Luis Lopez: Stable Duties

Louis has been with Clare since September of 2002. Luis is in charge of all barn work & duties, horse turn out and feeding etc. He is an excellent horse handler, is very responsible and reliable and keeps the barn neat and clean. Luis pays close attention to the horses at the barn. He will always contact Clare if he sees lameness or suspects illness in any of the horses at LaVigna Ranch. Luis is also an integral part of the team.

Artaurus Veterinary Clinic

This clinic is conveniently located just three minutes down the road from LaVigna ranch, and was founded in1972 by Dr. James Steere. Now his son, Dr. Robert Steere owns and operates the clinic along with his wife Christen. In 2001, the clinic was happy to welcome Dr. Carrie Schlachter from the University of Pennsylvania: They offer emergency, routine and preventative care both at the clinic and in the field. Their services include surgery, radiology, ultrasound, lameness evaluation and treatment, pre-purchase exams, nutrition consultation, preventative medicine, sports medicine, general health care programs and much more. They offer top of the line pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements for your horses. While the practice focuses on horses, they do offer routine care for dogs and cats as well. Both Dr. Robert and Dr. Carrie are excellent vets to work with, and do a great job keeping the horses at LaVigna Ranch sound, healthy and happy.

Graham's Farrier Service

Brian Graham attended the Sierra Nevada Horse Shoeing School in 1993. His career highlights include:

• 1995: Won the Division 1 contest at the Northern California Classic Horse Shoeing Contest
• 1999: Won the Division 2 Horse Shoeing Contest in San Diego
• 2003: Won Heavy Horse Shoeing contest in San Diego.

• 2003:Won the Morgan Horse Shoeing Contest in New York in the Open Division.
Brian’s business consists primarily of shoeing dressage horses. He shoes all over California as well as in Florida.
Brian makes all his own shoes and does hot shoeing. Not only is he an excellent farrier, but he is wonderful with the horses as well. Brian never loses his patience or raises his hand or even his voice to a horse. He is very reliable and is quick to respond if there is a lost shoe or a problem that needs to addressed quickly.
The horses Brian shoes move better, freer and more correctly. Brian also keeps up with the newest farrier knowledge and techniques, so the horses benefit from what’s current. He is perfectly happy to work with the vets as well, which he does regularly with the rehab horses.
Brian shoes at LaVigna Ranch every week.

Margaret Manion: Body Work

Margaret graduated from the Jack Meagher Institute of Sports Therapy at the advanced level and co-taught the 1st level course. The technique she uses relies on the muscular physiology of the athlete. Margaret was recommended to Clare by Artaurus Veterinary Clinic and Clare has used her services ever since. Margaret is excellent at helping to relieve discomfort or pain in horses. She is patient, kind and empathetic, but also direct and confident. Margaret is very professional and has amazing amounts of knowledge. She works on the horses at LaVigna Ranch every other week.

Sheryl D. Lemke: Lemke Saddle Services, Inc.

Sheryl has been in the saddle business since 1984. She is a qualified Saddle Fitter and certified by the Society of Master Saddlers Ltd. (UK) in conjunction with Warwickshire College. Sheryl has been fitting saddles for Clare's clients since 1999. All of her saddles, especially the Buffalo Deluxe, are amazing to ride in. They fit the horse and rider like a glove.

The Buffalo Deluxe, which is the choice of most of Clare's clients, actually deepens the rider's seat and pulls the rider into the correct position. The saddles are extremely comfortable for both the horse and rider. Most of Sheryl's saddles are semi or fully custom fit, and Sheryl does the fitting personally. She also advises as to which saddle is best for the particular horse and rider. Sheryl visits LaVigna Ranch quarterly for fitting or to bring saddles for new LaVigna horses to try.