Amy Ebeling | Ranch Manager
Twenty years ago, I had a dream to develop a ranch and foster my love of horses and riding. Since then, my husband and I have chipped away at The Acres integrating this passion into a dynamic business centered around the competitive equestrian community. I love every minute of watching the ranch, our riders, the horses, as well as our employees reach their full potential. My job is to help our clients enjoy their experience with their horses and keep the horses safe and comfortable while continuing to develop our ranch. Some of my hobbies are gardening, cooking, enjoying my dear friends, and of course loving and caring for my family. My proudest moments have been to see my husband in the Olympics and my son, Ben, thriving in his life. I feel so lucky and blessed to work with my passion, surrounded by wonderful people and a beautiful ranch, watching these magnificent horses each and every day.
Claire Darnell | Trainer
A member of the USEF Development Program, Claire is a USDF Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalist, recipient of the USDF Gold, Silver and Bronze Freestyle Bar, and USDF Horse of the Year award winner. She has competed in a total of 11 USEF National Championships, including the 2013 USEF Festival of Champions, the 2012 Developing Horse Grand Prix Championship, and the 2011 Pan American Games Selection Trials. Claire completed both her undergraduate and graduate studies at Baylor University, receiving her Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing, in 2009 and her Master’s of Science in Education, Sport Management, in 2011. Claire has been riding and training full-time since graduation, starting with several years operating her own business in Central Texas. She relocated to the West Coast in 2014, working for Jan Ebeling in Southern California for two years before moving north to Washington state, where she rode and trained through the end of 2018. Claire returned to The Acres in early 2019, and is now accepting clients under her own Darnell Dressage. You can read more about Claire and her program at www.dressage.us.
Ben Ebeling | In training
Ben/In training My name is Ben Ebeling, I am the son of Amy and Jan, and I have always lived at The Acres. Horses have always been a big part of my life and our lifestyle. I have been learning about running the ranch and learning all that it takes to run a place like this. Right now, my responsibility is to water and rake the arena, so I am working with our tractor and some of the equipment. I often help my parents with different tasks on the ranch and try to be helpful to all of the staff and our clients. Recently, there have been a lot of kids joining our program and we all have a lot of fun with our horses, but also with riding bikes in the park and doing lots of fun activities together.
Hector Vela | Lead Groom
My name is Hector Vela. In thinking about my life, I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with dressage and jumping horses. I have been a professional groom for over 20 years with various different trainers. I have handled mares and foals and have experience working with a wide range of horses. My philosophy in working with horses is being gentle and clear, this builds trust and confidence with the horses. Safety is one of the most important aspects of my job. I am the head groom at The Acres, and could not be more happy with my position working with Olympian, Jan Ebeling and his amazing group of horses.
Addy Garcia | Assistant Barn Manager
I joined Team Acres on October 8, 2013 as an assistant barn manager & organizer. It’s my responsibility to order the materials, supplies, and animal feed. I’m also in charge of the show form entries. A funny fact about me: I’ll never be too old for Disney. I’m a princess (who isn’t!) and I love to dress up! The golden rule at The Acres is the bosses’ jokes are always funny.
Emily Smith | Assistant
I am a Grand Prix dressage rider from Boston, Massachusetts with my USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals. I grew up being very involved with the Dressage4Kids program and was part of the Winter Intensive Training program in 2016. I am with Jan and Amy Ebeling in Moorpark, California during the summer and in Wellington, Florida during the winter. My horse’s name is Dublin who I trained to Grand Prix under the help of Jan. Dublin is a 2007 Hanoverian by Desperdos who I have owned since 2014. We have gone to two North American Championships and the USEF Festival of Champions. We hope to compete in the U25 Grand Prix CDIs in 2020, with the goal of competing in the U25 Grand Prix CDIO in Wellington.
Dr. Kent Sullivan | Veterinarian
Dr. Kent Sullivan was raised on a farm in northern Idaho and obtained his undergraduate degree at the College of Idaho. He went to veterinary school and completed a Large Animal Internship at University of Pennsylvania. He was then accepted into a 3 year residency program in Equine Surgery at University of CA, Davis. He became board certified in Large Animal Surgery in 1994 and has been performing surgery, consultations, and working in a performance horse practice since moving to Ventura County in 1993. Website: West Coast Equine
Dr. Deborah Kemper | Veterinarian
Dr. Deborah Kemper grew up riding horses in northern California and went to undergraduate and veterinary school at University of CA, Davis. After graduation, she was accepted into a one year Large Animal Internship at Texas A & M University . She also completed her Large Animal Internal Medicine Residency at Texas A & M University and successfully passed her medicine board examination in 2000. She is a diplomate of the American College of Internal Medicine in Large Animal and has been practicing in Ventura County since 1999. Website: West Coast Equine
Bob Pethick | CJF
Bob Pethick began shoeing horses in 1971 apprenticing for three years with several farriers and attending forging seminars at Bruce Daniel’s South Jersey School of Horseshoeing. Today, in his busy career, he fills many roles as an active farrier and clinician, teacher, international judge and in promoting and supporting excellence in the industry. He has served on the AFA Therapeutic Exam Board and has been active with the AFA Certification Committee as an Examiner for 24 years. Bob is also a past and current president of the Garden State Horseshoers Association Northern Chapter, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Northeast Association of Equine Practitioners, the American Association of Professional Farriers and was inducted into the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame in 2006. A Clinician since 1986, Bob gives many clinics on balance and recognizing and treating hoof capsule distortion. He utilizes OnTrack software to use gait analysis to add dynamic balance to his presentations. Bob has been the recipient of the Jim Linzy Outstanding Clinician Award by the American Farriers Association. Bob has taught the AAEP/AFA Short Course at Tufts and Cornell as well as other vet schools and has been a speaker at the AAEP and AFA conventions as well as the International Hoofcare Summit.
Dr. Linda Rydgig | Veterinary Acupuncturist (CVA)
Dr. Linda Rydgig is a certified veterinary acupuncturist (CVA) through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS). She has also completed advanced training for equine at the Chi Institute in Florida. For more than 15 years, Dr. Rydgig has been treating horses with musculoskeletal soreness, nerve damage, ophthalmic conditions, behavior issues, and other conditions that respond well to this complementary therapy. Although acupuncture has been widely used in China for thousands of years, equine acupuncture in the United States has been introduced in just the last century. Equine acupuncture is recognized as an accepted treatment modality by both theAmerican Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Website: www.progeq.com
Tita Brown | Transportation
Tita Brown is owner and operator of TB Transportation. TB Transportation specializes in local Los Angeles County horse transport. We are based out of Los Angeles County in Southern California and take great pride in the way we treat and care for your horses during their trip. Our goal is to have the transporting experience as stress-free for your horse as possible. Each and every horse is treated as if it were our own. All of our trailers are camera equipped to insure the highest degree of safety. imovehorses.com
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