Okjen Farm is owned by Wes and Linda Kindle. Wes was born in Seattle and Linda was born in the central part of Holland, where she grew up with horses on a family owned and operated riding school. She started to ride at the age of six on New Forest Ponies. At the riding school she was formally trained in dressage, jumping and driving. The riding school gave her the privilege of learning under some of Europe's top ranking instructors and horse trainers.
Some instructors that she had the honor to be mentored by were Colonel G. Bijl De Vroe, who was Colonel in the Cavalry in Hungary and later became a Colonel with the Dutch"Gele Rijders" an Elite Corps of the Cavalry. De Vroe was also a student of a schoolmaster at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria. Mr Dijkman was another instructor of Linda's who was instructor and trainer/Buyer of the Royal Mounted Police in Den-Haag, Holland. From both Mr Dijkman and Bijl De Vroe is where she acquired her classical dressage training.
Linda also trained with Tom Olsmeyer who started young jumpers at a jumping stable across the street from Linda's home. One of the riding students there was the now Dutch Olympic Silver Medal winner Albert Voorn. After college Linda studied dentistry and became a Dental Technician specialized in crown and bridgework, but she also kept up her equine education. After emigrating to Washington state in 1980, she continued to go back to Holland where she acquired her A.I. education in fresh and frozen semen at the equine Reproductive Clinic in Stroe.
In 1985 Wes and Linda went back to Holland to import more Friesians, and an approved Haflinger stallion. They started their breeding program and carriage and sleigh business in Leavenworth, Washington. The business flourished and more Friesians and ponies where bought and born. Over the five years in Leavenworth the Friesians and their business was spotlighted in newspapers, magazines and on television. The breeding and training became more demanding and the carriage business stopped. In 1989 the Kindle's moved the farm to Bellingham, Washington where they offer breeding and training/instruction. Wes and Linda have been breeding Friesians since 1980, and for the last 10 years have bred New Forest Ponies and Hanoverians. They are kept very busy, giving dressage clinics, teaching a local 4H group and Linda is on the Board of the New Forest Pony registry & Association and is training to be a judge/inspector. Wes has a full time job as a welder and fabricator at a local company.
