Jane Rockenmacher’s Castle Creek offers a unique approach to the well being of both horse and rider. Jane enthusiastically welcomed trainer Rebecca Cook, of B and B Training Stables, to her 24-horse facility located in a peaceful and private setting in San Diego County’s Valley Center, near Bonsall. Together they’re inviting locals to come to an Open Barn day on Oct. 13 to see firsthand all that Castle Creek and Rebecca have to offer.
The Open Barn will feature a short problem solving clinic by Rebecca, special speakers, booths offering horse products and drawings for prizes. Jane encourages attendees to bring tack and horse clothing no longer in use for donation to her favorite non-profit organization, REINS.



Jane grew up working in the medical industry with parents who were a doctor and a nurse practitioner and she majored in biology, pre-vet/pre-med in college. She has worked for some of the top equine practitioners in the country on both coasts working primarily with racehorses and top show horses doing a variety of tasks including treatments, rehabilitation, surgery, etc. She has ridden for some notable trainers on the A show circuit, worked on the racetrack, and is now enjoying her horses in amateur status.
Rebecca’s training methodology addresses the whole horse, approaching each horse and rider team individually. Working with all ages and breeds of horses, her goals begin with getting into the head of the horse in order to understand the root cause of any undesirable behaviors. Rebecca starts with potential physical causes like the teeth, feet and back. Then she moves onto the history of the specific breed, checking with breed experts to uncover particular tendencies like bucking. Lastly she’ll try to uncover the history of the horse himself; was he ever hungry, neglected, or abused?
“I find that 80 percent of the time the cause of a problem is either physical, a bad past experience or they don’t know or understand how to do what they’re being asked,” says Rebecca. “Rarely do they just not want to do something.” This whole process takes roughly one month. “Rebecca’s just a gem,” says Jane. “I talked to her for several months before she came to California and she’s just wonderful with the horses. She’s so in-touch with them!”



Though she grew up riding hunters, Rebecca went on to explore multiple disciplines. First she rode dressage, then Centered Riding through Susan Harris clinics. She also spent some time working with an old-school stock horse trainer to learn reining. At the root of all her training is traditional dressage, getting the horse to go long and low and taking the necessary amount of time to achieve this goal; most likely years to reach the top levels. Her training approach is to define the issues, teach the owner what to do in a reasonable amount of time and then get the horse and owner together, being available for tune-ups as needed.
As an example of the effectiveness of her methods, Rebecca recalls a Paso Fino she was working with that “was a really nice horse who just needed an adjustment,” she says. After a bit of work she entered him in a show to see how he was coming along. “Turns out it was a national event, which I didn’t realize at the time, and he won the national title! Not bad for a ‘special needs horse’ as I call them,” Rebecca says with glee.
Though she’s originally from Florida, a lot of Rebecca’s family is in Alabama, which explains her southern drawl; a source of occasional amusement to the folks at Castle Creek. For example, while working with a Hanoverian mare with a tendency to bolt, Rebecca quickly worked out that the mare was just “sticking her nose between her armpits and was mad as heck.” So she said to the group, “There’s the Atlantic on one side and the Pacific on the other, she’ll stop eventually, so just let her go.” After much laughter, they realized she was right, and the mare has never tried to bolt with Rebecca. “She knows she has someone on her back that’s not afraid, and so she doesn’t try it.”
This whole horse training approach dovetails nicely with Jane’s own passions, which include massage therapy, energy work with essential oils and aromatherapy. “I’m interested in treating horses with a well-rounded plan,” explains Jane. For example, she took in an off-the-track Thoroughbred that was going to be put down after a major injury. “He had a very badly pulled tendon and a cracked cannon bone.” Jane treated the horse with oils and massage, worked with the farrier on creative corrective and gave him lots of rest.
“Now this horse that was nearly put down is owned by a couple of little girls who just love him and he’s showing Hunter Under Saddle and even jumping,” Jane says with a grin. A truly happy ending and a great example of what rest, good care and compassionate treatment can achieve.
Castle Creek is a full-service boarding facility that offers a 16-stall barn, including some stalls with paddocks. There is water and electricity inside the barn and automatic lighting in the barn to preserve the horses’ show coats year round. A grassy area in the middle of the u-shaped barn enables boarders to relax and enjoy the ocean breeze on warm days.
The facility also features an eight-stall mare motel that is fully covered with large feed bins and automatic waterers. Foaling stalls are available in the main barns and stallions are welcome at the ranch. Safety and care of all horses is Castle Creek’s primary goal. Jane and her husband live on the property and are tuned into all the ranch sounds so they can catch any issue before it becomes a problem.
There are two arenas at Castle Creek. The smaller arena is 150’x 60’ and can be used for riding or turnout. The larger arena is approximately 200’ x 90’. It is primarily for riding and features quality footing that is watered and dragged daily to maintain its condition. There is also a round pen, wash rack, hot walker, trailer parking and some pasture.
For more information about boarding at Castle Creek or attending the Open Barn on Sat., Oct. 13, contact Jane Rockenmacher at 760-751-9898 or castle_creek@yahoo.com. Castle Creek is located at 30660 Circle R Lane in Valley Center. The website is being updated at www.freewebs.com/castle_creek. You can reach Rebecca Cook at 760-994-4716 or indigo_blue_pony@yahoo.com and can view her site at www.bandbtrainingstables.com.