Kismet Farms is owned and operated by Tracy Bowman on 200 acres of cross-country heaven in Martinez, a small community 25 minutes east of San Francisco.
Tracy grew up horsing around in Europe as her Air Force father moved the family around. In the process she earned her British Horse Instructor’s Certification along with her British Pony Club A rating. She came to the United States as a groom during the 1984 summer Olympics and stayed for good.

Training Top Level
Cross Country Competitors

There are two main areas of focus for Tracy and Kismet Farms. The first is the training of people and horses in the cross country discipline. Tracy’s partner in this aspect of the business is Jolie Sexson, who came to Kismet as a 7-year-old and has blossomed into an upper level competitor who has competed in several Three Star events. “Since I’m in a wheelchair, Jolie is the one who rides and trains the horses. I’m thrilled that she’s stayed a part of the Kismet family all these years,” says Tracy.
Tracy competed and trained for years until 12 years ago when an old cancer tumor on her spine resurfaced as a cyst that damaged her spine and put her in a wheelchair. “I’ve figured out my situation and so have all the people in my barn and in the state of California,” she explains. She gets around in a wheelchair and on an ATV and is a fixture at cross country events in California. Only occasionally does an insensitive technical or foreign delegate at an event remind her that her situation is unique by trying to keep her from being next to a warm up arena, for example.
With 10 riders competing at the FEI levels and above and 26 more students at non-FEI levels, Tracy keeps quite busy training her upper level students, but it’s not the high stress environment of some barns. Tracy and Jolie like to help people achieve their goals while having fun. The student population includes high level competitors who have shown at Rolex and other international level events, as well as students with more modest goals. At either end of the spectrum, Tracy and Jolie have the skills to help people achieve their goals.

A Home for Working Students

Kismet Farms also provides wonderful opportunities for working students, and there are a few openings now. Because of its central location to the Bay Area and Davis, the barn is a great place for students who are heading off to college but want to continue to compete. They can live at Kismet Farms, continue to ride, and manage college as well.
The facilities at Kismet Farms include multiple arenas, cross country fences, nearly 100 acres of hacking land, and a popular galloping track that climbs from three to 400 feet and has excellent footing. Boarding options include a 33-stall barn with paddocks. Something you won’t find at many Bay Area barns is eight different pastures ranging from one half to 30 acres, so the horses get turned out every day.

Importing Horses

The other half of Tracy’s enterprise is importing horses for clients. For this aspect of the business she partners with longtime friend Leslie Law, individual gold medal winner for Britain in the 2004 Olympics. Though Leslie recently immigrated to the U.S., he and Tracy maintain a comprehensive network of contacts throughout Europe.
The sales side of the business is primarily through word of mouth. “Someone will say, ‘Jolie was riding such and such horse at this event and where did this one come from?’” explains Tracy. Most of the local trainers know that if they have clients who are willing to import, Kismet Farms is the way to go. They’ve successfully satisfied a wide variety of client requests over the years, finding and selling everything from Gypsy Cobs to international Four Star horses.
Kismet Farms customizes their level of services to each client’s need. “If the client is interested in going to the U.K., our partner Nicky Cane will pick them up at airport and take them to see as many as 16 horses in one day, all within an hour’s drive,” says Tracy. “It’s just much more concentrated horse country over there; everyone grows up horsey.” Kismet Farms can arrange all the vetting and shipping. “We can make it that they never have to dial a number or they can do as much as they want.”

A Future Summer Camp

Along with the sales business, Leslie has often taught clinics at Kismet Farms. They are so popular that they sell out before Tracy can even publicize the event. So next summer they are going to try a summer camp, similar to what David and Karen O’Connor do in the East. The preliminary plan is to have two, one-week sessions for young riders and adult amateurs that encompass riding, horse management, vet care, competition scheduling, and more. Stay tuned.
For more information, you can reach Kismet Farms at 925-370-0460 or www.kismetfarms.net.