Venita was born in Germany. Although she spent her formative years here in Redwood City with her mom Monika, her dad Raj, and sister Tanisha, she learned to speak fluent German. Venita started riding at the age of 10, and her early experiences were in the Western world, with reining. She got into horse training at 13, serving for several years as Joan McLaren’s working student.

When Venita attended Feather River College, she took her passion and all that she had already learned about horses with her, competing in rodeo, as well as participating in a yearling training program. When she took a semester on reproduction, she cared for her professor’s pregnant mare, seeing her all the way to full term and a very healthy baby colt!

Now riding dressage for the last 8 years, Venita has competed in 1st through 2nd level and will work towards her 3rd level to obtain her bronze medal in coming show seasons. She will take on her and her sisters chestnut thoroughbred gelding named Armani (his show name is Armani’s World).

Venita and her husband Brandon have two trained hunting dogs: Mikey, a black Lab mix, and Buggy, a chocolate Lab who was a wedding gift and is a seasoned duck dog. When Venita is not working or at the barn with her horses, she and her husband and their “fur kids” enjoy fishing, camping, hiking, and hunting. They also love to work out as well as spend time with family, which will have another member – a baby boy!