Who is Joyce?
I was born on a farm in the Ithaca, Michigan area in 1940. I had my first pony when I was about 3 years old. My grandmother and my mother rode horses to school when they were young girls. Of course in those days there was no right or wrong way to ride you just got on bareback, fell off a few times until you finally got it and then rode off.
I had my own horse until the time I got married and moved to Illinois. I moved to the suburbs of Chicago in 1958 and had two daughters. I had purchased a pony for the girls but had to keep it back in Michigan with my parents. When my oldest daughter was nine I started taking her to English lessons because that had been my dream when I was a little girl. Every time I took her out for a lesson I also wanted to ride. I started taking $5.00 a week out my pay to save for a lesson for myself. My first lesson was a Western one, but my instructor felt that I had the hands and natural balance ability to ride English so he set me up with an English instructor.
In 1981 we moved back to Michigan to open a rental business in Mt. Pleasant. I established my La-Joy (which stands for Larry/Joyce) Farm in 1981 and started giving lessons working with mostly English and jumping students with some Dressage thrown in. I love working with young/old beginning students, I also teach children with some handicaps such as ADD. I love to watch my students progress and be very successful in their riding years and to see some of them make horses their life-long hobby and career. Now my students get instruction on all phases of riding. My goals are to teach and show my students how to have happy safe horses and to be happy with themselves.
I had my own horse until the time I got married and moved to Illinois. I moved to the suburbs of Chicago in 1958 and had two daughters. I had purchased a pony for the girls but had to keep it back in Michigan with my parents. When my oldest daughter was nine I started taking her to English lessons because that had been my dream when I was a little girl. Every time I took her out for a lesson I also wanted to ride. I started taking $5.00 a week out my pay to save for a lesson for myself. My first lesson was a Western one, but my instructor felt that I had the hands and natural balance ability to ride English so he set me up with an English instructor.
In 1981 we moved back to Michigan to open a rental business in Mt. Pleasant. I established my La-Joy (which stands for Larry/Joyce) Farm in 1981 and started giving lessons working with mostly English and jumping students with some Dressage thrown in. I love working with young/old beginning students, I also teach children with some handicaps such as ADD. I love to watch my students progress and be very successful in their riding years and to see some of them make horses their life-long hobby and career. Now my students get instruction on all phases of riding. My goals are to teach and show my students how to have happy safe horses and to be happy with themselves.
