Champions are made, not born. That has long been the motto of Julie VanLoo, head trainer at Silver Gate Farms in Santa Clarita. Not many would have looked at Dream Catcher, a 6 year old, stocky pony of Mustang descent with a reputation as a runaway, and think “here is a future champion.” But Julie, Dream Catcher and his 12 year old owner, Victoria Bauer, proved that dedication and hard work are essential to show ring success.


They blew the competition away at the 2005 Los Angeles Horse Show Association Pony Medal Finals at the Los Angeles National Preview and claimed a top-five spot in the Medium Pony Hunters division at the 2005 West Coast Pony Finals. When the pair qualified for the 2006 USEF National Pony Medal Final, they faced a difficult decision.
“It’s more than just a big financial undertaking to go to Nationals,” explains Julie. “It’s also a long trip from California to Kentucky. There were also a lot of good horse and rider combinations at Nationals that, being on the West Coast, we had never shown against before.”
But Julie had faith in the pair and the decision was quickly made to take the unlikely combo across the country to the prestigious East Coast competition.
On August 11, Victoria and Dream Catcher, or “Dreamy” as he is affectionately known, proved Julie’s instincts where dead on. Victoria rode a flawless winning round in the 2006 USEF National Pony Medal Finals in Lexington, KY, placing eighth out of 209 riders.
“Silver Gate Farms is not your typical show barn,” says Julie. “So many of our horse and rider combinations are like Dreamy and Victoria. A lot of show barns want an already made horse, which is great, but if you can’t afford that you might not have another option. I encourage all my students to learn to ride well and to become better horsemen.”
Once students learn the basics of equitation, Julie encourages them to ride in the low level jumper divisions and to develop a strong foundation in dressage. In addition to fostering well rounded riders, she also promotes strong bonds between her riders and their horses.
“When you’re working with horses that are green or that have had behavioral problems, you really have to be willing to work hard,” says Julie. “The horses don’t always do what you want them to do. I really try to teach my students that they have to be willing to stick it out and learn to partner with their horse.”
Starting Off On the Right Hoof
These are lessons that Julie doesn’t just preach, she practices. At the age of 13, Julie was the new kid on the Appaloosa circuit showing her family’s green horse against experienced professionals twice her age. She stuck it out and the pair won state championships in both the First- and Second-Year Divisions. Four years later, she trained and competed Secret Ingredient, a granddaughter of the legendary racehorse, Secretariat, to national championship titles in Green Hunters and Hunter Hack.
On her personal journey to become a well-rounded rider, Julie has successfully campaigned through Intermediate levels in FEI Dressage and is training Grand Prix. She raised, broke and trained her current project, Imagine That, a Dutch-bred gelding out of Argus. The KWPN has ranked Imagine That as one of the top-five dressage horses, and the United States Dressage Federation has awarded Julie a Bronze and a Silver Medallion.
Silver Gate Farms was founded in 1990 and is a family owned and operated business. Julie’s mother, Connie O’Leary, manages the barn and occasionally preps equitation students for shows. Connie has been teaching equitation and medal class winners for over 35 years and was the trainer of the 1985 World Championship Equitation Rider for the 18 & Over Division. Julie’s father, James O’Leary, once a passionate eventer, had to put his riding on hold because of an injury. He now happily spends his time working with new students and young horses.
In addition to training horses and riders, Silver Gate Farms also takes pride in its breeding program. They are currently standing Legacy of Faith, a Dutch Warmblood stallion, a son of Argus, and a half-brother of Julie’s FEI dressage horse, Imagine That. His offspring include an American Half-Trakehner gelding and a Dutch-Thoroughbred cross mare that began campaigning in the 2005.
Silver Gate Farms is dedicated to top-quality horse care, teaching classical horsemanship and fostering a love of horses through training and competition. “I want my students to learn the horsemanship part of riding and not just the show ring part,” explains Julie. “I think that we teach our kids more then just riding lessons; we teach lessons they can take into their adult lives. Our riders tend to be more focused and in tune with what they want.”
Whether a rider is looking to give a race horse a new vocation, re-adjust a wayward pony’s attitude or start from the beginning and try and breed their next champion, Julie and her family at Silver Gate Farms know that the USEF’s next star can be found anywhere. After all, you don’t need a glass slipper to be the next Cinderella, just a good pair of boots and a hard helmet.
For more information about Julie and Silver Gate Farms call 661-297-0419 or check out their website, www.silvergatefarms.com.