Donna Wilke

My teaching is based on equitation because without correct position you can’t ride to your best ability. I teach each student how to ride their horse effectively to reach their goals. I enjoy watching my students learn and grow through positive encouragement and my reward is seeing the smiles on their faces for a job well done.

My love for horses began at an early age when I first rode at the pony rides. I learned about horses in my younger years from the ground up. In exchange for grooming and tacking up horses for a local stable, I was able to take a few lessons. This led to cleaning stalls so I could lease a horse, to finally saving enough money to buy my own horse. Eventually I went to local shows, took lessons, studied and applied what I learned to myself and my horse. I started competing as a teenager and never looked back. Through my years showing as a junior and adult amateur I was very successful winning championships in both hunters and equitation classes. Being a trainer I am still competitive in the show arena as I want to be a good example of good horsemanship to my students.

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Betsee Finlee

Betsee began riding Dressage as a teen while living in Germany with parents in the US Armed Forces. She returned to the United States to attend college. Some 5 years later she was drawn to pursue the sport again. Betsee has been a member of the California Dressage Society since its 1967 inception, and presently serves on the Board of the Dressage Association of Southern California.

She is the recipient of the USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals and is an active competitor. Of the many achievements, she is proud of her 1989 AHSA 4th Level Champion Horse of the Year award with her dutch gelding Ergoed. He was the first horse she trained through Intermediare I. Betsee was a demo rider for the CDS Annual Symposium with Kyra Kyrkland on her dutch gelding Gershwin who won CDS 1st Level horse of the year in 1993. His competitive career was through 4th level.

In 1997 Betsee began training and competing Andalusians, taking the mare Cameo through Prix St Georges. The gelding Brujo has consistently been ILAHA USDF CDSSCV DASC Horse of the Year 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, from Training Level through 4th Level. Her greatest accomplishment is the riding, training, and competing at the Grand Prix level with her Hannoverian gelding Wait A Moment 2 earning DASC Grand Prix Horse of the Year in 2007 and DASC Grand Prix Freestyle Horse of the Year in 2008.

Betsee's clients and their horses experience dedicated individualized instruction. Her clients have qualified for CDS, DASC and USDF Championships at various levels. 2008 was a memorable year for clients horses with CDS plates awarded for training and first levels, and Prix St Georges. USDF awards included Trakehner Horse of the Year 5th at Prix St Georges and CDSSCV awards included FEI Horse of the Year. With all this said, Betsee cherishes her time coaching, teaching and giving back what she has learned. She believes strongly in the motto: "If I can do it, you can do it too." No one is exempt. It's all good.