About Us

On Checkerboard Farms

Although I have loved horses all my life, we have only been able to realize the dream of horse property and being surrounded by a family of horses since 1991. The name Checkerboard Farms came to be because of our love of both the Friesian (black) and the Andalusian (white/gray) horses. Before buying property, my husband and I boarded our horses, owning two Andalusians and two Friesians, until it just made more sense to buy our own place.

Checkerboard Farms is located in Norco, California, a very horse user-friendly town about an hour out of Los Angeles, near the Ontario airport. Over these years, we have built two breeding programs, committing to the development of both breeds. We are strong believers in the qualities offered by the conditioning and training of dressage, and therefore, we shape our breeding program to favor horses that can do well in that discipline. We have also enjoyed the training and guidance of Tammy Delight who has been with us since 1990.

Our Andalusian program started in 1985. We have excellent brood mares, all with correct, free movement and we believe in working with our babies from birth to ensure the best chance for sweet temperaments and a cooperative nature. There are also several stallions available for breeding. In addition to breeding pure- bred Andalusians, Andalusian crosses are welcome in the Andalusian registry. Our bloodlines reflect the best that both the Spanish and the Portuguese heritage have to offer. There is some controversy regarding the value of each bloodline direction and do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have regarding this area. In May 2001, we became the proud owners of the Pure Spanish Revised stallion, Astuto, bred in Spain but actually discovered in a lovely village in the countryside of The Netherlands. He is silver white and incredibly sweet. We are very excited to add him to our breeding and show program.

Our Friesian program centers around Wander 352, our Dutch approved breeding stallion. Wander only stands to Friesian mares registered with the Friesian Horse Association of North America and the Dutch registry in Holland. We also have Wander’s dam, Nylke, who has produced other quality offspring. A favorite at our ranch is Mirage, our exhibition gelding who has delighted audiences in California and elsewhere. Our Friesian population has grown with Nylke’s son, Ravel, 1997 star gelding, a 1998 imported Jurjen daughter and two Wander foals from 2000. The colt and filly are both first premie champions as foals and his daughter, Avelon just made star as a three year old in September, 2003.

Our exploits have included Mirage’s exhibiting at the Mane Event at Equitana, 97 in Kentucky, as well as several Friesian Extravaganzas, other local events and many successful competitions at horse shows. Checkerboard Farms has won several Theme and Grand Sweepstakes awards in our local parades as well as participating in such prestigious events as the Hollywood Christmas Parade and the Rose Parade.

One or our most exciting adventures in 2000, was the use of Wander and three of our Andalusian stallions in the movie, “Bedazzled,” starring Brendan Fraser. You have to look fast or have “pause frame” but you can clearly see him in the drug lord scene near the beginning of the movie.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you have about either breed and feel welcome to visit. We love to share and educate and believe that if you are interested in owning a horse of either breed, learning everything you can about these horses is really important. Even though we have only been Checkerboard Farms since 1991, our Friesian and Andalusian relationships go back to 1985. We can be very helpful if you have been searching for the right horse for your needs and found yourself either overwhelmed or frustrated in your efforts. We will look forward to hearing from you and you are always welcome to visit our website as well.

~ Nina C. Miller, Checkerboard Farms~