A year and a half ago, 16-year-old hunter/jumper rider Arya Vivekanandan was searching for a new trainer to continue her horsemanship education. Through a friend’s recommendation, she found Colin Daly of Oasis Farm in Woodside, California, and after sitting in on just one lesson, Vivekanandan was confident she had found her new program.

“It was a great barn dynamic, between the girls and all the trainers,” explained Vivekanandan, of Los Altos, California. “It was probably the most inviting experience I’ve ever had. They have become my family, in a way. They are the most genuine people I’ve ever met.”

“The barn dynamic is very much family-like,” agreed Ida Amren, a 17-year-old Los Altos resident who has been riding with Daly for six years. “Everyone at the barn is super connected, and we always do team bonding experiences, which Colin really helps enforce.”

But it isn’t just the riders who feel like part of the Oasis family.

“There is an attachment to the barn that is very fulfilling,” said Janahan Vivekanandan, Arya’s father. “We are not a horse family, and my wife and I don’t know anything about it, other than Arya has a passion for it. Colin will come and tell me, ‘This is working well,’ or, ‘We’re working on this little piece with Arya.’ I feel like Colin is bringing us along, too, and not everyone has that ability. It is one of the things I absolutely love about this barn.”

For Daly, a lifelong equestrian and proud, multi-generational resident of San Francisco, an emphasis on developing community is simply foundational to everything he does.

“The horse industry has always been a part of my life, and it has been very generous to me, as far as being a welcoming and positive space to explore teaching and training, and learning about engaging and connection,” said Daly, 55. “And for me, going back to my childhood, connection and community—those are the pillars of life.”

Coming Full Circle Through Connection 

Growing up on a small farm in Petaluma, California, Daly began riding at just 5 years old; he jokes that he learned to ride while he was learning to read. By 8, he was competing; he got his first hunter at 11, and he continued showing in hunters and equitation into high school. But Daly credits the members of the broader Petaluma community with helping to develop his nascent leadership skills and inclusive ethos.

“It was a very involved—and evolved—community, with a lot of focus on agricultural development,” said Daly. “Involvement was sort of expected of all the kids, and it really enhanced our experience. I was running horse shows with my 4-H group by the time I was 16. Becoming part of a community and having an active voice was a really special experience.”

When it was time for college, Daly decided to take a break from horses. He studied international development at the University of California-Davis, became fluent in French and German, and spent a year abroad in Australia. He returned to the U.S. intending to finish his degree, then apply to law school. But fate had other plans.

During his final year of undergrad, Daly began teaching riding lessons at the UC-Davis facility, where he caught the attention of the late Lisa DaValle, then the school’s equestrian team coach. She encouraged Daly to interview at a few local facilities that were searching for instructors.

“I was offered a few jobs right away, and I thought, ‘Oh, this will be a great break in between undergrad and law school,’ ” said Daly with a laugh. “Well—15 years later, I had my own programs, first a training barn in the East Bay, then later I moved down to Santa Barbara [California] to work with some private clients there.”

With his plans to attend law school on indefinite hold, Daly’s early years as an equestrian professional introduced him to a “great client base, some really nice horses and super facilities,” as well as several clients who were “peripheral to the Hollywood set.” From 1999 through 2001, Daly served as the head coach of the UC-Davis Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association team, building them from a small club into a regional powerhouse, and helping several members earn national awards.

Later, while working in Santa Barbara, he tried foxhunting for the first time; as he mastered the art of galloping down the slopes of the Santa Ynez Mountains, he learned that the training principles he used for show jumping applied to riding cross-country as well. Further, he began to identify a connection between the health and alignment of a horse’s physical frame with their ability to perform.

“A horse’s physiology, when you get down to it, is not that different from ours,” said Daly. “Muscles, tendons, ligament structure—it’s the same. If my lumbar is out of alignment, I can’t walk. If their lumbar is out, they are falling on their forehand.

“I learned that so clearly, pretty early on in my training, and that became a standard,” he continued. “A ‘training problem’ is often a physical problem, and I really stand on that. Once I understood that, it better enhanced my connection with the horses. Over the years, I developed a really holistic outlook on training, and have developed a team that is also vested in the entire picture.”

“Understanding where people are, and meeting them where they are, and showing them what they are capable of doing are the most important things for me. It isn’t so much, ‘Let’s make sure you win your 3′ medal,’ though obviously we want to do that, but, ‘What’s your experience along the way?’ ”

Colin Daly

One day when Daly was working in the East Bay, he crossed paths with a more seasoned trainer named Janeen Smith. The two watched each other teach for a period but initially kept to themselves; finally, Smith went over and introduced herself.

“We have been fast friends since,” said Smith, 77, with a laugh. “We decided to go to dinner one night, and spent the whole time talking philosophy of training, then actual systems.”

Soon, Smith was mentoring Daly, teaching him the classical principles of dressage and jumping that she herself had first learned at the now-closed Porlock Vale Riding School in England.

“He came with a lot of knowledge, but there were some holes in it,” said Smith, who lives in Hayward, California. “I’m like a dinosaur, and it is so old fashioned, but what I do with horses is truly classical, and it works every time.”

Daly and Smith soon realized they shared many important values; each prioritized the well-being of both horse and rider in their teaching and training and felt that true horsemanship meant more than just winning ribbons. They contemplated working together more closely, but fate was about to intervene again.

First, Smith’s health took a turn, ultimately forcing her to step away from the equine world completely. Secondly, the economic recession of 2008 caused many of Daly’s long-time clients to shift their financial priorities. Standing at a crossroads, Daly realized that perhaps it was also time for him to make a change.

“I decided to follow one of my other passions, which is design,” said Daly. “All along, I would do master plans for the facilities I was working at, because I have an eye for design. I’ve always had an artistic bent.”

Daly enrolled at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in interior architecture. But he needed a job to help pay the bills while he studied, and so he responded to an ad seeking an Interscholastic Equestrian Association coach at the historic Stanford Red Barn, affiliated with Stanford University.

“I’ve always liked working with teenagers, because they’re quirky, they’re weird, and they’re invested—I get them,” said Daly. “When I saw the posting, I thought, ‘I know this format,’ from my days coaching IHSA. I built that [IEA] program up from a pilot to a 50-member team.”

As he neared graduation, Daly was receiving positive reviews for the design work he displayed in atelier shows, and he had begun interviewing at firms. When a group of his IEA parents approached Daly to ask if he would consider taking over as head trainer for a local program, he was flattered but firm.

“I told them, ‘OK, but only for a short time,’ ” said Daly with a laugh. “What can I say? The horses are so seductive; they just pull you back. As I was submitting my thesis, I was also sitting there with a full barn.”

Yet again, Daly found himself needing to make a choice.

And yet again, the horses won out. He reached out to Smith, pulling her out of a 15-year equestrian-hiatus, and he invited her to be part of his new program. Finally, they could implement the holistic vision for horsemanship they had first discussed over a decade ago.

If You Want To Learn, You Are Welcome 

Now in its 10th year, Oasis Farm offers something unique to aspiring equestrians of all ages in the greater Bay area—an opportunity to pursue their horsemanship goals within a supportive framework that understands each rider as an individual.

“I can’t teach in a bubble,” said Daly. “I need to understand what is a person’s driver, what are their fears, what are their hopes, what’s their experience with proprioception? That’s the key. If you are in your body, this gets really easy. If you’re not connected with your body, it’s really hard.

“Understanding where people are, and meeting them where they are, and showing them what they are capable of doing are the most important things for me,” he continued. “It isn’t so much, ‘Let’s make sure you win your 3′ medal,’ though obviously we want to do that, but, ‘What’s your experience along the way?’ ”

“If you come in with a light in your eye and a desire to learn, you are welcome.”

Colin Daly

Both Daly and Smith share the perspective that their role as a trainer is to give their riders the classical skills and emotional fortitude necessary to access their personal best when it matters the most. For Daly, this is not possible without the support of community.

“I want them to understand what problems could be developing, and to get in front of those problems, and then leave the problem where it was,” said Daly. “That is so important. And that comes down to the life skill of developing that connection with yourself, the connection with your horse, the connection with your trainer, and the connection with your teammates and colleagues. From that, you have your community. When you are working within that framework, things stop being so scary, and become very empowering.”

Janahan appreciates the supportive community that Oasis offers his daughter, but also the opportunity to mentor her as she develops other vital life skills through her involvement with the program, such as time management and accountability.

“I’m amazed at how much Colin and Janeen expect from Arya and the other girls,” said Janahan. “It’s not just about coming in, riding, and going home. There is constructive feedback on what is working and what’s not.”

“We’re actually teaching these kids how to work and enjoy working,” noted Smith. “They’re finding the joy in challenging themselves; they’re learning that working hard can be fun, and your rewards, when you’ve worked for [them], mean that much more.”

To meet their riders’ individual needs, Daly and Smith have kept the program at Oasis fairly small. They average around 18 juniors, some of whom also participate on the IEA team (Daly has served extensively in IEA leadership both regionally and nationally), and anywhere from a dozen to 18 horses. In addition, the program boasts a cadre of adult amateurs, who are drawn to the program for the same reasons as the juniors.

“They understand our philosophy, and they are like, ‘This is where we are coming from, too,’ ” said Daly. “I have adults with their own horses; I have adults who ride my horses. We try to pair up our riders who don’t have their own horse with a mount who is going to be their best partner possible.”

Ida’s younger sister, Maja Amren, 12, is a member of the Oasis IEA team and hopes to lease a horse of her own soon so she can begin to compete more.

“I really like how Colin tries to figure out different ways for you to understand,” said Maja. “You can also talk to him and ask questions. He is very supportive of the learning part of it.”

“Colin is very understanding, and he will always go to lengths of explaining in many different ways, to make sure you understand what he’s trying to say,” added Ida. “He’s also very technical. Colin has very specific techniques that will help your riding so extravagantly. You will have fun, and you will learn really fast.”

Daly and Smith take turns teaching students, offering lessons at different times of the day to suit various needs, and they sometimes teach students together.

They start each day with a phone call to check in on their students’ progress and well-being.

“We talk a lot about the kids, about how they’re doing emotionally,” said Smith. “I love teaching, and I like to see the light go on in their eyes. We try to push them for an excellence that seems old fashioned now. We stress kindness.

“We are all trying to do this together, and we all have to understand that we are all at different levels, so nobody is better than anybody,” she continued.

“Maybe you get to jump higher, or you get to ride a more explosive type of horse, but you lived through the same journey they are going through. We like them to be kind to each other and root for each other.”

Ida emphasized that she sees Daly as both her trainer and a friend.

“He makes sure the barn is always a safe and happy place, which is really important, because sometimes you feel like riding takes a lot of pressure on you,” said Ida. “He understands that when you’re going through a rough day, your riding might not be at its peak.”

Not everyone at Oasis competes, and Daly admitted that while he enjoys success in the show ring, he doesn’t believe it to be the most important indicator of a successful program.

“How we talk about competition within our barn is, shows are a personal test,” said Daly. “What in our training is sticking, and what do you see in yourself, in your ride, or in your connection with the horse that is evolving? We love very successful wins—they’re fantastic, and I have a wall full of photos of them—but in the process, if you are not in ownership of your space within that, I don’t feel like we’ve done our job.

“By nature, this is a hierarchical sport, and that hierarchy can be detrimental to a young rider’s development and feeling of inclusion,” he continued. “We engage everyone at the same level; that’s our goal. Everyone has a place.”

Smith added that Daly is in it for the kids.

“Where most trainers are in it because they get to ride nice horses, we just want to teach,” she said. “We make lifelong friends this way and watch their progress and help them. In my phone, I probably have 15 of our previous students that I talk to all the time—and he probably has more.”

Thanks to the welcoming and inclusive atmosphere cultivated by Daly and Smith, there is a rich diversity in the experience of students who seek to improve their horsemanship skills at Oasis. But Daly noted that regardless of their background, all of his students share one thing in common.

“If they have the passion, they are welcome, and then we find a way,” said Daly. “If you come in with a light in your eye and a desire to learn, you are welcome.”

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This article originally appeared in the March 2025 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse. You can subscribe and get online access to a digital version and then enjoy a year of The Chronicle of the Horse. If you’re just following COTH online, you’re missing so much great unique content. Each print issue of the Chronicle is full of in-depth competition news, fascinating features, probing looks at issues within the sports of hunter/jumper, eventing and dressage, and stunning photography.