Website Under Construction

About us


Click on the images above to enlarge.
Jo with Lady Brave and Foal, Pure Imagination

Jo with Lady Brave and foal, Pure Imagination after becoming the Elite Foals Registration Tour Eventing Regional Champion


Jo grew up on a cattle farm in Leicestershire. At the age of three, Jo got her first pony, Rosie, a skewbald Shetland pony. From there the passion for horses grew and she progressed through the Pony Club before progressing onto horses and discovering her love for Eventing. She produced her first horse from a just broken four year old, to a successful horse competing at affiliated eventing in England and Ireland before selling him as a young riders horse to America.


On leaving school Jo went to Brooksby Melton College where she completed the following:


• BTEC National Diploma in Horse Management passing with Distinction,


• British Horse Society Stages I and II


• A level in Business and Science


After leaving college Jo left England to work in Ireland where she discovered her passion for racing. She worked in the racing industry for over six years in Ireland, England and Australia.


In 2005 Jo headed to Australia, where she spent twelve months working as foreman for Barbara Marshman on a twenty-horse flat yard in Hamilton, Victoria, and six weeks working on the 800,000 acre sheep station, Bulgunnia Station.


On returning from Australia Jo decided to study with Kelly Marks and Intelligent Horsemanship in Whitney, Oxfordshire. Jo gained her Monty Roberts Preliminary Certificate of Horsemanship in November 2008.


Jo has started the 2007 crop of yearling thoroughbreds for Newberry Stud, in Ireland, many Irish, Scottish and British Sport Horses, warmbloods, a Norwegian Fjord and several Pura Raza Espanols at Yeguada Las Lindas in Monda, Southern Spain.


In 2009 Jo first came to Scotland to work with and back several young horses at Balcormo Stud. She fell in love with the area and found a demand for her services so has called Scotland her main base and home since. Jo met Sandy in 2010 whilst working from a yard where he was re-roofing some stables.


In 2013 Jo spent some time in South Africa working with and backing a number of sport horses for Jennifer Whyle, Kerry Longhurst and Lowestoffe Country Lodge.


Jo, along with running Balanced Equine, currently has two horses that she events. Jamesfield Abercrombie (Crombie), purchased as a 2-year-old from Jamesfield Sport Horses, has been backed and produced by Jo. He has since qualified for the Badminton Grassroots Championship in 2023 & 2024. Also, Jo’s first homebred, Pure Imagination, out of the Irish Sport Horse mare Lady Brave, previously owned and produced by Jo who won the 4 year old Scottish Loose Jumping Championships in 2015 and evented to Novice/1*, and by the advanced eventing stallion, Primitive Faerie Tale. Pure Imagination (Gin) won the Elite Foals Registration Tour Eventing Regional Championship in 2018 and the 2024 BE90 Scottish Grassroots Championship at Blair Castle International Horse Trials.


In August 2023 Jo and Sandy purchased some land in St Michaels where Balanced Equine is now based. The land was just a bare field with no water or electricity at the time but is now progressing into a top class equestrian facility.


In 2021, Joanna featured in Channel 4's Food Unwrapped's Healthy New Year special. She and Crombie can be seen from 34:00 minutes into the video.


Click on the images above to enlarge.

Image content:

1. Jo on a young Irish Sport Horse at the Goresbridge Sales, Ireland. 2. Jo on the left, riding track work at Hamilton Racetrack, Australia. 3. Jo working with a young thoroughbred at Newberry Stud, Ireland. 4.Jo with a PRE mare at Yeguada Las Lindas, Spain. 5. Jo backing a horse in South Africa. 6. Jo with Jamesfield Abercrombie becoming Reserve Champion Three Year Old at the Scottish Loose Jumping Championship. Photo Credit Equiscot Photography. 7. Jamesfield Abercrombie at the Scottish Loose Jumping Championship. Photo Credit Equiscot Photography. 8. Jamesfield Abercrombie at the Scottish Loose Jumping Championship. Phot Credit Equiscot Photography. 9.Jo and Jamesfield Abercrombie at the Badminton Grassroots Championship. Photo Credit 1st Class Images. 10. Jo and Jamesfield Abercrombie at the Badminton Grassroots Championship. Photo Credit 1st Class Images. 11. Jo and Pure Imagination in a BS class at Blair Castle International Horse Trials. Photo Credit Athalens. 12. Jo and Pure Imagination on the cross country course at Blair Castle International Horse Trials. Photo Credit Athalens. 13. Jo and Pure Imagination in their lap of honour at Blair Castle International Horse Trials. Photo Credit Athalens. 14. Jo and Pure Imagination at Alnwick Ford Horse Trials. Photo Credit Action Replay Photography. 15. Jo and Pure Imagination at Alnwick Ford Horse Trials. Photo Credit Action Replay Photography.