About Us
Shelley Stokes (L) with Kate Stokes
Our Story
A love of horses saw a young Kate Stokes spending many happy weekends at pony club and competing in her early years, with eventing as her discipline of choice.
Her passion for working with horses continued into adulthood, and in 2017 the Stokes family embarked on an exciting project to design and build an equestrian facility at their 50 acre property in Clevedon that has become the home of North Ridge Stud.
Kate lives on site at North Ridge Stud overseeing the breeding programme and daily operations.
Our Philosophy
Our programme is focused on breeding sound and athletic horses with the kind of temperament riders can enjoy building a real partnership with. Whether you're a World Cup rider looking for your next top prospect, a competitive amateur ready for a young horse to step up through the grades, or a coach searching for a genuine athlete for a client, we’re passionate about breeding sport horses with the heart, talent and trainability to go all the way.
We work with European warmblood lines, carefully selecting proven stallions for their athleticism, temperament and trainability. Every match is made with intent, choosing stallions that balance the strengths of our mares, aiming to produce well-rounded horses with straight, uphill movement, correct conformation and the mindset to perform.
We travel to Europe to personally meet and evaluate our stallions, selecting the right traits to complement our mares, aiming to refine and balance each pairing to bring out the best of both sire and dam.
Our breeding program is intentionally small, allowing us to dedicate time and thought into every decision - from the mares we breed from and the stallions we select, to the young ones we bring on to experience their first years of ridden and competitive life.
Breeding performance and partnerships
Our Home
North Ridge Stud is situated on a 50 acre coastal property north of Clevedon township, in Auckland, New Zealand. Our purpose-built property has been designed with the care and comfort of the horses top of mind.
Our facilities include stabling, a round yard, and a GGT Fibre and sand arena to provide a safe and enhanced environment for training.