Beginners get a crash course in horsemanship, including time in a schooling arena where they'll learn halfhalts, rein control, and other safety basics. But Shea will take more experienced trail riders to the next level. On private rides, you'll enjoy cantering on the beach or on mountain trails with just you and your riding buddies. Then you'll learn how to check your mount's vital signs as it's done at an endurance ride's vet check.

You'll also be well mounted, perhaps on a dressage-trained Russian Orlov cross, a smooth-gaited Akhal Teke cross, or a hardworking Quarter Horse. "Really good riders appreciate the training my horses have had, and how capable and fit they are," Shea observes.

Shea also notes that about half of the riders on her week-long Redwood Coast Riding Vacation are serious riders. "They're quite experienced in riding," she says, "but they want to get out and see new country on the back of a horse-and actually trot and canter." Shea also offers international rides-such as a Kenya Riding Safari-popular with experienced riders.

We caught up with Shea between rides to chat about horses, trail riding, her ranch, and more.

TTR: I'm an experienced trail rider coming to your facility for the first time. Which of your mounts do I want to ride?

Shea: It all depends on what you're looking for. Do you ride English or Western? Are you timid or confident? Do you prefer very smooth gaits, or do you like lots of suspension? Do you like long strides? I have 64 horses on the ranch, with 40 available to tack up for rides. My eight Russian Orlov crosses are well trained in dressage, jumps, trail, and endurance, but they have huge gaits, and some people are not comfortable with that. If you're a confident rider, you'll probably want one of my absolutely fabulous Arabians, which stay sound and safe year after year on the trail. They have lots of energy and can canter for miles with their ears still perked up. If you ask for a nice ride with a really smooth-gaited horse, I might also put you on an Akhal Teke cross. Size can be a real issue, too. Many people are used to big horses, although many of my small horses can often "beat out" the bigger ones in performance on the trail, carrying a lot of weight for miles. Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, Thoroughbreds, and some wonderful grade horses round out our horse family.

TTR: What is the first thing you tell people when they get in the saddle?

Shea: First, we tell them that we allow our horses to eat with a bit in their mouths on trail; in fact, we encourage it. I explain that in nature, horses are meant to graze up to 20 hours a day, and letting them eat helps their digestion. I also ask my riders to allow the horses to walk around a little, while everyone else is getting mounted. It helps the horse to take a few steps and settle the weight of a new person on his back.

TTR: What is your biggest client pet peeve?

Shea: Asking if they can ride with spurs or carry a whip. I may use spurs or a whip when I ride dressage, but believe me, my horses do not need to be encouraged on the trail. I would never let someone ride with spurs or a whip until I knew their capabilities, skill, and experience. I really believe that old expression, "One has to earn the right to wear spurs."

TTR: What tells you a rider knows what he/she is doing?

Shea: An accomplished rider shows me her skill from the moment of the mount. She will gather the reins, taking out the slack, and tossing the bight [extra rein length] to the right. She'll land gently when she settles into the saddle and will give the horse a pat. When we walk, she'll maintain soft contact with the horse's mouth, and ride with a following hand and seat. She'll post the trot, or ride in a "light seat"-a modified two-point position. At the canter, she is balanced and supple.

TTR: What's the best thing that ever happened while leading a ride?

Shea: Meeting my future husband, Harvey Hoechstetter on one of my riding safaris in Kenya! We met in a bar in Nairobi, the night before leaving to ride the Masai Mara.

TTR: What was your most embarrassing on-trail moment?

Shea: A reporter from Alaska Airlines Magazine was interviewing me as we went for a ride on the beach. We rode all the way to Ten Mile River, which is known to have quicksand at the mouth. So-even though the water looked shallow and safe-I had her wait while I rode across first, both to check for quicksand and to gauge the depth. Suddenly, about 20 feet from the far shore, it was as if my horse had stepped off a cliff underwater. He began to swim, but in his panic, he thrashed frantically and went over backwards. One moment, I'd been gaily waving to the reporter, telling her everything looked good, and the next, I was upside down underneath my drowning horse. Luckily, we both righted ourselves. I remounted and joked, "Heck, I often take a little dip in the middle of a trail ride."

For the rest of the ride, I felt something squiggling in the bottom of my knee-high, skin-tight Denier riding boots. When we returned to the ranch, and the reporter had left, I pulled my boot off to find a four inch herring under the arch of my foot. The water had rushed with sufficient force to cram it down my boot. Months later, I was quite happy when I read what the reporter had written, right until the last paragraph, which began with, "But in the middle of our ride, we had a little excitement..."

TTR: What ~ your favorite part about running your facility?

Shea: Making a living by making people's dreams come true. It is so rewarding to have really experienced riders come here and appreciate and love my horses, especially when they look around and say they've been all over the world, but have never seen such beautiful vistas. I've made some wonderful friendships over the years with former clients, including my husband! And there have been poignant moments with people who have come at really meaningful times of their life: people with cancer, people whose spouse had died, bonding moments between parent and child. They just get so much out of the experience that it is really meaningful for me also. Horses bring out the best in people.

TTR: Your least-favorite part?

Shea: The hours in front of the computer, scheduling, advertising, and making business decisions.

TTR: Who's your current favorite mount?

Shea: Avantii, a 12-year old Arabian gelding. He is the most spectacular endurance horse, great on trail although he prances coming home and dressage, too. He's won more than 50 percent of races we've been in, and has been in the top-three in 95 percent of the rides we've done.

TTR: Who is or was your all-time favorite mount?

Shea: Gabriel, an Arabian gelding. I used to ride Gabe with absolutely nothing on his head, and I would lead my rides with him. I could be cantering toward home on the beach with 20 other horses, and if I asked him to stop, he would. I could use him to cut off other horses that were starting to go too fast, and he saved my life a couple times in the mountains by doing the right thing. We won 50-mile endurance races, won best condition on them, came in 7th in the Tevis, and he was a spectacular dressage horse, too. I bought him as an unbroken, fuzzy, fat 4-year-old, but I fell in love with him and had him 22 years. He was the horse of my lifetime.

TTR: What are your top beach-riding tips?

Shea: Beach sand can be very deep and easily strain or sprain a horse's tendons, so don't go too fast or too far unless your horse is not only fit, but also used to going in deep sand. Also, even if your horse will calmly walk through a river or mud puddles, he might be afraid of the ocean waves, especially if the waves are crashing, or there are riptides or an undertow. Horses seem to sense that danger. It's best to head straight into the water and straight out. If you take your horse into the water broadside, relatively small waves can easily knock him off his feet. And don't go out where the water is hock deep-when the waves come, the water will be up to his belly. Of course, you should get him used to being around waves over several rides before you actually take him in the water.

TTR: Your top mountain-riding tips?

Shea: Going uphill, it's important to shift your weight forward-and it helps to hold onto a hunk of mane. Over the years, I have changed my mind about standing in the stirrups. When you place 100 percent of your weight on two small spots on your horse's back, it can make his back sore. It's better to ride in a "light forward seat," with your seat just barely out of the saddle. This position distributes your weight not only to the stirrups, but also your calves, knees, and thighs. Also, if there are switchbacks, use them! They provide a level surface for your horse's feet.

Coming downhill, if there are no switchbacks, head straight down. When you try to make your own switchbacks, your horse's front and hind ends are at different heights, putting him at risk for a fall.

TTR: What advice would you give readers who are considering following in your footsteps?

Shea: Get an education! At least go through college, and perhaps more. Running a horse business isn't just about horses. I'm a manager, responsible for clients and employees. I've educated myself in accounting, and I've .taken psychology courses to help deal with the public, advertising, and so on.

And I believe in studying riding and all aspects of horse care. I've attended a lot of seminars at the University of California at Davis over the years, taken dressage clinics, and studied with [top clinician] Linda Tellington-Jones. I think education should never stop, even if you're lucky enough to make your living with horses.

TTR: What's the most amazing thing you've ever seen a horse do?

Shea: When I was teaching a riding program for the disabled, I used a large Welsh Pony named Gypsy. One day, a woman who was paralyzed from the waist down from a car wreck came to class. As several of us helped her mount, Gypsy patiently stood still with her feet splayed for balance, and a look on her face like, "What the heck?" The woman's expression seemed to say, "What am I getting myself into?"

But soon, the woman -- who had been an experienced rider as a child -- was trotting, cantering, and doing turns on the forehand and haunches using only her shoulders for commands, in place of legs or hip movements. Gypsy immediately knew what the woman was asking. It was as though Gypsy was saying to herself, "Oh, we're not speaking English today, we're speaking French? Mais oui!" And did it.

TTR: If you hadn't gone into this line of work, what would you have done?

Shea: I would have been a veterinarian.

TTR: Besides riding, what are your favorite activities?

Shea: Music. I love singing, and I want to learn to play the guitar. I also like to read, hike, and garden.

TTR: What book are you currently reading?

Shea: Life of Pi, by Yann Martell.

TTR: What was the last DVD you bought or rented?

Shea: I so rarely get the time to watch movies, but I recently bought The Man From Snowy River for my staff, and I rented Ben Hur a while back. The horse scenes were incredible!

TTR: Finish the sentence, "People would be surprised to know that I.."

Shea: ... love to ride on my time off. At least my husband and kids -- Rafferty, 29, and Kyala, 26 -- are surprised that I do. TTR