California Riding Magazine • March, 2010

Baywood Equestrian Center
Top trainers work together to provide the best training and care for horses and riders.

Although the Baywood Equestrian Center has been under new management for only six months, the venerable facility in Marin County’s Fairfax has already accomplished its goal of taking the concept of full service training and boarding to the next level. With veteran Bay Area horsewoman Helle Eriksen as manager, Baywood offers first-class training in the hunter/jumper and dressage disciplines, along with a small, but excellent beginner’s program that embraces all riding styles. Best of all is the sense of community that comes from all trainers cooperating with each other to give students the best education and experience possible.

A native of Denmark, Eriksen has been based at Baywood for two years. She brought plenty of experience with her, having spent 22 years at the nearby San Dominico Riding School, where she was an instructor for 12 years then director of the riding program for 10. In her new post, she considers the facility’s trainers essential to Baywood’s success.

Hunter/jumper professional Kara Mia Clark is a familiar face on the California circuit. The guiding principles of her KMC Farm include safety, compassion, teamwork and respect. “This instills the confidence to reach one’s personal goals in the show ring and beyond,” Clark says. Her training style is motivating, constructive and highly effective, while never losing sight of the joy that the sport brings to all. Clark is capable of developing riders of all experience levels to the top levels in the hunter/jumper discipline.

Kara Mia Clark teaching Helle Eriksen’s daughter Annika Hoy.

From a little girl with her first pony in the Short Stirrup division through higher level divisions at some of California’s most prestigious top rated shows, Clark has been competing and winning. Her love for everything equine has never waned and she has always known what she would do in life: train riders and horses. At KMC Farm, Clark has been doing just that for the past 10 years and winning the hearts of students of all ages. Married to Tyler Love and the mother of their 1-year-old daughter Ella, the trainer often goes by her married name, Kara Love, but she continues to call her business KMC Farm.

Dressage is the domain of Heather Pollard-Krause: Focusing on the “whole horse,” Heather’s training methodology works with the horse’s natural rhythm and movement to produce balance, suppleness and flexibility. She provides a supportive environment for both students and horses learning the discipline of dressage. Pollard-Krause also provides expert rehabilitation services to horses who require care and healing from injuries. She and her clients have enjoyed many, many successful rehabilitations.

Baywood Basics

Eriksen and Nicole Numainville team up to offer general horsemanship training at Baywood, covering english and western riding styles and fundamentals of horse care and equitation. Numainville’s quiet focus and patient approach is ideally suited for young riders and beginning adults. Her long history with training also provides all with an environment in which their skills advance and their confidence grows.

Noumainville is also available to start young horses under saddle.
Eriksen has been surrounded by horses all of her life. Growing up on a farm in Denmark, she began riding at 8 and grew up with jumping and dressage. She brought her passion for horses with her as she migrated to the United States in 1981. She continued to evolve her riding disciplines, first learning the nuances of western styles, then studying as a working student with accomplished hunter/jumper trainer Larry Larson.

The 65-stall Baywood Equestrian Center has a proud history in the Bay Area. It was a popular rodeo venue from the 1940s to the 1970s, then evolved as a hub for equestrian recreational activities. Riding spaces include a large outdoor arena, a large covered indoor arena and miles of beautiful trails. In addition to the wide range of training options, Baywood provides all types of care for boarders’ horses. Eriksen’s definition of “full care” means owners do not have to worry about their horses should they be unable to visit for any stretch of time. “We really strive for a sense of community at Baywood,” Eriksen explains. “We all cover for each other and work together. People often describe Baywood as its own world that they love to get away to.”

For more information on Baywood Equestrian Center, please call 415-460-1480 or visit www.baywoodequest.com.