PHS Certified Saddle Fitter

Rachel Downs
Open Stride Equine

Southern California & Nevada

Openstrideequine.com 
Phone: 858-776-7349 
Email: openstrideequine@gmail.com

Rachel is a lifelong animal lover which translated into a love for horses at a very young age.  She grew up trying lots of different types of riding and found her biggest passion in classical dressage. She has been a horseback riding instructor for over a decade, teaching beginners of all kinds as well as intermediate dressage and eventing. She was also a stallion manager at UC Davis, working closely with horses in the breeding industry. She became a certified equine bodyworker in 2022 and founded Open Stride Equine LLC. Rachel has a passion for correct biomechanics in horses which has led her down many paths of curiosity and pursuit of further knowledge. 

As a bodyworker, she has seen numerous horses with performance issues and pain from poor saddle fit. She had always been a fan of adjustability in saddles and began recommending Peter Horobin saddles to clients after seeing how much it helped a client's horse get back to work after recovering from kissing spine surgery. Since then, she has seen what a different proper saddle design and fit can do for horses of all disciplines. 

Rachel remains dedicated to improving the lives of horses and riders and to spread knowledge to help others do the same.