New trainer comes on board at Emerald Ranch

Emerald Ranch, on Cloverdale Road, is poised to become an all-around Western riding establishment with the addition of trainer Geraldo Morales. Morales, 23, is an accomplished Western pleasure and gaming trainer and instructor and has competed at the national level in Western pleasure and barrel racing.

Emerald Ranch owner, Don Chelew, is pleased to have finally found Morales. He’d been searching for a while for just the right person to bring another dimension to the successful riding school at the ranch. The school serves around 300 youngsters each year under the watchful eye of instructor Nancy Baldrick. It has reached capacity but the Emerald Ranch facility was under-utilized, said Chelew. He had a barn, arenas and outside areas that weren’t being used by the school.

“I wanted a Western trainer, somebody that extends the Western service we offer at the ranch,” said Chelew.

Morales will see to training young or problem horses for clients and will offer instruction and training to clients on their own horses.

While well-versed now in Western riding disciplines, Morales wasn’t born into it. He was raised in New Jersey and spent summers in upstate New York at horse camps and with friends who had horses. Like many naturally gifted horsemen, he spent his youth messing around on horseback, learning seat-of-the-pants skills that would be honed by mentors and trainers in later years.

His first big ranch job was at Deep Hollow Ranch, at Montauk, New York, on the eastern tip of Long Island. Deep Hollow has the distinction of being the oldest ranch in the United States, established in the 1600s. The present owner of the ranch trains cutting horses as well as running a dude string. Morales hired on as a trail guide and soon moved to the cutting pen where he started colts.

From the ranch Morales moved on to a large training barn, also on Long Island at Yaphank, New York.

After a couple of years, it was time to move along.

“I figured I’d need to go somewhere else to further my skills. I was stuck in a metropolitan area that wasn’t meeting my horse needs,” he said.

A friend had come west to Oregon, so Morales joined him. He ended up on a breeding ranch between Terrebonne and Prineville, again starting the youngsters, but also learning aspects of running a large breeding and performance ranch. That ranch recently sold and another friend told him of the opportunity at Emerald Ranch.

Morales enjoys teaching and seeing the progress of his clients and their horses. He claims to like people just as much as horses, a trait important at the happy atmosphere of Emerald Ranch. “Kids are like teaching young horses,” he said. “If you keep it fun, they actively learn.”

Chelew sees the ranch offering a multi-layered approach to Western riding. Students come at the very beginning levels to work with Nancy Baldrick. The school has a nice string of ponies and quiet lesson horses to build confidence in beginning riders. Those with the ability and desire can then move on to hone their skills with Morales.

He can help with the purchase of a horse and oversee the bonding of the new horse and rider.

For more information on Emerald Ranch riding programs or to inquire about training with Geraldo Morales, call 504-1284.