Becky Abeita
Becky grew up in the South West having a successful junior career, competing in the Hunter, Jumpers and Equitation divisions, she had multiple regional and zone championships. She moved to the Pacific Northwest and enjoying working as an assistant in top show barns for several years. In 2002 she moved to southern California and worked as a freelance rider and trainer studying the local horse industry. In 2004 Steel Gate Farm was born. After working for several trainer/barns she realized that the local programs had a big gap. Most barns catered to either the show driven client and had no school program or the school horses and very poor standards but very few offered top quality to both. The goal of Steel Gate is simple, give every client individual care and attention and by doing so building better horseman/women. She believes that every rider deserves the respect to be taught top quality skills in a professional and controlled environment. Though the school horse program is small she keeps the lessons sizes to 4 or fewer riders per group. The training clients can enjoy mostly private lessons or small groups up to 5 days a week. She schedules horse shows with everyones needs and goals in mind and tries to insure that clients at all levels can confidently walk into a show ring if they desire.
Becky has always remembered why she choose the horse industry, for the love of the horse. She puts her and her clients horses first by offering only the best care and devotion the all in her care. Time is taken to get to know the individual character of each horse in the program and each gets a special program to insure that they can thrive in training at Steel Gate Farm.
Becky has always remembered why she choose the horse industry, for the love of the horse. She puts her and her clients horses first by offering only the best care and devotion the all in her care. Time is taken to get to know the individual character of each horse in the program and each gets a special program to insure that they can thrive in training at Steel Gate Farm.
Melonie Kessler Dressage
Melonie Kessler is a dressage trainer, clinician, competitor and USEF "S" judge. She has trained and shown horses through Grand Prix earning her USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medals. She has also coached and trained clients to earn their medals thru the Gold. Melonie has qualified horses at all levels for regional or national Championships, including Grand Prix.
She graduated from Pleasant Hollow Farms' Horse Career School in Pennsylvania with a diploma in riding, teaching, training, and stable management and has over 30 years experience in teaching and training.
Melonie has ridden with some of the top dressage clinicians in the industry. Her program is adapted to the horse and rider at a level comfortable for both, using the training pyramid when teaching. She encourages all students to be familiar with the criteria within the levels.
As a clinician, she explains from the judges view point the movements, and the way the scores are earned. A belief that a dialogue between the riders, auditors, and herself is important during the clinic to further understand the training process.
Melonie's philosophy in teaching and in training is always to show respect to the horse. At no time is compromising the horse mentally or physically permitted to achieve a result."The rewards of training horses comes at the end of each day, not at the end of the show"
- M. Kessler
She graduated from Pleasant Hollow Farms' Horse Career School in Pennsylvania with a diploma in riding, teaching, training, and stable management and has over 30 years experience in teaching and training.
Melonie has ridden with some of the top dressage clinicians in the industry. Her program is adapted to the horse and rider at a level comfortable for both, using the training pyramid when teaching. She encourages all students to be familiar with the criteria within the levels.
As a clinician, she explains from the judges view point the movements, and the way the scores are earned. A belief that a dialogue between the riders, auditors, and herself is important during the clinic to further understand the training process.
Melonie's philosophy in teaching and in training is always to show respect to the horse. At no time is compromising the horse mentally or physically permitted to achieve a result."The rewards of training horses comes at the end of each day, not at the end of the show"
- M. Kessler