ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA BARBARO AMBASSADOR

It All Comes Down To The Search For Spirit

It began with a ride on a carousel, the feeling of being otherworldly. The connection with the spirit of the horse was struck in an instant, and unsuspecting parents were committed in that moment to a life of equine care with a young daughter who wanted nothing more than to be with her horse. Little did anyone know that it was this intense search for spirit that brought this girl to her love of horses, and would later take her to the depths of destruction.

At age four she began riding lessons on a chestnut pony named Willy, at age six, her father abandoned his hope of a new motorcycle and bought her a horse, name Foxfire. Wild rides under the power lines of New Jersey, these two forged a bond that would only be broken by darker forces.

After relocating to California from New Jersey, Julie continued to ride, a but her attention waned in adolescence, moving away from this form a spirit to the kind found in a bottle. Without the support of her equine companions, Julie slipped into a darker relationship with spirit, seeking to quiet the continuing dis-ease in her mind.

For seven years spirit was sought in the wrong places, and the spiral downward continued, until she was forced to deal with her demons. At age 18, Julie started on a different path, a course correction back to the original spirit she loved so much. Years and years had past, memories of the magical black horse she had dreamed of as a young girl came back to her. A small clay sculpture was returned to her, created at the age of four . the striking likeness of the black horse she so loved .

At age 35, after years of research on this black horse from the Netherlands, in the middle of the Northern California wine country, she met her dream, Sander Van Ravensbos, a Friesian Gelding. She and Sander have not been parted.

The future holds many horses for Julie and her family. She has now committed her life to the well being of horses, and the power of spirit that these magnificent creatures hold. Julie lives with her husband and son in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Brego - Rescued Out Of A Washington Feedlot

Sander Van Ravensbos, 10 Year Old Friesian Gelding