By Kimberly Gatto
Portraits by Melissa Fuller
It has been said that a true horseman and his mount are joined not by tack, but by trust—and Luke Jensen has proven himself to be more than worthy of that adage. As one of the top equitation riders of recent years, Luke is well-known within the horse show world for his ability to bring out the best in any horse he rides. The 19-year-old—who now works as a professional rider at North Run Farm in Warren, Vermont, and Wellington, Florida—is also admired within equestrian circles for his maturity, strong work ethic and kind personality. 
Luke, who has been described as “one of the nicest people” in the industry, capped off a hugely successful Junior career by winning the coveted Dover/USEF Medal National Championship last year aboard North Run Farm’s handsome grey Belgian Warmblood Jamaica. The pair was also victorious in both the WEF Equitation Championship and the R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Championship, among other classes. Luke and Jamaica impressively placed second in the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final – East and finished the season by earning the reserve championship in a particularly competitive ASPCA Maclay Finals. Additionally, as a testament to his character, Luke was awarded the Junior Sportsmanship Award at the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Born Into Horses
Luke was born in Denton, Texas, as the only child of Monte and Martha Tosh Jensen, who owned and operated several Mellow Mushroom restaurants in their home state. “My dad’s side of the family is not ‘horsey’ at all, but my mom and her side of the family are all equestrians,” he said. Luke’s mom had grown up in the horse world, competing successfully as a Junior rider and later as an adult in the Amateur hunter and jumper divisions. And Martha was not the only accomplished equestrian in Luke’s family. His maternal grandmother, Jo Beard, was a well-known trainer and his uncle is the star hunter rider Hunt Tosh.
As part of such a horse-loving family, Luke was introduced to equines when he was just a baby. “I first sat on a pony before I could even walk,” he said. “And I just loved it. Sometimes when you are born into something, it can seem like an obligation but for me it was my passion, right from the beginning.” In an effort to broaden his interests, Luke participated in sports, such as soccer, and learned to play both the violin and the piano—but horses were his true calling. “By the time I was around 8 years old,” Luke said, “I was completely dedicated to horses and riding.”
While still a young child, Luke competed in the Short Stirrup and pony divisions at local shows under trainer Colleen McQuay. He demonstrated a natural ability in the irons, qualifying for his first Pony Finals before he was 11. The following year, Luke began working with Bill Schaub at Over The Hill Farm in Sanford, Florida, where he assisted with barn chores and helped train and show the farm’s green ponies. Young Luke formed a special partnership with the bay medium pony mare Highland’s Heaven Sent, aka Haven, with the pair earning numerous tricolors at recognized shows.
Winning hunter rider Liza Towell Boyd remembers Luke from his days as a pony jock and has enjoyed following his career through the years. “I watched Luke grow up in the pony ring,” Liza said. “He was a true pony professional, working with all types of ponies and riding all of them well. You could always tell that the horses and ponies absolutely loved him.”
Luke’s exceptional horsemanship skills, willingness to work hard and positive attitude were apparent even at such a young age. After qualifying Haven for the Devon Horse Show and ribboning in every class, Luke was named as the recipient of Devon’s Pony Sportsmanship Award in 2016. “It meant a lot to me—to be recognized for good sportsmanship,” Luke said. “Those pony years were so special for me. I think back at how lucky I was to have had such opportunities, working with both Colleen and Bill. I wouldn’t have traded those experiences for anything.”
Equitation Bound
Luke had his first foray into the equitation ring around the age of 15 and soon began training under Martien van der Hoeven, who was a close friend of the family and had, in fact, coached Luke’s mom during her Amateur career. “I slowly started doing the equitation and found that I really enjoyed the challenge,” Luke said. In an effort to immerse himself in the equitation world for his final Junior years, Luke became a working student for John Brennan and Missy Clark at North Run Farm. “Martien thought it would be a great step for me to take for my final Junior years,” Luke said. “I am so grateful that I was able to get on John and Missy’s roster. They are so good at what they do—developing strengths, finding the right horse and rider combination. They are the best in the business.”
At North Run, Luke was responsible not only for grooming, tacking up and riding numerous horses each day, but also feeding, mucking stalls, cleaning and filling water buckets and myriad other chores. “Luke has always had an incredible work ethic,” Missy said. “And the empathy he has for all horses is so special. The horses love him, and so do people. Luke is special in so many ways. He checks off all the boxes.”
It was at North Run that Luke first met the horse that would become his winning partner. Jamaica had arrived at the farm during the winter of 2020 as a sales horse for Stephan Conter and Stephex Stables. The horse showed great potential as a jumper that season, successfully competing at WEF in the 1.40m and 1.45m divisions with North Run rider Tomi Yofre in the saddle.
After failing to sell during the winter circuit, Jamaica was sent back to Stephex Stables and was subsequently sold to a rider in another country. By the following October, the horse’s new owner had determined that the horse was not the right match and opted to sell him back to Stephex Stables. It was agreed at that time that Jamaica would be shipped back to North Run to be campaigned and hopefully resold that season. When Jamaica arrived in the United States in October 2020, he was a shell of his former, grand self.
“We barely recognized him,” Missy said. “The horse was beyond skinny; to say we were all shocked and upset would be an understatement. When we sent pictures of the horse to Stephan, he couldn’t believe it either.” Jamaica also had become skittish and, when approached in his stall, he would lash out and try to bite or kick.
A Winning Partnership
“We knew he needed time, so we began the slow process of rehabilitating Jamaica after putting some weight back on him,” Missy said. By the time WEF rolled along in 2021, Jamaica appeared to be much better and even competed in a few equitation classes with Cody Rego. The horse was then given the summer off to continue his recovery. “We slowly began restarting him the following fall, with the goal of competing at WEF in 2022,” Missy said. “In January 2022, we had Luke begin taking care of him and working with him. He was still very difficult to work around, but Luke’s incredible patience and thoughtful horsemanship worked wonders with Jamaica, and they began to form a very special relationship.”
“Jamaica had a lot of anxiety at first,” Luke said. “A big part of my day was just getting him accustomed to being in the presence of people. For the longest time, he was quirky on the ground. He was always watching everything and taking it all in. I think being around him all the time really helped him to trust me. With any horse, it’s important to learn their mannerisms and to know them well. Developing that bond with him on the ground made a huge difference in the saddle.”
After slowly earning the gelding’s trust, Luke made his debut with Jamaica in the equitation ring with stellar results. In March 2022, the pair captured the WEF Equitation Championship, which was the horse’s first major equitation win. “All of Luke’s hard work with the horse was paying off. It was wonderful to see,” Missy said.
A few weeks later, North Run purchased Jamaica from Stephex Stables and he became Luke’s partner for the remainder of the season. “I was thrilled to be paired with him, as he is such a special horse,” Luke said. “He has so much heart and loves to compete. He’s very attentive to me and I can always tell that he’s focused when we’re in the ring.”
Given Jamaica’s history, the great partnership he formed with Luke had all the makings of a Disney movie. “Winning the Finals last year was not only the fulfillment of one of my dreams, but also—more importantly—it was the culmination of my partnership with Jamaica,” Luke said. “It was such an emotional moment.”
Among the many accolades he earned last season, the Junior Sportsmanship Award—which he won for the entire WEF circuit—holds a special place in Luke’s heart. “It was such an amazing year for me, and I know it may sound like a cliché, but winning the Sportsmanship Award at Wellington was perhaps the most meaningful to me as a person,” he said. “That meant even more to me than the riding part.”
Luke remains humble and grateful for all the support he has received along the way. “None of this could have happened without the support of my trainers, barn managers, grooms and all of the others who had been there for me,” he said. Luke is especially grateful for the support of his parents and makes sure to spend quality time with both. “Being based in Vermont in the summer and Florida in the winter works out perfectly, as my dad lives in Vermont and my mom is based in Florida,” Luke said. “I am so thankful to my parents for everything they have done for me. My mom was always my biggest supporter at the horse shows. She would travel with me, always providing support and guidance. It meant a lot.”
Liza Towell Boyd said, “I remember Martha being the ultimate show mom. She would not do everything for Luke, so as to allow him to learn and grow, but she was always there for him, cheering him on. As a pony mom myself now, I look back at her example for my own life.”
Looking Ahead
After aging out of the Junior ranks, Luke was hired as a professional at North Run Farm. “At the end of the year, we decided to hire him to ride for us,” Missy said. “It was a great decision. It’s amazing because we have been at shows or clinics and other professionals have come up and commented on Luke’s talent, dedication and horsemanship. He is so talented and such a great addition to our team, and his journey is just beginning. It will be fun to watch him grow as a professional.”
For his part, Luke is excited to begin this new phase of his equestrian career. “Every day I’m trying to learn wisdom and experience, to progress and set some new goals. I try to set both daily goals and long-term goals for myself. It’s great to be able to ride all types of horses, including the green or quirky ones; they all have something to teach me. My plan for this season is to ride in some of the bigger jumper classes and ultimately, someday, the Grand Prix. I am so thankful to have this opportunity at North Run.”
In whatever spare time he has, Luke enjoys spending time outdoors as well as cooking and baking. He is also an avid reader who loves to curl up with a good book, gravitating towards the classics. “Hemingway is the absolute best,” he said. “’The Sun Also Rises’ and ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ are my favorites. I also enjoy reading Poe.”
But there is no better place for Luke than around his beloved horses. “I just love being in the barn all the time,” he said. “There’s nothing more important. I’m always trying to learn as much as I can about horse care and becoming a better horse person. It’s always about the horse. There’s not one day where I’m not learning something from horses.”
It’s apparent that horses and humans alike are thankful to have Luke in the barn. “For all his talent, Luke is such a genuinely nice person,” Missy said. “He really is as good as it gets.”
Follow Luke on Instagram @hlukejensen
Photos by Melissa Fuller, melissafullerphotography33.mypixieset.com
