, while turned out with all of the other horses, the younger horse owners were all laughing and making fun of Jenna and her horse. Until suddenly, when Snickers came charging to a fence in the arena, Jenna shouted from outside the arena, “FENCE!” and Snickers halted abruptly, made a 180 degree turn, and walked away, thereby amazing all of the other horse handlers. Jenna’s desire and ability to work with disabled and crippled horses impressed us. Not only was it obvious that Jenna was passionate about caring for her equine companions, she is also a role model and leader to her peers. In high school, she became the president of her 4H club, “The Red River Riders” where she would lead activities centered on horse riding and maintenance. Further, Jenna recognizes when a need exists for help in her community and volunteers her time to help in the efforts. Most recently, Jenna gave her time freely as a volunteer in the North Dakota flood recovery process lifting sandbags and building dikes around the river. As for her interest in farriery, it stemmed from a time when no Farrier would travel to her region. Jenna and her neighbor’s horses had gone months without any proper hoof care. She realized there was a huge demand for farriery in her region and decided to teach herself basic horseshoeing skills. She bought herself a book and some tools and attempted trimming first on her own horses. After a few successful trims, she offered her neighbors who were also in desperate need of a Farrier, her free services. She found the work fulfilling and decided she wanted to pursue the career further. Her ultimate goal is to start her own business and travel throughout Minnesota and North Dakota to areas of need to providing not only Farrier services, but also Equine Massage Therapy, to her customers in need at a fair and reasonable price. We chose Jenna because she clearly demonstrated her dedication to the equine industry, her genuine love for horses, and her honest desire to serve her community. She has demonstrated her leadership skills through her community service activities and in her ability to independently acquire basic Farrier skills. We have no doubt Jenna will serve the Farrier industry well and make the JAFFFS organization proud. Congratulations again Miss Jenna Kristine Solheim!