Our Crew
Jake Dahl
Owner
Jake, a native of Nevada, has been with the "Royal Vista" family since 1999. He originally started with Vaughn & Jill Cook of Royal Vista Equine, as their Farm Manager, shortly after graduating from Colorado State University. In 2011 the Cooks turned over the operations to Jake, and former partner, Stephanie Webb. The pair created Vista Equine Colorado, LLC and continued the tradition set out by the Cooks, but also added new and cutting-edge techniques like oocyte aspiration. Jake took over sole operations of Vista Equine in 2024.
Jake and his wife, Heather, enjoy raising and showing their homebred reining horses, led by the matriarch or their program, Tranquila Nevada.
For Fun! Jake's all-time favorite "horse" movie is The Man From Snowy River!
Heather Grim DVM
Veterinarian
Heather grew up just to our south in beautiful New Mexico. She completed her undergraduate degree in Animal Science at New Mexico State University, before continuing onto Washington State University where she graduated with her BS degree was accepted into Vet School. She graduated with her DVM in 2009. Heather joined the Vista Equine team in 2019.
We like to think her move to Colorado was "meant to be" as she met her wonderful husband, Jason here. The two enjoy weekends in Estes Park, hiking with their dogs, trail rides, team roping and everything else Colorado has to offer.
For Fun! Heather's all-time favorite "horse" movie is Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken.
Sheila Megehee DVM, DACT
Veterinarian
Sheila joined the Vista Family in January of 2024 after completing her Theriogenology Residency at Oklahoma State University and passing her Boards. She also completed Vet School at OSU after her Undergrad at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Her favorite part of the repro industry is finding those early pregnancies and seeing the fetal heartbeats for the first time! When breeding season doesn't keep her on the clock 7 days a week, she enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, and knitting.
For Fun! Sheila's all-time favorite "horse" movie is Spirit!
Karen Bonner
Office Manager
Karen, originally from sunny San Diego, joined us in 2016. She attended Morehead State University in Kentucky, which led her to working on top Thoroughbreds at prestigious area vet hospitals.
Her journeys led her to Colorado, where we were lucky enough to add her to our team. Karen's favorite part of working at Vista is watching the foals be born and follow their careers all the way to the track and back to us as broodmares. In her free time, Karen enjoys reading and hiking with her dog Mud (the unofficial office mascot)!
For Fun! Karen's all-time favorite "horse" movie is The Black Stallion!
Allen Olmedo Soto
Technician
Allen is one of the Vista employees who has actually been around here the longest, even if not just as an employee! Allen was hired as a full-time employee in 2021 after completing an internship with us through Colorado State University. But Allen had been coming here with his father, a local racehorse breeder, for many years before that!
Allen is a native of Northern Colorado, and that eventually took him to CSU, where he graduated with a degree in Equine Sciences in 2021. He enjoys watching the racehorses here come full circle from foaling to running down the track. Away from work you can find him paddle boarding, watching soccer, or going out dancing!
For Fun! Allen's favorite "horse" movie is Seabiscuit!
Marisol DeLaTorre
Technician
Mari, originally from the Denver area, joined Vista in the heat of breeding season in 2022 after an internship at Lazy E Ranch in Oklahoma. She later completed her degree in Equine Science from Colorado State University in 2022!
Mari always has a smile on her face and enjoys the relationships she's created with the Vista crew. Outside of work she enjoys working out, snowboarding, hiking, and riding. In the past she's been an avid competitor on an Escaramuza Drill Team (google it!). She and her team have won 3 state titles and competed at Nationals in Mexico! We hope to cheer her on at a show some day!
For Fun! Mari's favorite "horse" movie is Spirit!
Thena Huisingh
Technician
A native of Northern California, Thena joined Vista as an intern in 2023 and was hired full-time after graduating from Colorado State University! She's a proud member of the class of 2023, majoring in Equine Science.
As a kid, Thena showed Western Pleasure and competed in roping events. Currently, she has an ever-growing passion for reining and would like to step back into the show ring in the near future.
Thena's favorite part of working at Vista is following the same foal from breeding, through foaling, and then sales prepping as a yearling.
For Fun! Thena's favorite "horse" movie is Spirit!
Connor Lovell
Technician
Connor is another addition to the Vista team that joined us, not only through an internship program, but also through his families own breeding operation!
Connor's internship was through West Texas A&M, from which he graduated in 2024 with a major in Equine Industry.
Connor appreciates that horses respond better to calm actions so that helps him pull calmness into his everyday life. He uses this mindset training his own reining and working cow horses. When he's not at Vista you can find him riding and training horses, working out, and starting the foundation of his own breeding program.
For Fun! Connor's favorite "horse" movie is Spirit!
Isabel Smith
Foaling Attendant
Thankfully one of Isy's favorite things is seeing a mare and her newborn foal bonding for the first time. That appreciation has made her an amazing foaling attendant!
Isy joined us for full-time foaling duties after completing an internship with us through Colorado State University. She's now a proud graduate of the class of 2024.
Aside from her horse passions, you can find Isy knitting, gardening, training her Border Collie, and rebuilding muscle cars!
For Fun! Isabel's favorite "horse" movie is The Man From Snowy River!
Michelle Vlahos
Office Assistant
Michelle has a passion for Assisted Reproductive Techniques, which has led her on an amazing journey from a paralegal degree to managing a vet clinic to our very own Vista team. Her cheerful disposition is a favorite of Vista clients!
Michelle is originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and moved to Colorado with her high school sweetheart, Steve, in 2021.
Outside of work she enjoys exploring the mountains with her husband and their dogs, and traveling with her grown children Claire, Walker, Lexie, Savanna, Searra, and Skyler.
For Fun! Michelle's favorite "horse" movie is The Horse Whisperer!
The Votes Are In!
The favorite Vista Equine horse movie is...
- With 5 votes, Spirit is the winner!
- Coming in second is The Man From Snowy River with two votes, sorry Jake!
- With one vote each we have Wild Hearts Cant Be Broken, The Black Stallion, Seabiscuit, The Horse Whisperer, and Dances With Wolves.
Thanks for playing!!
