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Leap of Faith Equestrian
Natalie Mamou (McMahon) of Leap of Faith Equestrian brings over 25 combined years' experience owning, showing, teaching, and training. Natalie grew up in Southern California and began riding and competing at the age of 7. During her time as a junior, she competed on the "AA" Circuit in Hunters and Jumpers, and was heavily involved in the Equitation ring under the guidance of Grand Prix rider Romelia Calderon and trainer Hope Davis.
Natalie continued to ride throughout college, and after graduating from Menlo College with a degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship, she instructed at several barns in Menlo Park, ultimately leading her to run a successful lesson program in Los Altos Hills for several years.
After taking a break as a professional trainer for a few years to work as an Executive Assistant at startups in the Bay Area, Natalie has returned to continue her true passion - teaching and sharing her knowledge of horses!
Natalie also continues to compete on her own horses and enjoys starting and training young horses, as well as matching horses and riders to create positive and successful partnerships.
Natalie believes in building strong basics and fundamentals, which riders can take with them throughout their riding careers no matter where that leads them. She also believes in teaching proper all around horsemanship to create well rounded horsemen/women in and out of the saddle with an emphasis on proper care and treatment for the horses.
Natalie McMahon | Owner and Trainer
Kiera Fulton | Assistant Trainer
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Growing up in Southern California, Kiera Fulton began riding horses at the age of 7, first at a horse camp and then in weekly riding lessons. At age 12, she began taking lessons with Linda Schaub, a Dressage-based trainer who also taught Hunters, Jumpers, and Eventing. Linda paired Kiera with a young quarter horse named Dixie for her lessons, who became Kiera’s lease horse, and soon her own horse. From then on, Kiera could be found at the barn in every hour of her free time, riding not only Dixie, but any and every horse offered to her. By age 14, Kiera had a roster of horses in her care for other owners at her barn who could not see their horses every day, allowing her to ride multiple horses daily and learn about many aspects of horse care and training. She especially loved jumping and trail riding, while appreciating dressage as the basis of correct riding and training.
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In the fall of 2020, Kiera moved to the Bay Area to begin school at UC Berkeley; Dixie moved with her, and the two began training at Iron Horse under Hunter/Jumper trainer Hilary Johnson, then the coach of the Cal Equestrian Team. Kiera joined the team, but due to first COVID and then a coaching transition, the team was not active until her third year at school. By this time, Kiera had moved Dixie to Anthony Chabot Equestrian Center in Oakland to better suit her horse’s needs, while the Cal Equestrian Team practiced down the road at Skyline Equestrian Center. At Chabot, Kiera again took every opportunity to ride any horse offered to her, leading her to take on a handful of young horse training projects. Meanwhile, she befriended three other horsewomen at Chabot, and with them she and Dixie hit the trails. During the spring and summer of 2023, Kiera and Dixie rode extensive miles on trails around the Bay Area, even venturing out for an endurance ride and later a horse camping trip with their new friends.
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Also in the summer of 2023, Kiera began her first official job in the equestrian industry. For the following year, she worked under showjumper Bronte Sewell learning to ride, train, and show young jumping prospects. Meanwhile, Kiera took on several freelance training projects, working with young horses at barns around the East Bay. Later, after graduating from UC Berkeley, she worked as an assistant trainer for Alicia Swinton, where she ran the Eventing program for Alicia during her maternity leave. Then in November, 2024, Kiera joined our team at Leap of Faith Equestrian as a full-time assistant trainer.
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Now, Dixie is retired from jumping and lives in a pasture, where she is still Kiera’s trusted trail and camping partner. When Kiera is not riding or teaching here with us, she can be found trail riding Dixie, running, skiing, camping, or otherwise outdoors.
This horse is Dixie!
Kyla Standig | Equine Care Manager​
This horse is Huckleberry!
Kyla (pronounced “Kayla”) grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills in Calaveras county, California. She was raised predominantly by her grandparents, who kept Peruvian Paso show horses at a local stable. A trainer competed them and began teaching Kyla to ride them when she was 5, beginning a lifelong passion for horses. Around age 10, her grandparents bought property, and from then on Kyla lived with her and her grandparents’ horses on their property, and her grandfather continued her riding education. Shortly after, at the age of 12, Kyla got her first quarter horse, named Black Diamond, or Blackie for short. She competed him in gymkhana at local rodeos throughout junior high and the beginning of high school, and to this day she remains partial to quarter horses.
In 2011, Kyla graduated high school and began working full time as an EMT on ambulances, launching a twelve-year career in the medical field. For the majority of this time, she remained an EMT working in ambulances in San Mateo and Contra Costa Counties, later becoming an ER Technician in San Francisco for the last year of her medical career. Meanwhile, she kept up with horses as a hobby; in 2013, she began riding her friend’s mom’s horse, a quarter horse named Huckleberry, while his owner recovered from a broken leg. Upon recovery, Huck’s owner had lost her confidence in riding, so she gave him to Kyla as a Christmas present. Kyla was thrilled to take him on as her own, and to this day he remains in her ownership as her heart horse.
Though Kyla excelled in her healthcare roles, by 2024 she knew she needed a break from the field. Since horses had always been her true passion and outlet for stress relief, she was keen to work in the equine industry when Natalie, a longtime friend familiar with her equine and medical background, invited her to take on a role at Leap of Faith Equestrian. So in October, 2024, Kyla became our Equine Care Manager, responsible for our school and client horses’ feed schedules, injury and rehabilitation courses, and a wide variety of other tasks associated with keeping our horses healthy and happy. Here, her expertise in emergency medicine is evident in her ability to remain calm through high-stress situations and her extensive knowledge in equine injury and wound care. If you are a student, you may even be lucky enough to be taught by Kyla, as she steps in to teach lessons where needed. She really is a master multitasker!
Outside of work, Kyla trail rides for fun with Huck, and more recently her horse Bronn, who she took on from LOF at the end of 2024.