10 things
by Samantha Hofherr
1.
…you may not know about…
LUKE JENSEN
Luke’s family owns Mellow Mushroom restaurants in Texas. His dad can often be found behind the counter chatting up local patrons, while his mom travels with him to the horse shows.
2. Luke travels about 35 weeks of the year for shows.
3.
He loves to bake, and often creates delicious confections with barn-mate, amateur rider Leslie Campbell.
4. In addition to riding, Luke grew up playing soccer, violin, and piano. By 4th grade, he realized his true passion for horses and committed fully to the sport.
5. His first words were in Spanish and he still tries to speak Spanish when he has the opportunity.
6. When he’s not riding, he likes to
spend time outdoors, reading, and writing short stories. He loves the Harry Potter series and all kinds of other novels.
Twelve-year-old Luke Jensen is a talented young rider with a bright future, and he comes by his love of horses naturally. His uncle, Hunt Tosh, is a top hunter rider and Luke dreams of following in his footsteps.With the support of his family, including his mother Martha and father Monte, as well as his trainers, Bill Schaub and Molly Sewell Schott, Luke is well on his way to fulfilling that dream. Luke’s passion for riding started at an early age; as soon as he could walk his grandmother would take him out riding ponies. As a young child he worked with Colleen McQuay who coached him from short stirrup to his first Pony Finals. Now, Luke is a working student for Schaub at Over the Hill Farm (OTHF) in Sanford, FL where he enjoys training the green ponies with Sewell Schott, and getting them ready for the show ring. This year, Luke has developed a special relationship with Schaub’s medium pony, Highland’s Heaven Sent, with whom Luke recently achieved one of his dreams by qualifying and showing her at Devon. In addition to receiving a ribbon in every class and scoring in the high 80s, Luke was also honored by being selected for the Pony Sportsmanship award. Luke is excited to be back in Lexington, KY for the US Pony Finals. Just head to the Walnut Ring and you can watch him living his dream! Photo © Martha Jensen
7. Luke loves to travel! So far, he has
visited 30 states and 5 countries.
8. He loves music and he is excited
to attend the Farm Aid concert this fall, where many of his favorite artists will perform.
9. Luke has the best dog in the world,
Ernie Takis Jensen, who has an uncanny resemblance to a teddy bear. Ernie owes his middle name to the best groom ever, Amado Ramos, who insisted that the dog’s middle name become Takis, Amado’s favorite chip.
He is an only child, but luckily 10.
has acquired a “big brother” in Adam Edgar who travels with him when he is on the road. Both go to school online to accommodate their schedule.
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