Most 14-year-old girls spend their weeks in school, then come home, do homework, and lie on the couch watching TV, playing video games, or hanging out with friends on TikTok. On the weekends, they might play a sport or do some other activity that gets them outside, but for the most part, they’re not in school, and it’s not much different. Most are just good kids doing what teenagers do.
Jeanne Powell is an exception. When she’s not in school, she helps care for the horses at her father’s stables in the back. Del Mar. Jeanne is the daughter of trainer Leonard Powell. Her time at Del Mar is not a punishment for not cleaning her room. She wants to help her father in the family business. She likes being around horses.
“It’s something I’ve been passionate about since I was very young,” Jeanne said. “Here, I help out whenever the groom or the walker needs anything. I just do whatever is needed.”
You’ll often find Jeanne by her dad’s side in the paddock before a race, helping him unsaddle his horses on the track after a race, and in the winner’s circle when they win. She’s charming beyond her years when you talk to her, a big smile on her face when she talks about horses like the Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2T) winner repatriation .
“I’ve been here since she first got here,” Jeanne commented. “She’s always been a special mare. Sometimes in the afternoon I go sit in her stall and feed her carrots, which I like because she’s so sweet, and she has quite a personality. She has good days and bad days and you can tell in the morning when you walk into her stall if she’s going to have a good day.”
While some other teenagers slept until noon, Jeanne woke up with her father and went to the barn at four in the morning.
“I learned to ride a horse when I was little,” Jeanne said. “My dad took me to the stables one day, and I’ve been there every morning since.”
Except on school days, as directed by her mother.
“On school days, my mom doesn’t like me coming here,” Jeanne said with a laugh. “She says I’ll be too tired to go to school. My mom likes it (going to the stables), because I’m outside all the time. I’m not sitting at home doing nothing. But sometimes I prioritize the horses over school and she doesn’t like that very much.”
The school is located in Burbank, part of Lycee International Los Angeles, which teaches both French and English.
“I went back to school on (August 28) even though I didn’t want to go back,” Jeanne said, expressing the mood of most 14-year-olds.
“She really enjoys her time here,” Powell said of her daughter. “She’s very helpful. She doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty. It’s great to share a passion.”
Jeanne is also working on a few side projects.
“I also ride hurdles,” she said, “and I have a Thoroughbred that is not a racehorse that I am retraining, with my trainer, to be a hurdler. His name is High Heater. He was with Bob Hess and retired in December. My school has a really great program, and instead of doing sports, I ride horses. That’s what I do so I can ride a few extra days a week.”
As for the future, training may or may not be the path Jeanne will pursue.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “If I get the chance, I’d love to try it. I’ll see how it goes when I graduate.”
This press release has been edited for content and style by the BloodHorse team.
