About Erin Morrissey "Owner"
I was born horse-crazy and completely mesmerized by them from the very beginning. Every toy I owned somehow involved horses—Barbies because she had horses, Breyers, and anything else horse-related. I grew up in Montara, a small coastal town in California, where my parents occasionally enrolled me in riding lessons. When I was eight, my mom told me we were moving north and that I might finally get a horse. I immediately started packing. A year later, at age ten, I got my first horse—and I’ve never looked back.
I’ve always loved agriculture, land stewardship, and breeding. I was active in 4-H and FFA, raising rabbits and sheep along the way. In 1999, I moved to Sun King Farms in Arroyo Grande to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. After graduating, I stayed at the ranch, where Cathy Smith and I bred horses together for many years.
Cathy became one of the most important people in my life. She was a mentor, business partner, and like family to me. After her passing in 2015, I took over managing the ranch fully. In the years that followed, I also lost both of my parents, Kenneth and Donna Morrissey, who had always been my greatest support system. Those losses, combined with the demands of ranch life and working as an ICU nurse through COVID, made for some very difficult years.
Through it all, the horses remained my constant source of peace and purpose. Eventually, I realized I needed a fresh start and a property better suited for the future I envisioned. After much thought, I made the difficult decision to sell Sun King Farms and move back north to the mountains.
When we turned my mares out onto 30 acres of green pasture in Garden Valley, I knew I had made the right choice.
About Ashley Land "Trainer"
Ashley joined our team in 2018 after one of my boarders introduced me to her niece. Prior to joining us, she had gained experience working with trainers in both the English and Western disciplines, including time competing in the jumper ring.
As part of the hiring process, I had Ashley ride several different horses to evaluate her adaptability and horsemanship with a variety of personalities and training levels. Following those riding interviews, I offered her a position, which she accepted.
After a few years with our program, Ashley decided to further expand her knowledge and experience in starting and developing young horses. She spent time working on cattle ranches across the country and apprenticing with cutting horse trainers, gaining valuable hands-on experience in colt starting and performance training.
Ashley has since returned and now oversees the starting and development of all of our young prospects. We are incredibly grateful to have such a hardworking trainer and barn manager as part of our team.
About Samantha Swaim "Social Media Manager & Photographer"
Samantha joined our team shortly after Ashley in 2018, when she moved her childhood gelding to Sun King. Since then, Sam has contributed in numerous ways, including managing the breeding program, assisting with foaling, and handling our young horses. In addition, she has overseen all of our social media accounts, developed our website, captured sale photos, and created promotional materials.
The difficult decision to sell Sun King and relocate north was made even harder knowing that Sam would not be able to join us. With her husband Sean’s family rooted on the Central Coast and a thriving lesson program she has built, leaving was simply not feasible.
We are, however, grateful that Sam continues to support us by taking photographs and managing our social media.
We truly could not be where we are today without the dedication and hard work of both Ashley and Sam.