In 1995, I was introduced to my first Lipizzan. For two years I was able to ride with a friend in the mountains of the San Francisco Bay area. As a horse lover my whole life, I made sure to ride as much as I could, even accepting the gift of a spooky quarter horse when I was a teenager. Although I had many fun times riding a variety of horses throughout my life, I had never experienced anything like what I did with those first Lipizzan geldings.

On our first ride on Mount Diablo, I was so surprised when something spooked the horse that I was on, and the reaction that I saw was staggering. Of course I was expecting to have a horse flying sideways or galloping forward, but instead this horse just stopped and braced his hooves on the ground and held his head high like a the majestic animal that he was.

From that moment on I was hooked. These horses were stunning to look at, smooth and powerful to ride, and as trustworthy as an old friend. I told my husband that if I ever bought a horse, that I wanted a Lipizzan. The rest is history for our family which ultimately created what is now CB Lipizzans LLC.

We currently have two Lipizzan mares, one gelding, one stunning Stallion and a gorgeous filly.

Everyone in our family enjoys these horses. With the help of an amazing trainer named David Ventura, we have trained our first Lipizzan so that my youngest daughter is testing training level and has several ribbons, one for Junior high score.

I actually rode my stallion, in my first dressage show in 2004 with a score of 65! The great news is that we are just beginning.

Although they are fabulous in the arena, these horses are gentle and sweet as well as fun to ride on the trails.