Head Coach, Kristen Urlaub
Riding since the age of 4, Kristen Urlaub grew up learning how to ride from her mother and other family doing ranch work and riding with local trainer Stan Brown. Not being able to afford a show horse, she took self-trained rescue horses to open shows and worked hard taking comments from each judge to become a better rider and trainer. She eventually became very successful in showing multiple horses to high points in open all-around events, both English and Western.
Once she got to UC Davis, she rode for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) team in open horsemanship and open reining, placing in national-level events and year-end standings. She also served as the team President for 2 years and also worked as one of the only western instructors at the UC Davis Equestrian Center. After graduating from UC Davis in 2008 with a degree in Animal Science with a Concentration in Equine Science, she became the coach for the IHSA Western Team and still coaches to this day. Under her guidance, team members have qualified for IHSA Regionals, Semifinals, and Nationals, including an Open Horsemanship Reserve National Champion. She has coached riders to AQHA Regional High Point titles and the Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge at the AQHA World Show.
Kristen has also shown successfully in ranch horse versatility shows, earning many day and circuit championships and was the 2013 Open Champion in the Golden State Versatility Ranch Horse Association. Outside of team lessons, Kristen enjoys teaching her daughters to ride and offers lessons to riders of all levels and ages. She enjoys working with beginners and youth, helping them advance in the discipline or event of their choice while having fun along the way.
