By Veronica Green-Gott
Portraits by Shelly Carter
Jordan Melfi exemplifies the meaning of perseverance. Once shamed for his love of horses, Jordan never gave up on riding and is now traveling the East Coast building a reputation for having a positive attitude and working hard to create a career for himself alongside his four-legged best friend, Carado. Putting in sweat, blood and tears as a working student, while now moving up the ranks becoming a rider, he says he wouldn’t change a thing—but it wasn’t so long ago that he tried to keep his passion for horseback riding a secret.
Unlike many other riders, Jordan didn’t grow up in a horse family. Instead, he grew up in a family surrounded by all things hockey, thanks to an avidly playing older brother. His parents were confused as to why their young son wanted to ride. Despite this, Jordan was clearly bitten by the horse bug at a young age.
Jordan, now 20, remembers being obsessed with all things horses for as long as he can remember. “I would bring home horse stickers from school all the time and sketch pictures of horses and stuff like that,” Jordan said. “One time when I was younger, I went to one of my friends’ birthday parties. There was one of those little petting zoos, including a pony ride. I remember riding on that pony back to back around a dozen times. I waited in that line all day just to keep going back on the pony ride because I 
enjoyed it so much.
“It was definitely not easy being the odd kid out,” Jordan said. “I remember I tried keeping riding a secret from my friends for a long time and even a lot of my family, you know, aunts and uncles and cousins. Riding horses was not something they would expect from such a ‘normal’ young kid growing up near the city, and I was worried about what other people were going to think about me—if I was going to be treated differently.”
Jordan’s older brother used to have friends over around the same time he got home from riding lessons. Rather than be seen in his breeches, he would sprint up the stairs to change as fast as possible. “I would walk in my house with my breeches on and run to my room because I was so embarrassed for them to see me in my boots and breeches,” Jordan remembered. “Looking back, it was a shame. Who cares what people think, if you love what you’re doing and you’re enjoying what you’re doing? Who cares?”
Welcome to Oz
Over time, Jordan grew to care less about what everyone else thought. He balanced playing hockey and riding horses throughout his childhood. He decided to commit fully to riding as a possible career path. When the COVID-19 pandemic came along, he decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go to Florida. “Obviously, COVID was such a hard thing for so many people, but it actually made it easier for me to go to Florida and compete on the winter circuit because school was online,” Jordan said.
Between online school due to the pandemic and a special program designed for student athletes, Jordan managed to winter in Florida for almost the entirety of his high school career. After graduating, he started college at Rowan University, but decided to take a gap year to give his horse career a go.
For a while Jordan was a working student for Opening Bell Farms alongside Jordan Lubow, who primarily produces and sells horses, but also competes in the hunter ring. Jordan enjoyed his time there as he got to know the sales side of the industry and build connections he’ll need to grow his own career.
Among all the horses in the barn, there is one special bay gelding who’s close to Jordan’s heart: his personal horse, Carado. “He’s probably the most special horse I’ve ever had the chance to sit on and work with. I knew it from the time that I sat on him. I tried him, and I was like, This is the horse.”
Not only has Carado taken Jordan around the jumper ring and the derby ring, with numerous top placings in both, but he and Jordan have a close bond. “I’ll just be in his stall scratching him, because he loves when I wrap my hands around his neck and I scratch his shoulders and his withers,” Jordan said. “He’ll wrap his neck around me and groom me back.”
In a world where every horse is for sale for the right price, Jordan says he’ll have a hard time letting the big gelding go. While he’s only owned the horse for around a year, Jordan says that caring for Carado while he was out of work over the winter really helped their bond grow. “He was out of commission for a while and I was in the barn and spending time with him 24/7; I really grew a bond with him,” Jordan said. “He’s more of a pet to me than he is a partner. He’s not just a horse I catch ride at a show and then I leave. And, as corny as it sounds, I think he feels that way, too. Everyone in the barn says we share such a special connection.”
Between pressure from his parents to make his gap year count, pressure to build a career and pressure of the day-to-day struggles working in the industry, Jordan is in a veritable pressure cooker. However, he says he doesn’t mind. “I just feed off the pressure; I like it,” Jordan said. “It’s the same thing with showing; showing is a lot of pressure, too.”
It should come as no surprise that Jordan, who thrives off pressure and adrenaline, loves to compete in the jumper ring. “I love going fast. I love the upbeat tempo,” he said.
Working Student Life
Jordan has learned more than just how to compete and the process of selling horses during his ongoing time down in Florida. “You get to know a lot of people and you see a lot of the same faces and you learn everything from everyone,” he said. “Having a good reputation really helps your career. And also just making a good impression on everyone. That’s always going to help your career and make you a better, more respected person in the long run.”
Sounding like someone who has been in the equestrian industry for a lot longer than his 20 years, Jordan believes that if everyone was a little kinder, the world would be a better place. “I think no matter how big of a name or how small of a name, being kind and respectful to everyone and making a good impression will only help your reputation in the long run,” Jordan said. “A good friend of mine, Bill Rube, always says, ‘I want everyone to have a good Bill story, not a bad Bill story.’ And I always think about that. Because if my name gets brought up, I want them to have a good Jordan story, not a bad Jordan story.”
Jordan combines his desire to make a good impression and build his reputation with a sincere belief that a positive attitude makes everything better. However, he’s still realistic that there are hard days as a working student and as an equestrian. “I’m not going to say there aren’t days where I just want to curl up in a ball and scream,” Jordan said. “I think you have to go back to the idea that we’re all doing this for the same reason, for the love of the animal and for the love of the sport.” Almost every single one of the top riders has been a working student. It’s just one step closer to your goal. I think it’s just a part of your journey.”
When asked if he would recommend being a working student to someone else considering a career in horses, Jordan says absolutely, but with a catch—you have to work for the right person. “Don’t jump the gun and just take any possible job or working student position that comes your way,” he said. “Take some time to weigh out the pros and cons, and decide if it’s the right move for you. Get to know some of the people you’re going to be working around, talk to some references and, most importantly, make sure the operation or program has you in their best interest. Just like any job, there are going to be things you like as well as dislike, but like I’ve said, try to think positive, persevere and make the best of any situation, because at the end of the day any job is a great stepping stone and learning experience. Take what you want with you and leave the rest at the door.”
Jordan’s come a long way since he was that young boy drawing pictures of horses and being made fun of for following his passion. His childhood perseverance has clearly paid off as he is now thriving on the ‘A’ show circuit. Only time will tell if Jordan will go back to college or if he’ll become the next rising star in the show-jumping ring, but if you ask Jordan, “This is my forte,” he says. “This is what I have wanted to do my whole life; why quit now?”
For more information, follow Jordan on Instagram @Jordan_Melfi
Photos by Shelly Carter, paintedoakphotography.com, unless noted otherwise
