16 SIDELINESMAY 2014
FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
ByKatieNavarra
L
ooking to escape the perpetually gray skies
of Portland, Oregon, Lisa LeSourd decided
she’d try Hawaii. She worked for Starbucks
in Portland and in 1998 arranged for a transfer to
Hawaii so she could surf. The transfer turned into a
career and eventually a permanent home.
Sixteen years later, she’s no longer with Starbucks.
Instead, she operates her own training operation, Calypso
Horse Training, out of a seven-acre Spanish-style equestrian
facility in Kaneohe, Hawaii, where she provides full-service
boarding and training to children and adult hunter/jumpers.
Lio Lele
Long before Lisa learned that lio lele is Hawaiian for jumping
horse, she was enthralled with jumping. She was introduced to
jumpers at a young age and begged her parents for lessons.
Her parents thought jumping was too dangerous and started
her in hunt seat events.
“My father traded one of his guns for a swayback Paint mare
with one blue eyewhen I was 10,” she said. “Dixiewasmy first
horse and I rode themare in 4-H events for a year. She was a
little too old andwas retired.”
Lisa’s next horse was a 3-year-old Morgan mare. “My father
sold insurance. He had a client whose wife was into Morgans,
sowe got involvedwithMorgan horses,” she said. Lisa and the
mare excelled in hunt seat classes and claimed aWashington
StateCounty (Oregon) Hunt Seat Medal.
Lisa was still not satisfied. She wanted to jump. She envied
her friends who advanced from cross-rails to small fences and
e
Hawaii
then on to advanced courses. Her parents were unconvinced
and told her she could buy her own jumping lessons when she
was 18.
That’s precisely what she did.
At 18, she started riding at Triple Rise Equestrian Center
in Eugene, Oregon, under trainer Mike Gallaway. When she
moved toOahu, she continued her training under the guidance
of hunter/jumper trainer Olga Anderson. Eventually, she
becameOlga’s assistant.
In 2008, Lisa decided she was ready to open her own
business. That same year, she met Jennifer Littenberg and
the two women became fast friends. They negotiated a lease
agreement that allows Lisa to operate her business out of B&R
Ranch, owned by Jennifer and her husband, Jon.
Lisamoved in with her favorite horse, One Little Indian, and
established a lesson program. The 24-year-old Selle Francais
gelding is a champion hunter who still packs riders for lessons
and shows.
“He is a grandiose animal who has heart and loves what he
does,” she said. “There’s something about him that’s special.
I swear there’s a little French accent somewhere there under
there.”
Lisa’s first client, Angelina Johnson, shares her sentiments
for the gelding. “He knows all the tricks in the book and I had to
go through them one by one,” Angelina laughed.
OvercomingChallenges
Today, Lisa’s clients fill the facility’s stalls and use the 72- by
200-foot
covered ring daily for riding and lessons. “The biggest
expense is feed,” Jennifer said. “A 100-pound bale of hay sells
for $35 to $40 and it’s shipped in fromCalifornia.” The soil and
climate make it nearly impossible to grow hay on the island.
Lio Lele: Jumping Horse
Continued on page 18
B&RRanch is nestledamong themountains inKaneohe, Hawaii.
All photos byKatieNavarra
