Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Ammann.
Hi Jill, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up around horses, but not in the traditional show-world way. My grandfather had horses on his property, and as a kid I rode my little pony absolutely everywhere imaginable — up and down IH-10 bareback, double with my best friend, through fields, neighborhoods, and backroads. When my grandfather had a stroke and the horses were given away, that part of my life ended. I eventually grew out of my pony, my grandfather passed away, and with no one left to nurture my love for horses, they faded out of my life for many years.
In my twenties, life looked perfect from the outside. I was married to an attorney, living comfortably, and appeared to have everything figured out. But it wasn’t the life I was meant to live. When the marriage ended — after nearly a decade — I walked away with nothing except my horses and my truck. And strangely, that moment of starting over with nothing became the beginning of everything that matters in my life today.
At the time, I had just rediscovered riding at 25. My husband had bought me two horses — an Arabian and a Paint — and those horses changed everything for me. When I left the marriage, they were all I had, and they became the foundation for the entire future I built.
In 2002, I created In The Irons by giving lessons in backyards. There was no arena, no footing, no equipment — just me, a few clients who believed in me, and the willingness to outwork everyone. I hauled my Paint horse, TP, in my trailer, and we taught wherever someone had a flat piece of ground. TP wasn’t just a horse; he was my partner. I owe everything to that horse. I built my business, my career, and my reputation on his back. He carried me through those early years — lesson after lesson, barn after barn — and laid the foundation for everything that exists today.
During that time, I also interned at a dressage barn, working in exchange for knowledge for a full year. Dressage clicked with me immediately, and after my internship I continued to grow In The Irons through several locations, eventually becoming known for specializing in Arabian dressage and sport horse for more than twenty years.
In 2008, I moved to the property where In The Irons operates today. When I unexpectedly found myself an expectant single mom at 40, I had to figure out how to run a barn and raise a baby at the same time. I renovated the old breeding-clinic section into a two-bedroom apartment and raised my daughter Paige right there on the property. I lived on-site, steps away from the horses, while running a full lesson program, managing staff, and keeping the business growing. Over the years, we expanded to 20 lesson horses, six instructors, 35 stalls, and have taught hundreds of riders who now consider In The Irons their home.
In 2024, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I went through a double mastectomy, reconstruction, and radiation while continuing to operate the barn and raise my teenager. Making it through that year changed me. It made me braver and more willing to take on challenges that once felt too big.
One of those challenges was taking over the lease of the San Antonio Rose Palace in 2025. The Rose Palace is a historic, beloved venue for horse shows and western events, and keeping it alive mattered deeply to me. Managing a 522-stall, multi-arena facility with RV sites, two indoor arenas, concessions, a bar, and nonstop events has proved to be some of the most challenging work of my life. I’ve invested in major improvements, from footing and stalls to WiFi, sound, lighting, a new website, and critical infrastructure repairs. The goal is to bring the Rose Palace back to life — and we are well on our way.
I also founded HALO — Horse Assisted Learning Org — a 501(c)(3) created to give foster and at-risk youth access to horses and the confidence-building experiences that shaped my own life. HALO is currently on hiatus while I stabilize the Rose Palace and In The Irons during a period of enormous growth, but the mission remains close to my heart and will return when the timing is right.
If there’s one thread running through my story, it’s that every major turning point in my life has pulled me deeper into the horse world, never away from it. I’ve built everything from the ground up, without shortcuts and without a safety net, and I’ve seen firsthand how horses transform people. They certainly transformed me. Today, I’m grateful to share that impact with thousands of people each year through In The Irons, HALO, and the San Antonio Rose Palace.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A smooth road? Not even close. Nothing about my path has been easy, handed over, or predictable — and honestly, I’m proud of that. The hard things are what built me.
When my marriage ended, I didn’t walk away with a house, money, or security. I walked away with my horses and my truck — and that was it. Starting a business from absolutely nothing meant giving lessons in backyards, hauling my horse TP around in a trailer, and working harder than anyone just to survive. There was no shortcut, no safety net, no “someone else will fix it.” It was all on me.
Becoming an expectant single mother at 40 added another layer most people never experience. I was running a barn, teaching full-time, managing clients, and literally renovating an apartment inside the barn so I could raise my daughter and keep the business alive at the same time. It wasn’t glamorous. It was grit and exhaustion and determination — and I’m proud I made it work.
There were years when money was tight, staff walked out, equipment broke, horses needed emergency care, and everything that could go wrong did. But I didn’t quit – I figured it out.
In 2024, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. A double mastectomy, reconstruction, radiation — all while still operating my barn and raising a teenager. I didn’t have the luxury of pressing pause. I showed up anyway. That year left a mark on me, but it also made me even tougher.
Taking over the San Antonio Rose Palace has been another mountain. The size, the history, the responsibility — 522 stalls, aging infrastructure, constant events — it’s a lot. Some days it feels like the whole place is leaning on me. But reviving that venue matters.
So no — it hasn’t been a smooth road. But I wouldn’t trade it for an easier one. Every hard season taught me something: resilience, work ethic, pride in what I build, and a deeper belief in the power of horses to change people’s lives.
I didn’t get here because things were easy — I got here because I kept going when they weren’t.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about In The Irons Equestrian Center and The San Antonio Rose Palace?
Professionally, my work is about creating structure, stability, and opportunity in an industry that often operates on chaos. I run two very different but interconnected operations: a full-scale lesson and training program at In The Irons, and a major event venue at the San Antonio Rose Palace. Both require very different skill sets — management, logistics, financial discipline, staffing, communication, and a willingness to solve problems quickly and decisively.
At In The Irons, my focus is on education, consistency, and long-term development. We teach riders of all ages and backgrounds, and the goal isn’t just horsemanship — it’s confidence, character, and accountability. Over the years I’ve built systems, trained instructors, managed hundreds of clients, and maintained a facility that runs seven days a week. It’s a practice that relies on clear expectations and a deep understanding of both horses and people.
The San Antonio Rose Palace is a different kind of professional challenge. It’s part event management, part facility operations, part customer service, and part community-building. I oversee everything from scheduling and contracts to footing quality, stall repairs, WiFi upgrades, large-scale improvements, staffing, concessions, security, and communication with dozens of producers and thousands of attendees. It’s essentially running a small city that resets every weekend.
Professionally, I’m known for being hands-on and detail-driven. I don’t sit in an office and hope it all works — I’m in the arenas, in the barns, at the front gates, and in the meetings. I troubleshoot, I plan, I anticipate, and I follow through. My work depends on reliability, toughness, and the ability to stay steady under pressure.
What drives me is the impact these operations have on people. At In The Irons, riders grow up in our program. At the Rose Palace, entire communities gather for shows, rodeos, competitions, and events that mean something to them. My professional life is about keeping those opportunities alive and making sure the spaces I run are safe, functional, welcoming, and continually improving.
It’s demanding work — long hours, constant problem-solving, and high stakes — but it’s meaningful. And in this industry, meaning matters.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
When I think about the people who deserve credit for where I am today, it’s impossible to pretend I did this alone. Yes, I worked hard — harder than I thought a person could — but there were people, and one very special horse, who carried me through the years when I couldn’t have done it by myself.
My daughter Paige comes first. She grew up in the middle of all of this — literally on the property, surrounded by horses, clients, and the nonstop rhythm of barn life. She was patient when I was stretched thin, understanding when the job took every ounce of my energy, and proud of me even on the days I didn’t feel proud of myself. She has been my constant, my motivation, and the reason I pushed through the hardest seasons.
I’m also incredibly grateful for the clients and families who showed up in those early years — the ones who took lessons with me in backyards, referred their friends, trusted me with their kids, and stuck with me long before I had a proper facility or staff. They didn’t just support my business; they believed in me at a time when belief mattered more than anything. Their loyalty kept me going long before anything was stable or established.
And then there was a family who changed the course of my life: Dwaine and Judith Rivers and their two daughters, Mackenzie and Morgan. At a time when teaching out of open fields and driveways was not far behind me, they believed in me in a way that completely altered my path. They gave me my first real barn — a beautiful 50-acre property — and even built a 12-stall barn specifically for me to use in exchange for teaching their girls to ride. That kind of generosity is rare. They stayed with In The Irons for about a decade, and we traveled to dozens of shows together every year. Looking back, their support wasn’t just helpful — it was transformational. It accelerated my career in a way I could never have accomplished alone, and I have never forgotten the role they played.
TP, my Paint horse, deserves a place in this answer as well. He wasn’t a lesson horse when I bought him — he was working cattle on a feed lot, doing tough, gritty work. And suddenly I turned him into everyone’s first ride. That meant unsteady hands, bouncing seats, confused cues, and all the mistakes that come with beginner riders. I asked so much of that horse — honestly, more than most horses could ever give — and he met every single day with patience, kindness, and heart.
He carried my business before I even had one. He carried me through a season of rebuilding my entire life. He absorbed every rough hand without complaint. He taught hundreds of people to ride. He gave me my start. There will never be another like him. I miss him every day of my life.
I also want to acknowledge the instructors who have worked for me over the years. Some were extraordinary — dedicated, talented horsemen and horsewomen who poured themselves into our program and helped shape In The Irons into the community it is today. Others taught me tough lessons about leadership, expectations, and the realities of running a business. All of them, in their own way, contributed to my growth. I couldn’t have built a program that has impacted so many riders without them.
I’m proud of what I’ve built, but I’m also deeply grateful. The people who trusted me, the family who gave me a real beginning, the instructors who stood by me, my daughter who grew up alongside this life — and TP, who carried all of us in his own way — they’re why I’m standing where I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.intheironsequestriancenter.com and www.sanantoniorosepalace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intheironsequestriancenter/ and https://www.instagram.com/rosepalacesatx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheIronsEQCenter and https://www.facebook.com/rosepalacesatx/
