Hi everyone! I recently started a new job in Davis, CA, and would love to hear any insight you might have about the horse community here. Any barn or trainer recommendations? I am currently horseless and looking for somewhere I can either lesson/hack sales or lesson horses, or do an in-barn lease. This will hopefully change soon though, so other advice about boarding is welcome too.
Thanks!
Holly Fox is great! I don’t think she has any lesson horses out at her place at the moment, but she might be able to find a horse for you to borrow. She splits her time between jumpers and eventers for the most part. If her old assistant is still out there, she also has a long history in the jumpers & is a lot of fun to lesson with.
I haven’t ridden with Peter out at Southern Cross but I know a couple people who like him; his barn is probably the biggest H/J-specific barn in the immediate Davis area. Not sure what the lesson situation is there exactly.
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SunFire and Capstone both have lesson programs with good reputations. I think Capstone focuses more on their pony club team & SunFire more on their eventing kids, but I’ve seen both of them show up at the little local jumper shows.
Heather Whitney is another one - her place is a bit of a hike from Davis (maybe 30-40 min without traffic), but she mostly focuses on H/J and has a good variety of lesson horses. I’ve only ridden with her once or twice but my friends who ride out there absolutely love her. If you’re willing to drive a bit, there’s a lot of options in the greater Sacramento area that other people will know more about.
Thanks so much! This is super helpful!
I ride with Heather Whitney, so definitely recommend her. She does have a couple of lesson horses available. One or two that are periodically available for lease. Although Heather is primarily a hunter/jumper trainer, she has a strong dressage foundation. There are a couple eventers in the barn, and some of us that like to cross-train, so Heather does go to some events (rides in them too), but most of our shows are hunter/jumpers. We are schooling at Eventful Acres in two weeks too for some fun. Regardless of discipline, Heather teaches effective riding. We have an indoor arena for winter riding and rice fields for trail riding. Large jump ring and a dressage court.
If Heather’s barn is too far, another trainer I would recommend is Natalie Rooney at Four Star Farm. She has sale horses and lesson horses (with fancy buttons). Primarily an event barn but she teaches good technique and effective riding. She is in Winters. I rode with her for about 2 years. She sold two horses for me and helped me buy my current TRAK. I only left her barn for Heather’s because she relocated from Woodland to Winters. Too far for me with working full-time and a family. Good luck to you!
Thank you! They both sound great!
I think Carol Wright is near Davis. She is the best.
Yes, Carol is teaching out of Flying Horse Farms. Really bizarre–her barn in Elk Grove was gorgeous. Good for Davis though. Honestly it’s a bit of an H/J desert.
I rode at Gry McFarlane’s place, about 30-45 min. away depending on the hour. Sales, leases, and lesson horses avail. You might be able to share ride with UC Davis student(s).
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Andrea Barbee in Dixon has a sales & lease barn, Dreamland Farms, 15 min. away. She also trains. Definitely check it out.
Jan and Emma Hainze run Jem Stables, just down the road from Andrea.
Ryan Orepeza coaches the UCD IHSA team, students love him & they’ve done well. He trains out of Woodland… Nice guy, tactful rider.
Nice to see Heather mentioned. She’s also just plain fun.
Capstone is for sale.
The others mentioned above–watch many lessons–as well as how horses are handled on the ground…
Congratulations on your new job!
Thanks so much!!
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