Alice Giovannini
La Jolla Equestrian Center
In 1970, at the insistence of a friend, Alice Giovannini, an active San Francisco socialite and wife of Dr. Andy Giovannini, a successful orthopedic surgeon, visited a fortuneteller. The woman read her Tarot cards and told Alice that she would someday leave San Francisco, a city she enjoyed to the fullest, to live in the country. And she told her that horses would become an important part of her life. Since Alice had just renovated their SF house and had never spent a moment in her life thinking about horses, her “fortune” sounded absurd.
In 1975, Andy fell in love with Huando, a yearling Peruvian Paso colt, bought him, and then learned that few facilities would keep a stallion. Refusing to geld him, the Giovanninis kept the colt in Walnut Creek on 4 acres, and in 1978 bought 12 acres on Tassajara Road in Pleasanton. Alice studied equine reproduction and horse care at UC Davis. And over the next 20 years, Alice and Andy built a large Peruvian Paso breeding facility. They assisted in the birth of over 100 foals and owned hundreds of horses. The blue ribbons and silver overflowing their display case tell the story of their success as Peruvian Paso breeders and competitors. When Andy’s favorite stallion died in 1988, they closed AAG Ranch.
In 2000, Alice opened La Jolla Equestrian Center to boarders. She, her ranch manager, Jesus, and his assistants continually make repairs and upgrade the facility so that it always looks clean and new. She responds to boarders’ suggestions and is willing to experiment with new footing and bedding materials in order to ensure the horses’ and their owners’ comfort and safety. Understanding how landscaping enhances the riding experience, Alice maintains an oasis at La Jolla for the many hard-working horse owners. La Jolla boards about 60 horses, offers the services of a number of dressage trainers, and hosts dressage clinics and CDS shows.
Alice Giovanni is modest about her own horsemanship and prefers to direct her energies to the horses she loves and their owners. La Jolla Equestrian Center is the canvas that reveals her expertise and artistry and her love of horses. Alice’s "absurd" fortune is her boarders’ good fortune!
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