Sequoia Hills Stables

07/12/2024

Matt, Lauren, Alex and Lisa McEwen celebrating Alex's commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps!

07/12/2024

Congratulations to newly commissioned Alex McEwen as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps!

We are so very proud of his accomplishments and wish him the very best in his future years of service! ❤

06/27/2024

Can you guess the Sequoia Hills Stables tradition in this photo?

Yup - it's TIE-DYE THURSDAY!!

06/27/2024

Cutest smiles from our riders, and a look of total heaven from Hobbs!

06/26/2024

Our 'Gentle Giants' (Baron, Kenzy and Bud) along with a 'Magnificant Mini' (Hobbs - who came to visit for camp... check out his rump! ❤).

Makes for fun times!!

06/26/2024

Our fabulous crew is having as much fun as our students!

06/25/2024

Bud, the mule, loves Summer Camp!

06/24/2024

We are deeply saddened by the news of Bobby Tanner's passing. Our most sincere thoughts and sympathies to his wife Claudia and son, Bo. He leaves behind an incredible legacy in the mule world, as well as a long family history of pack trips from Reds Meadow Resort into the High Sierra. Rest in Peace, Bobby.

06/05/2024

Most every barn has horses - or ponies - that are 'Legends.' These are very special horses and ponies that help make memories for a lifetime for their riders, and make lifetime friends with the families that come to ride. For those who have come to Sequoia Hills Stables, this very special pony was a 'Legend.' 💔 Rest easy sweet girl.

05/05/2024

Sign Up for our Summer Camps!
June 10-13, or June 24-27.
Click Here for more information: https://conta.cc/3yfmGpF

02/25/2024

We are so proud of DG Bar Ranch and their outstanding stallion, Koning DG - who just happens to be the sire of our beautiful filly Royal Nova (Roxy)! She's a spit-fire and so fun to watch her grow.

𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐖𝐏𝐍-𝐍𝐀 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐆 (𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐱 𝐱 𝐉𝐚𝐳𝐳), 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 DG Bar Ranch, 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐖𝐏𝐍!

Koning DG did his IBOP tests for licensing as a three- and four-year-old, receiving a score of 85.5 points in 2019. After meeting the veterinary requirements, he received his breeding license for KWPN-NA. He was the Champion of the North American Stallion sport test (NASST) in 2019. Koning DG has been showing at Prix St. Georges level since this year, in which he scored 73.6%.

𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞:
Koning DG’s dam is the imported Jazz daughter Darcy CL, who earned 70 points for conformation and 85 points for movement in the Netherlands at her studbook inspection. In America, this Keur mare then scored 84 for her IBOP and was shown in the Small Tour. Her mother Princes Lincom (by Junior STV) competed in the Small Tour also and is the mother of the Big Tour horse Worker CL. This damline also produced the FEI Grand Prix horses Chopin C.L. (by Dayano), Fleetwood Mac CL (by Gribald) and Chuppy Checker CL (by Osmium).

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠:
In 2022, thirteen offspring were assessed during the KWPN-NA inspection tour. Koning DG showed a collection of sufficient to very good blood type. The well-formed fronts are striking. The head is a bit long a few times. The topline is well shaped. The hind leg has a slightly variable adjustment. The horses generally have a well-developed and correctly established foundation. They all move in a correct and spacious way, with good posture and good use of the hind leg and indicating good ability adjust. The walk has good rhythm, more than sufficient length of stride and good use of the body.

Various offspring of Koning DG have already produced good results. From his first crop, Koning DG had three foals that all received a first premium. His daughter Odessa DG was the inspection Champion among the dressage foals, with a sixth place in the National inspection Top 10’s. In 2021, there were three top 3 placings in the KWPN-NA Virtual Foal Futurity. A year later, Sultan DG, Rockefeller HF and Pharoah DG were the Champions of the KWPN-NA inspection. In 2023, Koning offspring was remarkable and several were. very successful in the IBOP and the DG Bar Cup. Koning’s son Pharaoh DG (damsire Parcival) is licensed now and scored 88.5 points in the DG Bar Cup twice. In the same cup, Odessa DG achieved 81.5 points and Paradigm 82.5 points. His offspring all scored an 8 or higher for their gaits in their DG Bar Cup.

𝐊𝐖𝐏𝐍-𝐍𝐀 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬:
Stallions who have a breeding license with KWPN-NA are eligible for KWPN approval. This is possible if the stallion is at least seven years old and the sports results (minimum Small Tour or jumping at 1.40m level) are sufficient, in relation to the age. For the approval procedure, the judges also need to see at least ten offspring. This is followed by an assessment on hard surface, where a KWPN inspector judges conformation and correctness of foundation. The final step is a five-day character assessment at an independent test center recommended by the KWPN-NA.

Koning DG has met the veterinary requirements. He has a genome breeding value D-OC of 99. Nothing unusual was seen during the character assessment. The stallion is not a carrier of the WFFS gene.

Source: KWPN
Photo: Liz Van Woerden

Original press release KWPN:
https://www.kwpn.nl/nieuws?itemId=NewsItem:29221

02/14/2024

Happy Valentine's Day from the horses and ponies of Sequoia Hills Stables!
They love dress up day!!
Can you guess their names??
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

01/24/2024

What a Great Start to the New Year! Riding lessons on Splash and Desi, in pink helmets!
Love seeing this next generation of students!

12/25/2023

Sending warm wishes from all of us at Sequoia Hills Stables for a Very Merry Christmas!

12/07/2023

A proud moment for us as Bailey Schultz will soon be on her way to the Kentucky Equine Management Internship program where she will be working at Shawnee Farms in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. https://kemi.org/

We were fortunate to have Bailey riding at Sequoia Hills Stables as a young rider. She is full of natural talent and is a beautiful rider!

Good luck Bailey and we can't wait for photos of you in Kentucky!

A huge shout out and congratulations to COS Equine student Bailey Schultz for being accepted into KEMI, the Kentucky Equine Management Internship. Bailey has been placed at Shawnee Farms in Harrodsburg, Kentucky! Bailey leaves January 1st and we wish her the best of luck in learning all about the thoroughbred and racing industry along with veterinary medicine!

11/24/2023

Wishing all of our riders, trainers, families, friends, neighbors and employees a Very Happy Thanksgiving! Feeling so thankful and wishing you the very best!

08/24/2023

As many of you know, we are big supporters of Lauren Billys Shady, who started riding at a young age in Woodlake. She has already ridden in 2 Olympics, which is amazing! Here is a link to a recent article where she discusses her horses, her accomplishments this year, and what lies ahead.

Check out the article “Ringside Chat: With A New Horse, Caribbean Games Gold Medalist Lauren Shady Is Rekindling Her Olympic Fire”

Link in bio to read the full article!

08/01/2023

Gotta love those Dutch Warmbloods !

07/29/2023

Congratulations to W***y Arts and the team at DG Bar Ranch for qualifying several horses for the Young Horse Championships. Good Luck!

07/29/2023

Here are some fun photos of Megan Farrenkopf's early years in the saddle. She is a gifted rider! We congratulate her on the National Sportsmanship Award she received - along with a scholarship - from the Interscholastic Equestrian Association. Congrats Megan!

07/29/2023

We could not be more proud of Megan Farrenkopf, on her stellar accomplishments scholastically, and her nationally recognized equestrian achievements through the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA). Well done Megan - and good luck at Cal!

A woman from Tulare is one of two people who has earned a National Sportsmanship Award (NSA) recognition from the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA).

07/25/2023

Come for Summer Camp - Last Hurrah before school starts!
NEW DATES: July 31, August 1-2

Check it out! Click here for all the details: https://conta.cc/451fit5

07/19/2023

Thank you all for your very kind words and remembrances of Sweetie... Since she was with us from day 1, she greeted everyone who came to the stables.. Here are some photos of her with our riders - who are now awesome young ladies!

07/18/2023

Rest easy Sweetie... You were the sweetest barn cat and guardian of the hay stack ever.. You loved everyone - even all the kids - and they loved you, too. You were the 'official greeter' to all who came for lessons. Will miss you greatly.

07/18/2023

We had the best time at our Summer Camp in June!
Fun students, fun crafts and fun games on horseback ~
We're doing it again!
Check out the flyer, click on the application and sign up soon!
Go to: https://conta.cc/3DjF3Jy

07/08/2023

This is a great article. After riding for more than 60+ years, I am still learning something every ride, every day spent with my horses - and loving it! A big thank you to all of the great trainers, instructors, coaches, farriers and veterinarians who have been a part of my journey!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=720553896738607&id=100063520092418&mibextid=Nif5oz

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

06/29/2023

We are SO excited for Lauren Billys on her Gold Medal win at the Central American and Caribbean Games at the headquarters of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Lauren and her horse 'Can Be Sweet' wrote her name in Puerto Rican, Central American and Caribbean history, at the equestrian eventing event that took place at the Palmarejo Equestrian Pavilion on the Quisque island.

Well done, Lauren!

06/03/2023

Don't delay - Sign up Today for Sequoia Hills' 2023 Summer Camp!!
It's where great memories are made for a lifetime!! Many of our previous campers are now very successful riders, and enjoying their horses.

Go to the link below for all the details and application.. https://conta.cc/42jyjVZ

06/01/2023

Our 2023 Summer Camp is right around the corner!
Sign Up Now - limited spaces!

Check out the Link below for all the information!!
https://conta.cc/3N7ev3J

05/29/2023

Happy Memorial Day!!! May we remember and honor all those that have served / that are serving our country. Thank you to our service men and women! 🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸