Melinda Stoker began riding when she was 4 years old. Fun fact: her first riding instructor was German-born Egon Merz, whose claim to fame was teaching Elizabeth Taylor how to ride for the film National Velvet. 
After breaking / training / selling a pony at age 11, Melinda began riding at Foxfield in Thousand Oaks, CA. She competed in hunters, jumpers, equitation, and three-day at Pebble Beach, Santa Barbara, Del Mar, Foxfield, Ram Tap, Menlo Circus Club, and Monterey, consistently winning jumper, hunter, and equitation championships, including classes judged by Olympian and USET coach George Morris. When Melinda was in college, she backed / trained / sold a friend’s thoroughbred as a competitive hunter. Melinda earned BA and MBA degrees and served as a marketing leader for companies including Cisco Systems, Xerox, and RingCentral. She is currently a Pony Club and lesson program instructor, and rides a range of horses (Selle Français, Belgian Warmblood, TB, QH.) She serves on a Woodside town committee dedicated to supporting horse and livestock owners, and volunteers at Jr. Riders and Day of the Horse.