Full Circle Farm

09/03/2026

So good!!
This is copied from a post of

There is something I deeply admire about my adult amateur ladies. 💙💜💙

They have careers. They have children. They have spouses, homes, endless responsibilities, and calendars that make my head spin.

And somehow… they still make room for the horses.

They squeeze in the barn before work. They come straight from the office. They rearrange schedules, find childcare, drive in after long days, and sometimes (often!) ride when they are already completely exhausted.

Not because they have unlimited time.

Because this matters to them.

This photo is one of my favorite reminders of that. A doctor, a full-time professional, a mom of two toddlers — and a horsewoman — carving out a little piece of the evening to do something that fills her cup. Just her, her horse, and a sunset.

Here’s to the women who have a million things on their plates — and still make time for their horses. 🥂🐴✨

08/24/2026

🙏❣️💫

Beautiful ❤️

08/24/2026

🙏❣️💫

What if your horse didn't have to do anything for you to enjoy being with them?

We spend so much time asking horses to perform, respond, cooperate, improve, carry us, entertain us, or become something.

But what happens when we simply sit with them?

No agenda.
No training.
No expectation.

Just a horse being a horse.

Maybe the relationship changes when we stop asking:

“What can my horse do for me?”

and begin asking:

“Who is my horse when I don't need anything from them?”

That question changed everything for me.

And perhaps that's where a different kind of horsemanship begins.

O

If this question resonates with you, I explore it more deeply in Chosen, Not Obeyed.

You can find your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7P26WKY

08/24/2026

Life learning.

A lot of what we learn about a rider happens before we ever say, “Go ahead and mount”.

Experienced instructors are constantly gathering information, often without consciously thinking about it.

We notice how a student approaches the horse. Do they walk straight up without paying attention to the horse's body language, or do they actually look at the horse before entering their space?

We notice how they lead. Are they dragging the horse behind them? Being dragged themselves? Holding the lead rope in a death grip? Or quietly walking together like two individuals who understand where they are going?

We notice what happens when something doesn't go perfectly. The horse moves at the mounting block. The girth needs another hole. The reins are twisted. Another rider gets in their way.

Those tiny moments tell us an enormous amount about how that student handles frustration, pressure and problem solving.

We notice whether they listen when they aren't the one being taught. In a group lesson especially, the rider walking on the rail while someone else receives instruction may be learning just as much as the person being corrected... or absolutely nothing.

We notice whether they blame the horse. “The horse won't turn.” “He's being lazy.” “She isn't listening.” Those statements give us useful information because one of our jobs is eventually teaching riders to ask a much better question of “What am I doing that might be contributing to this?”

We notice how quickly they recover from mistakes. The strongest riders aren't necessarily the ones who make the fewest mistakes. They're often the ones who can make a mistake, recognize it, make an adjustment and keep riding without mentally unraveling over it.

We notice how they treat the horse when nobody is praising them for it. Loosening the girth after their ride. Giving the horse a moment to stand. Fixing a twisted strap. Noticing a fly bothering them. Putting equipment away correctly. Those little things matter but of course, none of this means we're sitting there secretly judging every student.

We're observing because good instruction isn't simply correcting heels, hands and diagonals. It's figuring out how this particular rider thinks, reacts, learns, communicates and problem solves, and then teaching the person standing in front of us accordingly.

What is something you find yourself noticing about a rider before the lesson has really even started?

08/24/2026

Very good reminders from excellent horsemen.

This is fundamental advice regardless of the discipline in which you ride, I have built my method and career around all of this, if you
Study the greatest horsemen in the world you will see all of the points in action. This was said by one of the best modern horsemen bill steinkrause.

“No. 1. Get your tack and equipment just right, and then forget about it and concentrate on the horse.

No. 2. The horse is bigger than you are, and it should carry you. The quieter you sit, the easier this will be for the horse.

No. 3. The horse's engine is in the rear. Thus, you must ride your horse from behind, and not focus on the forehand simply because you can see it.

No. 4. It takes two to pull. Don't pull. Push.

No. 5. For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward.

No. 6. When the horse isn`t straight, the hollow side is the difficult side.

No. 7. The inside rein controls the bending, the outside rein controls the speed.

No. 8. Never rest your hands on the horse's mouth. You make a contract with it: "You carry your head and I'll carry my hands."

No. 10. Once you've used an aid, put it back.

No. 11. You can exaggerate every virtue into a defect.

No. 12. Always carry a stick, then you will seldom need it.

No. 13. If you`ve given something a fair trial, and it still doesn't work, try something else—even the opposite.

No. 14. Know when to start and when to stop. Know when to resist and when to reward.

No. 15. If you're going to have a fight, you pick the time and place.

No. 16. What you can't accomplish in an hour should usually be put off until tomorrow.

No. 17. You can think your way out of many problems faster than you can ride your way out of them.

No. 18. When the horse jumps, you go with it, not the other way around.

No. 19. Don`t let over-jumping or dull routine erode the horse's desire to jump cleanly. It's hard to jump clear rounds if the horse isn't trying.

No. 20. Never give up until the rail hits the ground.

No. 21. Young horses are like children—give them a lot of love, but don't let them get away with anything.

No. 22. In practice, do things as perfectly as you can; in competition, do what you have to do.

No. 23. Never fight the oats.

No. 24. The harder you work, the luckier you get."

~Bill Steinkraus

08/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who brought this amazing and unique Training level cross country from an idea in the now adult Julie Brookman’s mind to reality.

It is in honor of a red ’64 Chevy truck I owned when I first began helping at the horse park in 1982.

My husband Ken Klus, myself and many others spent countless hours helping Bob Smith and the other founding members create the first cross-country jumps for the events held here. Our dump truck (which actually looks like the new jump) hauled a huge log from La Honda to the Horse Park, which was the first fence on the Preliminary level course for many years.

I want to personal dedicate this fence to every single person:

Donors large and small
Board of directors
Volunteers and employees

All who have made Woodside Horse Park what it is today.

We all have different visions of what the Horse Park should offer, but share a common goal of making this portion of Stanford University land environmental sustainable both for the wildlife and our equestrian activities.

In the early days, nothing came easy. his was a raw piece of land. It was called “Guernsey Field” and then officially became the “Combined Training Equestrian Team Alliance” with Bob, Brian, Vicky, and Kay, the founders dreamers and visionaries for both the land and our sport on the West Coast.

Do you remember when the Redwood trees here and on Sand Hill were first planted? I do!

So, I’m standing on my soapbox and giving you my two-cents worth (oops, no pennies anymore!) my nickel’s worth of what Woodside Horse Park has meant to me: what I have witnessed and experienced over the past 40 years.

Our sport has grown and changed for the better:

Better Horses
Better Riders
Better Coaching
Better Facilities

It has grown from a single water spigot to multiple water faucets, wash racks, and a pressurized underground water system that keeps the arenas in pristine condition.

BUT, some things have not changed: It still takes vision, determination, effort, blood, sweat, tears and yes many dollars — to make it happen.

The focus of the Horse Park has always been a place for people and their horses to learn and grow, from International Clinicians, Pony Club, The Los Altos Hounds and school programs to teach children about sustaining the environment and wildlife.

You didn’t just build a horse park, you built a home, a proving ground and a lasting legacy out of pure determination.

Thank you for honoring that founding spirit. May we always preserve the grassroots strength, camaraderie and passion that built the Horse Park at Woodside, keeping the true heart of eventing and other equestrian pursuits alive for years to come.

I would be honored for everyone who has donated dollars, time and effort, especially the builders of this really neat jump, to contribute their graffiti on it just like Kens dog Jodie who scratched the hell out of my freshly painted ’64 check truck, which is why there are paw prints on the jump. My reaction to Jodie scratching my truck must have left quite an impression on 10 year old Julie Brookman, whose creative mind put the wheels in motion to bring this unique jump to life.

I would really appreciate all of you putting your marks on this jump, just like Jodie did. Thank You!