History
The Sonoma County Horse Council was founded in 1993 to be a central organization to advocate for horse owners and businesses and to protect our mutual interests. The SCHC is a non-profit organization.
The central mission of the Horse Council is to promote the health and well being of horses and all aspects of the horse industry in Sonoma County:
Promote and preserve horse agriculture, industry and recreation in Sonoma County
Communicate to members on horse-related issues
Inform the public about horse community goals and projects
Support private and public equestrian facilities
Sponsor youth events and the Youth Riders Fund to support and encourage future equestrians in Sonoma County
Partnering with other organizations, such as the Farm Bureau and horse clubs, the Horse Council's role expanded to include monitoring regulations and legislation effecting the horse community and acting as a liaison with local government entities.
Your Horse Council is working tirelessly to protect the health and safety of equines and to support equestrian activities in Sonoma County. When equine enthusiasts speak with one voice, we are very powerful. Join the movement. Become a member today.
Stay Up-to-Date on SCHC News & Events!
Contact
Sonoma County Horse Council
PO Box 7157
Santa Rosa, CA 95407
Contact A Specific Board Member
Sonoma County Horse Council Board of Directors
Kim Murphy
President, Sonoma County Horse Council
Kim Murphy brings a lifelong passion for horses together with decades of leadership experience in finance, business strategy, and nonprofit service as President of the Sonoma County Horse Council.
Raised in a multigenerational horse family with roots in the American West, Kim grew up riding and working with horses. She competed in hunter/jumper and color guard with the Carmel Valley Trail and Saddle Club and later helped establish the first classroom training and horseback riding program at Sonoma State University in the mid-1970s. She continued training horses and riders through the 1980s before shifting her professional focus to finance and business leadership.
Kim holds an MBA in marketing and finance and has spent more than twenty years as a Financial Advisor, in addition to founding and leading several businesses in marketing strategy, engineering consulting, and web development.
A dedicated community volunteer, Kim has served on numerous nonprofit boards and is committed to strengthening opportunities and resilience within local communities.
As President of the Sonoma County Horse Council, Kim focuses on protecting equestrian access, supporting emergency preparedness for horses and livestock, preserving open space and trails, and building a strong, connected equestrian community throughout Sonoma County.
Sahar Bartlett
Vice President, Sonoma County Horse Council
Sahar Bartlett has deep roots in the Sonoma County equestrian community, where her lifelong passion for trail riding is matched by years of experience showing, competing, and exhibiting horses. As the current Vice President of the Sonoma County Horse Council, she is dedicated to preserving the county's rich horse culture and fostering collaboration across all equestrian disciplines.
In addition to her leadership on the Horse Council, Sahar contributes her time to several regional organizations, serving on the boards of Bay Area Barns and Trails, SERRA Horse Rescue, Redwood Trails Alliance, and as a founding board member of Marin Stables and Trails. Her dedication to service extends beyond the trails; As a certified CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), she supports vulnerable youth within the Sonoma County legal system. Sahar resides on her ranch in Northwest Santa Rosa with her three dogs, five horses, and Hammy, the Wonder Mule.
Sarah de Sanz,
Treasurer, Sonoma County Horse Council
Sarah de Sanz grew up on a working ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Her life-long passion for horses began when she was seven, when her mother rescued a then 30-year-old Welsh pony, Pepper. Local horse shows, 4-H, and roaming the golden hills of Northern California on Pepper, and later Peanut, cemented her love for horses and riding. Sarah has returned to the horse-world since retiring from her San Francisco-based practice in Periodontics. She has found the comradery and shared values of the horse community to be enriching beyond measure. As a former business owner, Sarah brings to the SCHC Board of Directors significant skills in budget creation, marketing, project planning and management, as well as community outreach. She owns three horses and competes in the reining. Sarah and her husband Greg live in Kenwood.
Diana Hughes was raised on a small hobby farm in Petaluma, practicing sustainability and raising 4-H animals. The family purchased two Ponies of the Americas, and Diana enjoyed showing at the fair, gymkhana, high school rodeo, schooling shows, trail riding, and horse camping with local clubs. Her parents instilled a passion for living and loving the Sonoma County rural lifestyle, which always included horses. Today, Diana continues to show in Western Pleasure, trail ride, and horse camp. She is a retired teacher and youth/teen advocate. Diana and her husband, Tom, are active members of the Petaluma Riding and Driving Club, Wednesday Riders, AQHA, and AHA. Tom is also a member of SCTB and Reno-Sierra Riders. Together, they currently own four horses.
Elizabeth Palmer began volunteering with the Sonoma County Horse Council in 2004. She has been a board member since 2015 and served as the Council’s president from 2015 through mid-2020. She is a long-time dressage enthusiast who welcomes opportunities to get out on Sonoma County’s amazing trails. Elizabeth is a Santa Rosa based business and taxation attorney, helping large and small businesses navigate growth, change and transitions. She feels privileged to have worked the Council’s current and past leadership to assist the equestrian community and ensure the future of equestrian-related activities and businesses in Sonoma County. Elizabeth is a long-time board member and current president of the Wild Horse and Burro Sanctuary in Shingletown, California. Between 2000 and 2015, she served on the board of the American Red Cross (covering Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties), serving as board chair from 2004-2006.
In 2004 Tracy Underwood bought the 50-acre Oak Ridge Training Stables, renamed it Santa Rosa Equestrian Center, and managed it for 17 years. The Southern California native fondly recalls her favorite aspects of the business as the European Pony School, and the many riding clinics, educational symposiums, and jumping and dressage shows she hosted annually. Tracy has been quite active in several local and national equine-related organizations. For several years she served as northern regional director of the California Dressage Society and co-chair of its Sonoma Chapter. The United States Dressage Federation saw her contribution to several national committees. Locally, she sat on the equine advisory committee at Santa Rosa Junior College, the horse show committee of the Sonoma County Fair, and the SCHC board.
Sydney Weil is a Sonoma County native, having grown up in Santa Rosa. She started riding horses at a young age and competed in local dressage shows as a teenager. She also competed as a member of the hunter-jumper IHSA team while studying biology at Amherst College. Her true goal, however, was to follow in the footsteps of her veterinarian mother. Sydney earned her veterinary degree from the Royal Veterinary College in London, then completed an internship in equine medicine in New Jersey, before returning to her roots and joining Sonoma Marin Veterinary Service in 2024. She is passionate about caring for the local equine community which played such a formative role in her childhood.
Tara Good-Young, a longtime Sonoma County resident, is a healthcare CEO and passionate equestrian. Raised on her father’s ranch, she developed a lifelong love of horses alongside an interest in healthcare, inspired by his work as a pediatrician and his horsemanship with mustangs in rural Nevada.
After a 20-year break to raise a family, Tara discovered Saddleseat riding and quickly immersed herself in the sport—earning the barn joke as the “Groupon lesson that stuck.” Today she breeds American Saddlebreds, supports the regional equestrian community, and leads PDI Surgery Center as CEO, continuing her commitment to advancing children’s health.
