Jen VanDusen
Jennifer Marosek VanDusen, CF, began riding horses at the age of 7 and successfully competing in the show ring only a year later at the ripe old age of 8. She grew up riding Hunter Jumper with Frieda Kinner at Bruner Stables in Southport Elmira and later delved into the world of Western Pleasure as she grew, honing her equine skills through the Chemung County 4-H programs and the Pennsylvania High School Rodeo. She went on to show with the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association while attending college.
Jennifer is an equine educator through and through. She has worked with and trained horses at a variety of farms throughout New York, Illinois, North Carolina and West Virginia. Throughout her life she has pursued, and continues to pursue, a well rounded education in equine topics, education, and pedagogy, earning a Bachelor of Science in Equine Science and a Masters in Education from Salem University in West Virginia.
An eternal caregiver, Jennifer has always been interested in making sure that horses are as healthy and comfortable as possible. Because a horse is only as good as the hooves it walks on, Jennifer realized that her true passion was in the science of hoof care and farrier work. She is a graduate from the Cornell University Farrier School, studying under Certified Journeyman Farrier Steve Kraus. From there she went on to apprentice under Certified Journeyman Farrier Kirk Smith. Jennifer is a Certified Farrier and ongoing member of the American Farriers Association, where she served as the treasurer from 2012 to 2016 for the local chapter, the Western New York Farriers Association. She is also a member of the World Championship Blacksmiths, with whom she has competed as a blacksmith forger.
Jennifer first came to the Painted Bar Stables in 2011 as a specialty farrier. Her knack for problem-solving to help special needs horses helped her gain a foothold in the barn and made her an indispensable contractor for the stables. Since Jennifer came to Painted Bar, the instances of abscesses, bruising, and temporary lameness have decreased significantly. She has also made a tremendous impact on our horses with long-term lameness issues, such as arthritis and navicular, through her careful hoof support plans.
Jennifer had always offered amazing support for the instructors at Painted Bar Stables, giving advice and offering teaching techniques that could improve rider position and lesson planning. In 2016, after 3 years of begging, Erika Eckstrom finally convinced Jennifer to come on board as the Head Instructor. This gave Jennifer the opportunity to have the best of both worlds, keeping one foot in her farrier passion and the other in her well-founded pedagogical background and love of education.
Jennifer continues to shine as the Head Instructor and In-House Farrier for the Painted Bar Stables where she cares for and supports approximately 50 horses and over 100 students. She brings with her a passion to continue her education onward knowing that the best educators are students.
