Cindy Bell, owner and trainer at Silver Bell barn has been riding almost as long as she has been walking. Cindy started riding at four when her cousin Karen let her ride her horse and she promptly fell off!

Unfazed, Cindy begged her parents until they bought her first horse, Rusty a 3-year old quarter horse. It was a year of riding in a halter before she was given a saddle and bridle.

At seven, Cindy’s mom decided Cindy wasn’t going to give up riding and decided to sign her up for riding lessons.

Catherine Wishoff took twelve-year-old Cindy to pony club and that’s when she started eventing. Cindy loved the jumping but wasn’t enthralled with dressage testing. Her teacher constantly reminded her to stay collected and in control.

Cindy remembers, “my parents encouraged me to keep riding and learning, when I got married my husband and children became my inspiration. In the last few years I’ve been lucky enough to find a world-class trainer, Miguel Tavora. He’s been a miracle worker. Because of him I have high hopes of riding Grand Prix.”

In case anyone was thinking Cindy has time to enjoy daytime television they would be mistaken. Cindy and her husband of 21-years, Mick, have their hands full with their four children and 2 grandchildren plus a pack of rescued dogs. When Cindy is not teaching, riding horses, or managing her facility, she is busy with church, running her children or grand-children to 4-H activities, baseball games, football games, daycare or tea parties.

At Silver Bell barn every horse gets to experience a silver lining – daily turnout on a green pasture, large paddocks or stalls and a staff that really loves horses.

The star at Silver Bell barn is Teorema VA, a grey Lusitano stallion. Teorema VA is of the best bloodlines, was bred by Bruno Feder and is by Larapio out of a Babel mare. “Miguel Tavora helped me pick him out and bring him along. We’re getting ready to show Prix St. Georges. He is the most amazing horse and my best friend, after my husband” gushes Cindy. Teorema has such a fantastic temperament that Cindy’s four-year-old granddaughter is even allowed to sit on him. Teorema shows talent for all the collected movements as many quality Lusitanos do but in addition, Teorema has a very expressive extended trot and easy flying changes. “I have ridden the horse and think he is one of the best Lusitano stallions in Portugal or the US” asserts Tavora.

Cindy has been training with Miguel Tavora for seven years. Miguel Tavora, a Master of Education and past Chief Instructor and Director of the Mafra Riding academy, is very well known in Lusitano circles for his expertise on the breed and in classical dressage training. Miguel was born in Portugal, son of the ninth Marquis and Marchioness of Abrantes. He started riding with Nuno Oliveira at eight years of age. He rode with Nuno until he was 18 at which time he attended the Military Academy. In his military career he completed the Course of Instructors and later the Course of Masters as the Portuguese Military and Civilian Riding Academy of Mafra (CMEFED) and competed in Eventing, Show Jumping and Dressage. On retiring from the army, Nuno Oliveira arranged for Miguel to migrate to Australia where he and his wife Dianne run their own Equestrian Centre (M & D Tavora School of Equitation). Miguel is a NCAS Level III Instructor (dressage specialist), which is the highest level in Australia, and he has trained numerous horses and riders to FEI level, many competing at Grand Prix Level. Dianne has trained and competed to Grand Prix level.

“We are extremely lucky to be able to have access to a world-class trainer like Miguel in the Central Valley of California;” explains Cindy. “training horses is not like riding a motor bike. On the road to Grand Prix you run into challenges that can be easily overcome if you have the benefit of a trainer with decades of experience training many different horses to Grand Prix.” We should all be so lucky!