OAK PARK Ranch ORIGINALLY MATERIALIZED OUT OF THE PASSION AND DEDICATION TO THE SPORT OF SHOW JUMPING. IT WAS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE AN ENVIRONMENT CONDUCIVE TO PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EQUINE ATHLETES OF ALL LEVELS, AND OVER THE YEARS HAS BEEN HOME TO SEVERAL WORLD-CLASS JUMPERS. Since its inception in 2000, we are now developing other areas of the property for Weddings, events, and overnight stays.

I have learned a great deal about what it takes to produce a successful jumper. Natural ability is only part of the equation and every horse is different. Understanding their individuality in order to develop and maintain a sound mind is equally important, as well as creating a balanced fitness program to help achieve their ultimate physical condition. Both are crucial in elevating a horse towards reaching their full potential. We have been fortunate here at Oak Park, not only to experience such a high caliber of training, but also to have the class of facility where we can implement and cultivate this type of complete program.  -   Cory Wolf

Although I started show jumping a bit later in life, it completely captivated me and I suddenly found myself immersed in the sport. Back in the beginning, we would follow our trainer from facility to facility all over the county with unwavering dedication. But eight relocations in only four years started to wear on us all. We had boarded at practically every jumping barn on the Central Coast! Never able to find the ideal permanent situation, I decided the best solution might be to establish my own venue.

There were several beautiful facilities we experienced north of the grade where land is abundant, but the commute and weather always took its toll. I would train in the morning myself, then travel over an hour once again in the afternoon for the kids’ lessons. Eventually my extra time became scarce. Plus, winters can get cold up there, sometimes below freezing at night, and the summers were equally as hot. Often reaching triple digits, the heat prohibited us from training comfortably after 10:00am during those months. The facilities in the San Luis area definitely enjoyed the better weather, but never had enough space. Trail riding, which became an important relief from our horses’ structured regimes, required diving off premises, making it impossible for some.

It wasn’t until passing this raw parcel of land for sale on my daily commute, that I began to envision the perfect equestrian center local. The property seemed ideal: centrally located equal distance from San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, and Arroyo Grande, situated in an area known for its temperate microclimate, and with enough available acreage to trail ride on without accessing heavily trafficked roads. I knew the site was uniquely perfect, especially after traveling in and out of so many. In 2000, I took the plunge and threw the 264 acres into escrow with little more than sheer enthusiasm. Luckily my friends, the Meads, whose daughters were also riding and frustrated from relocating, came aboard. Together we designed and built a facility based on all the barns we had previously boarded at.

Our means were modest, so we did much of the work ourselves. Oak Park was truly built on the inspiration and perspiration of its owners. We tried to implement the best aspects and eliminate the worst, from each venue we had visited. Something we took away from our endeavors around the county, was that many of our horses preferred living in paddocks. We decided to devote a great deal of space creating very large private paddocks with their own shelter; not many facilities offer anything close. The other element we fell in love with was the solid wood barn. We were fortunate to have experienced two places with hand built barns at a time when most facilities were using prefab. Although beautiful, kit barns always lacked the solid feel and warmth of all wood, and the stalls often retained heat in the summer. So we tracked down the same architect/builder who constructed one of those wood barns, to develop ours from scratch. Today, our barns retain character from all the horses that have lived here; every kick and bite mark has become part of their heritage.  

In 2004, Harley Brown, a top international rider, came to train at our facility. We were catapulted to a new level of riding and competing, gaining recognition at top rated shows as thee place to train at in Hunter/Jumpers on the Central Coast. Harley campaigned his world class jumper, Blue Diamond, and successfully qualified for the World Cup finals. After an injury, the stallion was retired and Harley began a long successful jumping career on Cassiato, the 18h Holsteiner gelding. Together they represented Australia in several Nation's Cups and appeared at the World Cup Finals in Las Vegas. Along with so many personal accomplishments while here on the Central Coast, Harley took several of his students to the highest amateur division at 1.40m - 1.45m (4'6"-4'9"ft) when most of them were not jumping more than 1.10m previously. I was the year-end Reserve Champion for the West Coast in that division, and Savannah Carr was on the Gold Medal Young Rider team: a tremendous accomplishment against North America's top amateur horses. After nearly a decade at Oak Park, Harley and his family moved to the Bay Area, leaving behind numerous accolades accomplished by those under his tutelage. Today, Amanda Garcia, formerly Harley’s assistant trainer for 10 years, continues her own successful program, bringing through a new generation of successful riders and horses. 

At the end of 2013, the Mead’s, with both girls grown and married, decided to leave the equestrian world for other pursuits and sold their share of the property to me and my family. It has been an amazing journey leading to where Oak Park Equestrian is today, with so many wonderful people passing through its gates. We look forward to the creation of new memories in years to come. For many of us, horses aren’t just pets, they become part of our family. Over the years, all of us at Oak Park have been like family... and the facility, a home away from home for us riders.  But most importantly, it’s been a place where some of our “best friends” live…and that matters.

Cory Wolf - Current Owner and Creator of Oak Park

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