With the Pacific Ocean just to the west and thousands of acres of national forest to the east, there lies a place that’s always lush and green. Horses and humans thrive here, a place with moderate temperatures and little snow, where nature is still relatively untouched by pavement from the city of Portland to the north.

This is Canby, Ore.

Unlike other more popular areas of the Northwest, rain isn’t on the radar each day in Canby. The town is on the lee side, tucked against the eastern side of the Coast Range, which means that the clouds and frequent deluges, typical of the region, don’t happen as often here.

And in this land is a place called Oz Inc., the 45-acre hunter/jumper facility owned and operated by Shelley and Jeff Campf.

“I totally love it here,” said Shelley. “We can’t show every weekend–there just aren’t that many horse shows–and that’s a great thing. It’s a nice place to raise a family, and we have the best quality of life here.”

While it’s not a part of the horse showing Mecca of the West Coast, that’s what the Campfs find so endearing about the home they’ve established in a renovated 1896 farmhouse. Because they don’t have the sheer number of horse shows available in their USEF Zone 9, they’re able to keep a semblance of a normal life, with some weekends free to spend with family.

And family is a crucial component to their happiness. Shelley, 41, and Jeff, 40, have two children, 7-year-old Chad and 15-month-old Blake. Jeff’s parents, Jay Campf and Claudia Cojocar, and step father Ron Cojocar DVM, are also integral to their life and business, and Jay is often seen behind the wheel driving horses to and from the shows.

When they do have to leave their oasis to compete, they take on the best in the sport. They regularly travel to Spruce Meadows (Alta.), the HITS Indio Desert circuit (Calif.) and to the East Coast fall indoor shows, where their students and horses earn top ribbons.

With Jeff as the primary rider and Shelley as teacher, they’ve formed a symbiotic relationship that allows for their strengths to shine through.

“Having two of them is great,” said Sally Stadum, a client of 14 years. “Jeff’s focus is on the horse, and his teaching style is all about the horse. Shelley’s focus is more on the rider, and the balance works out very well.”

Build It, And They Will Meet
During the oil boom of the 1970s, Ron Southern broke ground at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alta., and that’s where the children of Calgary began to gather for horse shows.

“I was at the first Spruce Meadows [in 1975], as was Jeff,” recalled Shelley. “We knew each other then and were good friends.”

Shelley grew up in a non-horsey family, although her parents, Blake and Donna Marshall, encouraged their four daughters–Shelley, Lynne, Allison and Jill–to ride. But Jeff was immersed in horses, the son of renowned horsewoman Claudia Cojocar.

Shelley began riding with Claudia at age 15, and she finished her junior career training with her. Even though Shelley’s love of horses was deep, she knew that there was no discontinuing her education after high school. So she set her sights on college and attended the University of Calgary, where she earned a degree in applied mathematics.

Meanwhile, Jeff focused on his education too, in a different way. He relocated to Ontario and began working for Ian Millar at his Millarbrooke Farm, where he spent six years.

Even while following their divergent paths, Shelley and Jeff kept in touch. Their friendship grew, even with the thousands of miles separating them, but after Shelley graduated the Atlantic Ocean divided them further. Shelley accepted a year’s riding position in France, where she worked at the Centre Equestre de la Houssaye with trainer Michel Ismalun.

When she returned to the United States, she worked with Paul Valliere at Acres Wild Farm in Rhode Island, where she eventually managed the barn.

“Jeff and I were best friends since we were kids,” said Shelley. “When I moved back, he came out to Acres Wild to visit and eventually ended up riding for Paul.”

Shelley remained with Acres Wild for two years, until the lure of “a real job” enticed her to take a position as an environmental waste-management consultant. Her role in this relatively new field was to turn garbage into energy.

“I stayed three months,” she said, laughing. “I didn’t like it because I liked riding horses–so I quit. My father was horrified. I told my father I’d rather be a bag lady than work there. So he said, ‘That, my dear, is because you’ve never been a bag lady.’

“My father was really patient with me,” Shelley added. “I was a lucky child who got to ride horses. I wasn’t supposed to have a career as a horse trainer. When I finished school and went to France, he validated it by saying it was that ‘going-abroad thing.’ Then when I went to work for Acres Wild, it became my tour of the East Coast on someone else’s payroll.

And when I began managing the farm, it was learning to be a manager. He could validate all of that.”

Shelley and Jeff moved back to Calgary, but Shelley struggled with her future. The pull of the horses couldn’t be denied, but the life of a gypsy on the show circuit wasn’t what she wanted, either.

During this pivotal time, Jeff’s grandfather died. So he asked Shelley to move to Portland, Ore., with him so he could spend time with his grandmother, who was 86 and in need of family support. Shelley accepted his offer, and they relocated to the United States in late 1990 and started their business, Oz Inc.

They chose the name from the movie The Wizard Of Oz, because they wanted a business name that wasn’t site specific.

And like many of their decisions, after struggling to think of a name, one found them.

“We were at a movie store, and this little boy kept grabbing his mother’s leg saying, ‘I want to see The Wizard Of Oz.’ She just kept pushing him away and ignoring him,” recalled Shelley. “We both noticed him but didn’t say anything in the store. Then, when we got into the car we started talking about him, and Jeff said, ‘We should call our business Oz.’ And it stuck.”

A Horse Of A Different Color
Shelley and Jeff worked hard to establish a business that merged all that they’d learned from their previous employers. They leased a facility and accepted
students and horses in training, with a focus on competing at the best horse shows in North America, but without the intense pressure they’d experienced on the East Coast.

“It’s unfortunate for people in other parts of the country who do what we do,” said Shelley. “Many of them have to be on the road all of the time, going from horse show to horse show, because if they don’t they’ll lose their customers to those who do. We simply don’t have that pressure.”

They’ve also sought to develop a partnership where each person contributes his or her best attributes, and what makes the chemistry work so well is that it’s a natural balance.

“I think Shelley and I make as good a partnership as there is in this industry,” said Jeff. “She has a focus on the sales and books–she spent seven years in university. She’s the brains of the operation. I’m the hands-on person–picking horses we buy and training them. She often picks out the horses, but I get the final say. I want the ones I can work with, then she sells them to the right people.”

With their business flourishing, Jeff and Shelley married in the fall of 1995. “It was actually stupid planning on my part,” admitted Shelley. “Our anniversary is Harrisburg Junior Weekend.”

In 1998 their first son was born, then their second six years later.

“I love being a mother,” said Shelley. “I wasn’t sure I would ever have children. My only regret is that I didn’t do it earlier. Everything about it is so great. We have two delightful, happy children, and we can’t get enough of them.”

At home, Shelley and Jeff share the responsibilities of family and business.

“I love to teach. I’m all about helping students accomplish what they want,” said Shelley. “Whether adults, juniors or young riders, I really, really dig teaching–I could do it all day long.”

Stadum, 49, of Tualatin, Ore., whose daughters Laura, 20, and Annie, 16, have ridden with the Campfs since they were on ponies, said she’s especially enjoyed the total education her family has received at Oz, where the Campfs stress horsemanship as much as riding.

“If you have a problem, they’re not going to automatically get on your horse,” said Stadum. “They’ll spend the time to teach you how to fix it and how to ride well.

“The kids have the opportunity to ride other horses and learn the whole business,” she added. “From taking care of the horses, to setting fences for the grand prix, they really want them to learn. When Laura was 16, she worked for them for the summer. She wasn’t paid, but they treated her like an employee and taught her everything. It was a great experience.”

The Campfs also believe in giving back to their sport and strive to educate the next generation of horsemen. Their current assistant, Kristin Postill, has been with them for four years.

In between horse shows, Jeff and Shelley enjoy a prosperous sales business, traveling to Europe regularly to shop for new prospects. “People know that our horses are well trained. Jeff is a master at training young horses, and that’s why we have a lot of repeat business. They’re so trained that my dog could ride them,” joked Shelley.

Stadum agreed. She’s purchased four horses from Europe over the past 14 years and never traveled overseas to try one.

“I totally trust them to pick out the right horse,” she said. “Every time they’ve brought one back it’s been perfect. Last year, when Jeff went to Europe, I said, ‘I have one request. There’s a horse over there named Holiday, and that horse is mine.’ And when Jeff asked why, I said because when you’re yelling at me I want to be able to say, ‘Hey, I’m here on holiday.’ So Jeff calls me three days later and says, ‘I found your holiday!’ “

Over the years, Oz Inc. has produced some of the country’s best show hunters, including Doubletake (the Chronicle’s Show Hunter Horse of the Year in 2000), Play With Fire, Corporate Profit, Roll Call, Crown Affair, Renaissance and Red Adair. Their students have won the ASPCA Maclay Northwest Regional three of the last four years and regularly top the World Championship Hunter Rider Northwest Region standings.

Like Stadum, many of the Campfs’ students have remained loyal clients for years. But it’s not because they have a lock on the hunter/jumper action in the area, it’s because Oz Inc., is one of the most successful show barns in the Northwest.

“Five or six years ago, Jeff and Shelley went out and found some property in a small town called Canby. They had a barbeque in the rain on the property and invited all of their clients. They asked everyone if they would come if they built it,” recalled Stadum.

“It was a group effort,” she added. “All of the clients were in the decision-making process. They asked for feedback and took people’s suggestions. It was a good experience for the kids too, to watch an idea form and follow it from beginning to end.”

And with Oz Inc., now more than just a name on paper, Jeff and Shelley have found the balance they’d long hoped for.

“What we do is really a fairytale,” said Shelley, smiling. “We go to horse shows, ride nice horses, teach people in nice places, and get paid to do it. What could be better?”

International Aspirations
Jeff Campf contested his first grand prix at age 14 aboard a horse his father gave to him. Campf, now 40, has been in the grand prix ranks ever since.
The American, who grew up in Calgary, Alta., spent his formative years competing at Spruce Meadows, where he and O.P. competed in the junior hunter and equitation divisions before moving to the junior jumpers and eventually the grand prix ring. They earned two Canadian championships together in the junior divisions.

“It was a neat relationship, having all of those experiences with the same horse,” he recalled of the big, chestnut mare.

Today, Campf’s grand prix mount is another mare, a bay named Lady-D. They contested the 2004 Olympic selection trials, where they had two clear rounds, and in the world’s richest grand prix, the CN International at the Spruce Meadows Masters.

Campf brought Lady-D, now 12, up the ranks, from the training jumpers. “I tend to buy most of my jumpers as 5- and 6-year-olds. It’s easier for me this way. They’re not too well trained in someone else’s style.”

Even though his family and business are currently top priorities, Campf hasn’t stopped dreaming of international stardom.

“Lady-D is the only horse I have showing in the international division right now. I need to find other horses as a back-up,” said Campf. “When I was a kid, it seemed the Olympics were something to work toward. I haven’t given up that dream yet.”

And while Campf searches for the next grand prix horse and perhaps a sponsor, he’ll bide his time and hope that his hard work will eventually pay off.

“Like everyone else in this business, I appreciate the demands of the sport,” said Campf. “Nothing would thrill me more than trying out for a World Championship team. But I also know the incredible effort the top riders make to get there. Until I can find more backing, I can enjoy their accomplishments vicariously. But hopefully one day they’ll have to put up with me on the team.”

Is She Over Employed?
Most people would find it challenging simply to own and operate a successful hunter/jumper operation. So while Shelley Campf teaches lessons, rides and shows hunters and jumpers, buys and sells horses, keeps the books and travels to horse shows from coast to coast, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“Her phone never stops ringing,” said client Sally Stadum with a laugh.

Shelley, who shares Oz Inc. with husband Jeff, is currently on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, is vice chairman for USEF Zone 9, and is the chairman of the USHJA’s trainers’ certification program. She’s also the past president of the Oregon Hunter/Jumper Association and still remains involved.

In addition, she’s a partner in a software company called Horse Show Express, a program that automatically fills out entry blanks for horse shows, reducing the redundancy for barns with many horses and students. Their clients include Beacon Hill, Derbydown, John Madden Sales, South Beach Stables and PJP Farms, among others.

“It was originally developed for big show barns,” said Shelley. “But now we’ve changed it to be great for everyone.”

Shelley also manages five A-rated horse shows each year at Hunter Creek Farm, on the bank of the Willamette River in the picturesque Willamette Valley.
“I figured if I manage horse shows in Oregon, then I’d have more family time here,” she said, laughing. “Our average drive is seven hours. So, if we have horse shows in the Portland area, we don’t have to travel–and it leaves me more time for my favorite hobby, waterskiing!”