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California Riding Magazine • August, 2010 Hidden Valley Ranch |
Patricia Harris and Edith Stephens Edith Stephens and Patricia Harris offer dressage enthusiasts a perfect place to board and/or train at the beautiful Hidden Valley Ranch. Set in the valley encompassing the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Hidden Valley is home to some of the country’s loveliest equestrian facilities and Hidden Valley Ranch ranks right among them. Ample turn-out and trail riding possibilities and plenty of space for quiet time for horses and their owners are features available to all boarders. A German native, Stephens has run this dressage barn, training and sales business for 12 years, developing a loyal following of students, horse buyers and friends. Harris earned her USDF gold, silver and bronze medals in the process of successfully competing up through the Grand Prix level. Stephens and Harris run their training businesses separately at Hidden Valley but they are like-minded in several key areas. They both believe that the horse’s welfare must come first in all phases of training and that enabling clients to enjoy their horse and barn time are an essential part of their program. Given Stephens’ background as a certified instructor in Germany and many years of high-level competition, she usually focuses on riders and horses working at Fourth Level and above. She welcomes those who want to show as well as those with no competitive ambitions. Stephens also welcomes those only interested in keeping horses at Hidden Valley Ranch, under her supervision as part of the dressage full-care boarding program. “Most importantly, I want everyone to consider my barn as a place where they can relax and enjoy their horses,” she says.
Stephens welcomes sales horses on consignment. Her greatest pleasure comes from watching a horse that has arrived to her barn develop into its full potential, stemming from the daily training and exercise schedule, along with a quality feed program. Harris’ main criterion for incoming students is that they be totally passionate about their horses. Her current clientele leans toward those pursuing dressage’s lower levels. They are split between riders who switched from other disciplines and those new to riding altogether. Her first two students were horse/rider pairs that had only done jumping. “Within four or five months they were both out showing dressage and winning classes and coming home with multiple high point championships,” Harris reports. In the first year, they qualified for all the championship shows: CDS, USDF and DASC. By the end of the year they held championship and reserve championship year-end titles with the Los Angeles CDS chapter and/or DASC. Harris adheres to basic dressage training beliefs. “You must give your horses the time they need to grow and gain the strength and confidence to do what you are asking. If you rush and push them into a frame when they are not ready for it, that will only come back to haunt you. Work your horse over the back and from behind, softly asking for bend and throughness. The basics must come first: relaxation, harmonious riding and steady soft connection. Patience and reward will advance your horse and keep him sound.”
“The greatest reward from teaching my students comes at the time when all the pieces of the puzzle go together and it all finally clicks,” she says. “The moments are evident to everyone, especially the rider, and set the stage for moving on to the next level.” Successful Relationship Stephens and Harris have a professional friendship that benefits all. Harris first met Stephens in 1998, while competing in Second Level dressage. “I saw this beautiful rider on this amazing, big bay gelding,” Harris recalls. It turned out Stephens’ mount was a schoolmaster named Charmant that she’d brought with her from Germany. A few months later, Harris bought Charmant and began training with Stephens. The arrangement produced highly successful results, culminating in Charmant earning the CDS Intermediare 1 Horse Of The Year honor in 2000. On her own, Harris trained a second horse purchased from Stephens to I1 and, in May of this year, bought her third FEI prospect, Charly, from Stephens.
Stephens and Harris are based out of the Edith Stephens Dressage Training barn at Hidden Valley Ranch. They pride themselves on keeping the stable open for business every day including Mondays and holidays. GGT all-weather footing ensures near year-round riding in the dressage arena, but when bad weather closes the ring, an exercise track and an enclosed lunging arena allow for exercising. Access to miles of trails is another great feature. Amenities include spacious tack rooms, a laundry room and covered barn aisles, while horses enjoy custom feed programs, quiet, supervised turnouts, hot and cold wash racks and matted stalls. Services offered are full-care boarding, half or full training or private lessons. Sales, lease, half-leases and clinics are also available.
For more information on boarding and/or dressage training opportunities at Hidden Valley Ranch, call Edith Stephens at 805-402-9810 or Patricia Harris at 818-802-9946.
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