Johnny "Joe Kid" Joestar was born in a family of former aristocrats in Danville, Kentucky – his father then a wealthy owner of several farms and an acclaimed horse trainer who had won the Triple Crown seven times. He was successful enough for the family to live comfortably in England for several years. Johnny was five when he first rode a horse. His father, upon seeing Johnny observe the motions of the horse, considered him "a horse riding genius", which Johnny himself would also believe. However, Mr. Joestar was strict towards Johnny and always seemed to favor his older brother Nicholas.