OUR DESERT HOME

With nearly 1.6 million square feet of competition and riding space, the Desert International Horse Park is one of the largest equestrian facilities in North America. Offering 15 weeks of world-class competition from October through March, the facility is a destination location for thousands of equestrians, their horses, family and friends for several months annually. Competitors from all over the world travel to Thermal, CA to not only compete but to enjoy everything the desert has to offer.

Surrounded by the beauty of picturesque mountains, the Desert International Horse Park is close to Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, La Quinta, Coachella and more unique places to discover. The area is known for its resort lifestyle with a selection of fine dining, art & film festivals, golf & tennis, outdoor adventures, and wonderful warm, dry weather in the winter months. As the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau claims, come #findyouroasis in the desert.

Facility Map

Our Mission

At Desert International Horse Park, we aspire to build the equestrian sport on the West Coast and ensure that West Coast athletes have an equal opportunity to enjoy the sport and achieve their aspirations regardless of what those may be, at an internationally-recognized horse park. We are proud to be a strong partner for everyone involved in the sport on the West Coast, and we hold ourselves to the highest standards, knowing the sport and athletes in California deserve the best.

At DIHP, we are focused on the following core principles:

The horse park is as good as it gets:

From the beginning, our focus was on par with other great horse parks around the world. We are proud to have a Grand Prix ring and Grass Field that riders and horses say “they love.” It’s why we build a bridle path that riders and horses say “they love.” It’s why all of our stalls are now 12×12. It’s why riders, horses, and dogs say “they love” our grazing field and why we just planted trees throughout it. Our focus now is on ensuring the park looks great every day, is clean, is free of maintenance problems, the trees and shrubbery are well watered and always trimmed, and dust is kept to a minimum. We aim to continue to add to the beauty that has become our horse park. We hope when you arrive you see our attention to detail, and that it makes you as delighted to be here as we are.

Keeping horses happy and safe, from biosecurity to footing

Quite simply, we put horses first. Ensuring horses are safe and comfortable is always our top priority. We make sure that everywhere a horse roams, it is going to step on good ground, free of debris and safe for the job intended. We’re proud to be the only horse park in the U.S. with a dedicated biosecurity officer. We know there is always room to improve, but we have set the bar high on this front.

Running a good horse show

Quite simply, we put horses first. Ensuring horses are safe and comfortable is always our top priority. We make sure that everywhere a horse roams, it is going to step on good ground, free of debris and safe for the job intended. We’re proud to be the only horse park in the U.S. with a dedicated biosecurity officer. We know there is always room to improve, but we have set the bar high on this front.

Building sport

Top sport has been missing here on the West Coast, and we have to play our part to build it. Simply, the level of competition we put on is essential to building top sport. We must inspire and motivate young riders to become the next generation of top-level riders. We are always so proud when our West Coast riders win around the country. It is a tribute to our focus on elevating the quality of sport here.

Making the horse park your happy place

Our team is committed to making your time with us memorable for all the right reasons. This is easier to do when you have a dedicated team of people who love what they do. Like you, we are horse people and want the experience to be the best. We need to always find a way to get it done. We seek to constantly surprise you with something positive. And we will do this during week 10, not during just week 1.

OUR TEAM

Finding a fantastic team that puts horses first, while having a keen focus on the rider, trainer, owner, and sponsor experience, is a key aspect of our vision. Welcoming a mix of fresh and familiar faces, our goal is to bring in individuals who specialize in creating an excellent show experience.

Having just begun to make our vision a reality in August of 2019, we now have a core group of experts to kick our plans into gear. The Desert Horse Park International team continues to grow as we seek to achieve our goals for an excellent customer experience.

Work with us

Meet Our Team

Steve Hankin

President & CEO

A horseman and a rider himself, Steve Hankin is passionate about making the experience at the horse park great for everyone – horses and people – and transforming DIHP into a national equestrian destination for the West Coast. Fortunately, we get Lisa when we get Steve!

Pat Boyle

Show Manager

Pat has been putting on fantastic horse shows across the country for over 30 years. He has been a staple in the Chicago show world, running small and large shows at his home base, Ledges. More recently, he took the reins of Pennsylvania National, the Devon Horse Show, the Upperville Colt & Horse Show, and the USHJA National Championships in Las Vegas. Pat simply wants to create rings that people can’t wait to compete in!

Skyler Brittner

Scheduling & Technical Manager

Skyler brings 15 years of horse show experience as a core member of the DIHP team. This year he is transitioning away from handling stalls to lead our expanded FEI and jumper program. He also handles day-to-day scheduling alongside Ashley. You’ll see his energetic step out and about more this season making sure everything goes well in jumper land.

PHIL DEVITA

Show Manager

Phil is a staple in horse show management from boutique and Heritage events on the West Coast, including Menlo Charity Horse Show and Franktown Meadows Derbies, as well as Germantown Charity, Chagrin Hunter Jumper, The American Royal & the CFHJA Shows in Tampa. Phil is a 2nd generation horseman & brings many accolades and experience to the DIHP. He has worn many ‘hats’ in the sport, including being a trainer, competitor, course designer, judge & clinician.

Kyle Gould

Footing Manager

Kyle is simply the best in the business. He splits his time between Traverse City, Michigan, assisting Matt Morrissey, and the desert, with DIHP. At Thermal, Kyle oversees 1.6 million square feet of competition, schooling, and lunging space. Kyle’s design of the new Grand Prix arena has been instrumental in turning DIHP into a destination for high-performance competitors from around the world.

ASHLEY KEELER

Chief Administrative Officer/Show Office Manager

Ashley has been in the horse industry for over 30 years as a trainer, rider, and as horse show staff. She has shown all over the country and earned USEF AO Hunter of the Year in 2006. Keeler’s experience in and out of the horse show arena help her understand all the details that go into a horse show and to better serve our exhibitors. Steve always refers to Ashley as simply the best there is at running a show office.

Joseph Wilson

Facility Manager

Joe & his family have been in the construction business for as long as they can remember, including over 20 years building horse show facilities. Joe joined a year and a half ago for a few projects, and we never let him leave California. More recently, Joe took over managing the entire 239 acres of DIHP. Everything you see about DIHP that has changed, Joe has had a hand in shaping.

JEanette Gilbert

Events Manager

Jeanette has been in the horse industry since she took her first lessons at 8 years old, her parents have regretted it ever since. From schooling shows to the Longines Masters series of horse shows her experience runs the gamut, rom rider, trainer, facility developer, owner, & sport/event manager. Jeanette loves working with events that put horses first. We are thrilled to have Jeanette join the team full-time this year.

Lori Hill

Sponsorship

Despite her parents purchasing her an unruly Arabian/Standardbred-cross mare as her first horse, Lori’s love of horses is unflappable. After years of education and employment in the healthcare sector, she found herself as the general manager of a 450+ member equestrian club on the west coast of Canada. It was here that her love of all things equestrian was rekindled as she worked on everything from sponsorships and horse shows to footing and fencing. With her love of all things horse show-related (fancy ribbons being #1) and her commitment to exceptional customer service, Lori was a logical addition to the DIHP team.

Tori Bilas

Press & Communications

Tori brings vast media experience from her years at equestrian agencies as well as time spent traveling with ESPN’s studio show College GameDay. With experience in graphic design, writing, photography, video editing, livestream commentary, and on-camera appearances, she brings her skillset to the desert to aid in all things media and communications. We’re hoping that Tori becomes a West Coaster full time soon!

Nathaniel Neubauer

Chef: VIP/Retail Food/Roadrunners Bar

Nathaniel, CEO of Contemporary Catering, is in charge of feeding humans at DIHP. Contemporary Catering is an extraordinary, full-service catering and event production company. They’ve mastered a custom F&B experience unmatched by any horse shows nationwide. They utilize local organic produce whenever possible and source sustainable poultry and meat from local ranches. Nathaniel is also taking over service at the bar and a new expanded food program outside of VIP near Jumper 2!

Brian Wallace

Stabling/Feed Operations

Brian serves as a jack of all trades at the horse park. He manages the DIHP RV park, feed & bedding, paddocks, and barn customer service. Brain is the go-to person for all challenges our customers face in the back side of DIHP and is excited to lead our new, expanded feed store this season. His vast experience includes over two decades working with many of the management teams in California, including 10 years of creating and managing his own hunter/jumper events from the ground up.

David Runk

Bio Security Officer

Dr. Runk graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1995. He moved to California to pursue a residency in Large Animal Internal Medicine at UC Davis and received his Board Certification in 1999. Dr. Runk then founded a mobile equine practice and has provided on-site veterinarian coverage for horse shows all over California for the past 24 years. Dr. Runk joined DIHP as the Head of Biosecurity in 2022 and will be returning in that capacity during our upcoming show season.

Jason brink

Security

Jason has been working at horse shows since 2007. For nine years, he served as jump crew and hunter course designer assistant. In 2021, he moved to California to join the DIHP team and keep everyone safe (human and animal). Jason loves spending time with his daughter and the official horse show mascot, his dog Callie. He also loves playing softball and hockey in his free time.

Sara Nastri

Stall Manager

Sara took her first riding lesson when she was 8 and has been hooked ever since. She has worked in multiple parts of the industry as a trainer, barn manager, show manager and bookkeeper. Sara shares her passion for horses with her daughter who also competes in hunter/jumpers. From her years prior to the horse industry working in banking she brings with her a strong customer service background and attention to detail.