ABOUT US
Lori Johnston & Chris Castillo purchased Asunción Valley Farm the last days of 2013 from the Heilmann family of Templeton (one of the early families who settled the Templeton & Atascadero area of San Luis Obispo County). Our family is honored to take over the reins of this gorgeous valley, after the Heilmann’s watched over it for more than a century.
Our family of four took on the adventure of building a working horse farm. We have an incredible team at the farm that includes Josue Celis (farm management), Talia Bravo (rider & barn manager), & Owen Davis (pasture manager & equipment manager). They have become a cohesive unit that operates seamlessly to support the health and well-being of the horses, the farm, and biosphere of the pastures & the hay crops.
A SINGULAR PASSION
Lori Johnston has had a singular passion for horses and ponies since her mom put her astride the shared saddle before she could walk. One of her earliest memories is of tears streaming down her face from the wind roaring past as her mother got her mount to go off at a good clip down a well worn dusty trail in the fragrant California foothills. From that moment forward, that was where she would always feel at home.
She was raised on the backs of horses and ponies lent to her by generous neighbors until the time her family could afford a $250 pony of her own at 12 years of age. Then there was a sad two year respite. A client in the animal feed industry generously offered to take her team sorting. Within two weeks, she had another horse, and the obsession took over. Within three years, five horses were in the family, and then a move became necessary, and, well, it became an itch that couldn’t be scratched enough.
Western riding was all she ever knew – trail riding, western traditions and the vaquero ways of the Santa Barbara ranches and land grants surrounding her home. Later on, Cal Poly, had given her a good background in the deeply revered disciplines of the Western culture. But a brief stint in the Thoroughbred industry (thanks to Cal Poly) piqued her interest on the other side of the coin. And she had always admired the childhood friends in Santa Barbara who rode jumpers and knew eventually that maybe that would be an interesting detour in her equestrian path traveled thus far.
After dabbling in the cutting pen with some great trainers and even better friends, she bought a few ponies and started jumping on a reined cow horse that never made it to the reined cow horse competitions.
The show jumping bug bit her hard, and with the help of her very patient and amazingly supportive and kind husband, Chris, the Asunción Valley Farm came to fruition. She has been able to source and breed with some of the most knowledgeable people in the US and the Holsteiner & Hannoveraner Verbands in Germany. The relationships established with her contacts both at home and abroad have allowed her to find and import some wonderful equine athletes, and continue her lifelong love affair with horses.
