Meet the Family
(Picture taken in 2012.)
James (Jim) Wilkins
Jim on Jae Bar Noble
Jim on Jae Bar Jewelie
Jim on Jae Bar Tracy
Jim on Jae Bar Dualin JD
Jim grew up here on the J Bar D Ranch. He is the youngest of 8 kids. His dad, John Wilkins built the ranch and became a world famous breeder of cutting horses. In fact, John was 3rd in the world for 6 years in a row. So Jim grew up in the horse industry. He had the honor and privilege of knowing and showing so many great horses. As Jim was growing up there were also many different trainers who came and worked at the ranch, that he had the opportunity to learn from. Jim did go to one year of college, but quickly decided that keeping the ranch going and training horses was his calling. Unlike some trainers that move around a lot, Jim has stayed right here and built a reputation of dependability. He has been showing since the 1980’s and training professionally since the 1990’s. Jim is very good at breaking colts, and training cutting/cow horses. He has won over $180,000 in NCHA (National Cutting Horse Association). He has also won money in CHAN (Cutting Horse Association of Nebraska), WNC (Western Nebraska Cutters) and in team sorting/penning. Jim is also a long time, triple A, NCHA judge. He enjoys giving cutting/cow working clinics. Just for fun, we figured an estimate of how many horses Jim has ridden in his lifetime, knowing the average of how many new horses he rides/trains each year, we know he has ridden, at the very least, over 600 horses so far!
Jacquelyn (Jacki) Wilkins
Jacki on Jae Bar Dualin
Jacki on Jae Bar Lil Jezabel
Jacki on Jae Bar Jadeite
Jacki on Hes A Hot Cat
Jacki has known her whole life that she wanted to always be into horses. Her dad and grandpa had horses when she was growning up, but Jacki didn’t have many chances to show or compete, until she was an adult. She first came to the J Bar D Ranch as a hired hand, and the rest as they say, is history! 😉 Before coming the ranch, almost every job she had had something to do with horses. She worked at vet clinics, on a cattle ranch, at a riding stable in the mountains, for the oldest and largest Quarter horse breeders in Minnesota, at a feedlot, and at a show barn.
Jacki loves about anything you can do on a horse, but her favorite by far is cutting!! She has shown in cutting for over 25 years now. She has won money in: NCHA (National Cutting Horse Association), CHAN (Cutting Horse Association of Nebraska), WNC (Western Nebraska Cutters), and USCHA (United States Cutting Horse Association). Besides cutting, she has also won money or earned points in the following: AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association), FQHR (Foundation Quarter Horse Registery), team penning/sorting, barrel racing, pole bending, extreme trail, and western dressage.
Jacki is passionate about continuing to learn and to teach about horses! She has taught classes on topics like; equine psychology, halter breaking, massage, color genetics, teaching a horse to bow, doing obstacles, groundwork, etc. She also created and runs a horse program for youth (in a correctional facility and youth home) where youth come to the ranch and after several sessions of classroom work, they then work with yearlings and teach them to do obstacles and such. Jacki has also (along with Jim) organized and put on several events here at the ranch, such as clinics, cuttings (jackpot and NCHA), team sortings, public demonstrations for the youth program, the first extreme trail race in Nebraska, the first Nebraska affiliate Foundation Quarter horse show, and open shows.
She is also a certified equine massage therapist (through Equinine) and author of the book What The Bible Says About Animals.
Jacki came to the J Bar D in 1999. After working together with Jim for several years, they married in 2004.
Jaeden Wilkins
Jaeden on Hes A Hot Cat
Jaeden on Jae Bar Jewelie
Jaeden on Rockin Jae Bar