Greetings, |
 Lari and Blue on her first, his fifth Tevis Cup; 1983 |
At the time, I was a single mother with two little kids, basically camping on 10 acres surrounded by redwood forests, teaching the Horsemastership program at the College of the Redwoods. My big goal in life was a flush toilet before I turned 40.
Septic tank or stallion? You can guess the answer. Lo and behold, Nature’s Ballet was delivered to me along with the surprise of five of his offspring ranging in age from 5, to 4, to 3, to 2 years, with a weanling thrown in as well. It’s a long and wonderous story, the details of which will be in The Book I am about to start writing. In brief: eight months later when all but the weanling were well started under saddle, a neighbor asked if I could take six friends up from the City for a trail ride in the redwoods. ‘Sure’, I said. One on my by-then-winning dressage horses, Tzar, one on the stallion Nature’s Ballet, one each on the 5, 4, 3 and 2 year olds, and I rode Gypsy, my daughter’s pony. The future of Ricochet Ridge Ranch was born!
 Kyala and Rafe grew up on Blue’s strong back, here with 4 of their friends |
During twenty Tevis Trail Training Seminars over the next twelve years – most with Kerry riding along as veterinarian and co-lecturer – Blue (Nature’s Ballet’s affectionate nickname) and Tzar, with their rapidly increasing number of stable mates, taught hundreds of trail riders the glory of the High Sierras.
In Mendocino, by 1985, daily trail rides on the beach, through mountain trails in redwood forests and across a vast cattle ranch overlooking the Pacific Ocean, had morphed to include custom riding treks and week-long Redwood Coast Riding Vacations.
We met in a bar in Nairobi. In 1990 I was hosting the first of my eventual seven horse riding safaris in Africa, and ‘we’ included my seven clients. The bar was on the veranda of the Norfolk Hotel. Harvey was one of the seven, along with his son Eric, recently graduated from law school on a father/son discovery journey. On Harvey’s first visit to Mendocino, we cantered the whole length of Ten Mile Beach, and rode up to my special place at the top of the mountain overlooking the ocean. I had snuck up there earlier in the day and hidden a blanket, cheese and apples, along with some chocolates and a bottle of fine red wine. Hey, all’s fair in love. Right?
If I'd have chosen the toilet, I might never have met Harvey.
 Harvey on Nature’s Tzar and Lari on Gabriel: Wedding at Simcha in 2001 |
We eventually bought that ranch together, and built our dream home on the site of that memorable picnic. It has lived up to the Hebrew name we gave it: Simcha: a joyous or blessed occasion.
Starting the first of this New Year, the joyful news is that Rascal, Treve II, Indiana Jones, Mendocino Rioja and I will be enjoying more time with Harvey, his horses Nature’s Zhivago and Nature’s Friendly, and our four beloved kids and their families.
 Riding Rascal, looking forward to the future |
Ricochet Ridge Ranch will take off into the future under the ownership of a new family of horse lovers, as the reins are being passed to Judy Langevin and her son Jake Langevin with his wife, Alisha O’Dell.
Ladies and Gentlemen! It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Judy, Jake, and Alisha, who write,
Greetings from the new owner/managers of Ricochet Ridge Ranch. We are thrilled to be here, and to have an opportunity to carry on Lari Shea’s remarkable legacy. With Lari’s guidance, we hope to keep Ricochet running just as it has. We look forward to being a part of the Fort Bragg ‘ Mendocino community. Come ride with us!
 Judy Langevin, Owner |
Judy’s competitive riding career began and ended when she was 5 but horses have always been an important part of her life. She’s content to be a casual trail rider now, and to watch over the finances, marketing, and general management of Ricochet. Judy works a day job as an employment lawyer in Minneapolis and longs for the day when she’ll live in Northern California year-round.
 Jake Langevin, Manager |
Jake grew up around horses and shares his mother’s love for them. From age 13 to age 32, Jake worked at the YMCA as a recreation counselor-in-training, counselor, and manager of children’s programs. From 2010 through mid-2015, he owned and managed Ridge Road Stables in Webster, Minnesota Ridge Road was a large boarding, training and lesson facility where Jake was responsible for everything from mucking stalls to managing staff. He never had time to ride as much as he wanted to, and Minnesota weather is very harsh. After nearly 6 years of that, Jake believes that managing Ricochet, where he can ride every day in the most beautiful place on earth and work side by side with his wife Alisha, sounds just about perfect.
 Alisha O’Dell, Co-Manager |
Alisha is a competitive eventer who has been teaching riders and training horses since 2001. She has developed several upper-level competition horses in collaboration with her mentor and instructor, Ralph Hill. Alisha believes that magic happens when a horse and rider connect, and she devotes her professional life to helping create those connections.
 | Happy trails, Lari |