California Riding Academy, Menlo Park

The echoes of hooves clopping against loose dirt carry across California Riding Academy’s expansive training arena, where founder and director Jessica Harrell can be found jumping warmblood horses or leading lessons in various riding styles. Jessica helms a staff of experienced instructors and trainers who all specialize in horses, their care and your enjoyment of them. Though their combined experience adds up to more than 100 years, the instructors would be nowhere without their stable of well-trained horses and ponies, who carry themselves with poise and dignity through competitions, summer camps, and stagecoach robberies.