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Tag: Michelle Solorzano

  • Meet the team at CR Circle Ranch in Citrus Heights

    Meet the team at CR Circle Ranch in Citrus Heights

    Michelle Solorzano with her team of coaches, three of whom are her own children. // M. Hazlip

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    By Mike Hazlip—
    Michelle Solorzano’s home on Cook Avenue, known as CR Circle Ranch, is home to a dedicated team of trick horse riders who perform throughout the year.

    Solorzano balances teaching and coaching with her job as an equestrian coordinator for the California State Fair. Nu Balance Vaulting Club is the name of the competitive team, and Olympius Dream Team is the entertainment side of the team. She travels with the team to perform at county fairs as well as the State Fair each summer.

    Nu Balance has six members currently, and although some of the vaulters are Solorzano’s own children, everyone calls her “Ma.”

    “They say ‘Ma’ and they know I’ll answer,” Solorzano says. Team member Bali Solorzano agreed, saying her mother won’t answer to “Michelle” but will turn her attention if she hears “Ma.”

    The 53-year-old says performing is a lot of hard work for the team.

    “They walk the walk ahead,” Solorzano said. “They give it all, they really do. It’s not always fun, they’re changing and changing, and they’ve got wigs and hair and everything.”

    Solorzano said one team member has Huntington’s disease, an inherited condition that causes a progressive decline in the nerve cells of the brain. After four years since the onset of symptoms, she says the team member is still doing remarkably well.

    Another team member, Manny, has been with Nu Balance for 11 years and started with the team when he was 10. His parents are in Florida and his uncle owns a circus.

    “I just had to grow up very fast and being in a circus is very tough,” Manny said. “You had to grow up and put your big boy boots on and go for the road and hope for the best and see where you end up. This is where I ended up.”

    Solorzano said Olympius Dream Team is a favorite at events in Orangevale and Cal Expo, but has not yet been invited to participate in events in her home town of Citrus Heights. She hopes her team will have an opportunity to perform at Rusch Park once events resume there.

    The group has separate social media pages for CR Circle, Nu Balance, Olympius Dream Team, Imperial Crown, and T-N-B Trick Riders. Each act has a different set of costumes, but many of the same riders.

    When asked what the biggest challenge has been, Solorzano said finances — noting she’ll often pay out-of-pocket for expenses if there isn’t enough funds from the club. She says care and feeding for the horses takes the biggest piece of the budget, as well as maintenance of the facilities.

    Top of Solorzano’s wish list is a live-in trailer and a truck. She says having a “home away from home” on wheels will save on hotel costs and enable the team to reach more places.

    Even without those extras, Solorzano manages to have an impact on the team members who perform and coach for her, and she recognizes her facility is more than just vaulting lessons.

    “I think I can say this for all of us, I think it’s helped us become who we are,” team member PJ told The Sentinel. His fellow team member Ariel agreed and said “I don’t know what I’d be doing if I didn’t have this in my life.”

    “I think each one has a story, each one is really special,” said Solorzano. “And we never know what’s coming through the door. We know it’s not just about vaulting, that’s for sure. It’s about the kid walking through the door.”

    Anyone interested in finding out more about vaulting classes can contact Michelle Solorzano at (415) 307-3580, or stop by the CR Circle Ranch at 7668 Cook Ave.

    Editor’s note: This is the second part of a two-part story. See original story here: Something special is going on at this Citrus Heights horse property

  • Something special is going on at this Citrus Heights horse property

    Something special is going on at this Citrus Heights horse property

    A team of six performers pose for a photo at Michelle Solorzano’s property in Citrus Heights. // M. Hazlip

    By Mike Hazlip—
    Michelle Solorzano packs a lot of activities into her one-acre property in Citrus Heights, located just off Mariposa Avenue.

    The property is an eclectic mix of pastures, training areas, patio chairs around a fire pit, and a colorfully painted stable and a gym. A high tripod for practicing aerial skills sits above a soft bed of mulch where students can practice a variety of moves, both in the air and on horseback.

    The Sentinel sat down with Solorzano and six performers who also coach classes at the facility. Three of them are her own children. Soloranzo and husband Paul have seven children, two of whom are adopted.

    Although Solorzano has spent decades working with horses, she has only recently opened the property up to other activities. She says the decision to expand into other activities was driven by the children who come to her.

    “Some children want to compete, some do not,” Solorzano said. “It’s a nonprofit organization so none of us get paid, we’re all volunteer. I know you can get paid in a nonprofit, but we do not. We just all volunteer, they grow up and they give back.”

    Solorzano, 53, now hosts a trick riding team, silks aerialist team, drill teams, and dance. Each team has their own time slot throughout the week, and several teams consist of beginning and advanced levels.

    Classes are $50 each month for tiny tots, and $65 each month for students ages 7 and up. Parents can enroll their children for multiple classes and drop-in visits are $10. Solorzano said she knows most organizations would charge much higher prices, but described her work as a labor of love.

    “They’re in awe on how this functions,” she said, adding that some people expect a hidden cost or other income. “There is no money to be made in horses. They cost too much.”

    She said the farrier was scheduled for the day after the interview at a cost of about $220 for two horses. The coaches are all volunteer, and dues paid by the advanced students all go toward the horses.

    One class blends into the next, as older, more experienced students and coaches help the newcomers. Solorzano, who said she has been a homeschool teacher for many years, encourages teamwork in all students.

    Students spend 15 minutes of each lesson cleaning stalls, grooming, and feeding the horses in addition to putting away the tack. Solorzano said the chores help create a sense of responsibility for her students.

    Despite her background working on the family farm, Solorzano says she did not have experience with horses before starting her nonprofit. She said her parents previously owned the property that was once home to the Old McDonald farm.

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    When she received a grant from the Hearst family to train with horses, Solorzano said she had found her calling.

    “Came back and I said I think I know my job. Whether I like it or not, I think I know what I’m going to do,” she said. “I’m a Christian, and this is what God chose for me, and that’s what I’ve done all these years. Without a doubt.”

    The family run organization has adopted many of the horses with what Solorzano called “problems.” She also trains other people’s horses, and described part of what her family does as a “recovery home for horses.”

    “I love them and their problems and their hurt in their life,” she said. “We try and train that out of them and make them part of our team, and they are very special because of it.”

    Although Solorzano was referring to the horses, the same can be said of some of her students.

    “Kids that have been on drugs, kids that have been at parks with strange elderly men,” she recalled. “Their parents drove them up the driveway here, dropped them off and said ‘My kid needs help.’ And that was a 15-year-old young lady. She is now 21, still in the group, a horse lover, works with horses.”

    Coach Jenna McCall said, “I think it definitely keeps you out of trouble. In our group we learn how to not be like public school, where you get there and you feel like you’re left out or that your bullied. They get here and it’s like a safe zone. We all treat each other like family and get along.”

    Coach PJ Solorzano said he’s seen students gain confidence through the program: “No one is going to make fun of you or hurt you here,” he said. “You can be yourself and show off whatever is inside of you.”

    Whether it is a dying horse or storm damage to the stable, Solorzano said the whole team comes together.

    “They all intermix, and the older help the little,” she said. “That’s what makes it special. It’s really special because kids don’t do that anymore.”

    Read part two of this local feature: Meet the team at CR Circle Ranch in Citrus Heights