About Me

Hi! I'm Mrs. Jackson and I'm currently an Equine Instructor at Locust Trace AgriScience Center in Lexington, Kentucky. I'm originally from Danville, Indiana where I was in 4-H for 10 years and I was also in FFA. While in FFA, I was my chapter president for two years, and I was a nationally qualifying horse judger for three years. I was also the first person from my FFA chapter to receive their American Degree.

After high school I went to the University of Kentucky and studied Equine Science & Management with an emphasis on the business side and minored in Agriculture Economics. While in school I worked at UK's Maine Chance Farm where I foaled out mares, prepped yearlings for the Fasig- Tipton February and October sale, and started horses in the round pen and line driving. I also did an internship with the Breeder's Cup, worked for multiple different Thoroughbred sales consignors, and showed on the western equestrian team where I qualified for the national show twice where I finished 9th in the nation as an individual. 

Once I graduated, I went to work for Gainesway Farm where I prepped yearlings for all the sales in North America. I learned so much about horses and how to speak Spanish it makes my head hurt to think about it; I'm not fluent in Spanish, but I love learning new words and phrases! I worked there for a little over a year, running my own barn, teaching a manger's son how to handle horses, and helping to set up and tear down at the sales. But, I felt like something was missing, so I went back to UK and studied Community and Leadership Development in order to become an Agricultural Educator. While in school, I continued to work on a small farm in Paris called Shawhan Place. I was able to do a lot there; I helped break babies to be ponied, I took horses to the pool to swim, and helped teach interns how to be better horse people. 

After graduating from UK a second time, I got my first teaching job at Franklin County High School where I taught for two years. I taught Floral Design, Food Science, and Greenhouse Technology; I loved teaching the non-traditional classes like Floral Design and Food Science because there was so much out of the box things we could do! My Food Science class learned how to run a school breakfast business along with how to cook without burning the school down. My Floral Design students explored the concepts of elements & principles of design in every day life and even planned a wedding. While at Franklin County I was able to write several grants to offer my students more opportunities; I was able to secure over $13,000 in funding for classroom supplies, projects, and professional development. 

When the opportunity to work at Locust Trace came available, I knew I couldn't pass up the chance to be able to share my equine industry knowledge with students. I hope that my practical approach to learning will allow students to flourish in whatever role they deem appropriate for their future.