Jesse’s love for animals began at a young age. He along with his 12 brothers and sisters grew up working on their father’s dairy farm surrounded by cows, chickens, dogs, donkeys, and of course horses. Jesse’s journey with Arabians began in the early 80’s and in 1986 he branched out on his own to establish Jesse Saldana Training Center. Not long after opening his own training facility he met his wife and partner in every sense of the word Juana Saldana and the two married in 1993. Juana quickly adapted to life as a horse trainers wife and now proudly handles the logistics and business aspect of JSTC ensuring both clients and Jesse are always taken care of.

In 1994 they welcomed their first child together, Karina Saldana, and in 2001 came their son, Jesse Giovanni. As a family, they all play a role in supporting the operations at Jesse Saldana Training Center and they do so with immense pride, love and compassion for clients and newcomers alike.

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For 40 years Jesse’s training philosophy has never changed; “Gentleness is a way of life.” Jesse is a self-taught trainer with a natural ability to get the most out of his horses without the need of a “heavy hand.” Whether you see Jesse in the show ring, a practice pen or at home you will notice his horses are incredibly well put together while remaining calm, happy and well mannered. That is because Jesse believes in building a bond of communication and trust between the horse and himself rather than “breaking the horse.” Jesse has proven time and time again that good things come to those who work hard and are patient, giving their prospects time to come into their own development willingly and happily.​