Founder: Michael Muir
Michael Muir’s life work has been shaped by an unwavering belief in the transformative power of horses—and in the human capacity for courage, partnership, and possibility. Despite living with multiple sclerosis since he was 15 years old, Michael has been a pioneer in equestrian sport, breeding, and accessibility, leaving an enduring mark on both the horse world and the disability community.
In 2005, Michael founded Access Adventure, an all-volunteer organization dedicated to enriching the lives of people with disabilities and other underserved members of the community. Through outdoor recreation, education, therapy, and open-space access—delivered in partnership with horses—Access Adventure has grown into America’s premier therapeutic equestrian program, serving hundreds of participants each year. The program reflects Michael’s lifelong vision: that meaningful access to nature and sport should never be limited by physical barriers.
Access Adventure providing Stonewall Sporthorses and volunteers for visually-impaired riders at Enchanted Hills Summer Camps above the Napa Valley.
Access Adventure volunteers and our gentle therapy horse, Rip, meet a new friend at Rush Ranch.
That vision was forged through experience. As an international competitor in driving for athletes with disabilities, Michael has represented the United States at the highest levels of the sport. His accomplishments include a Grade I Championship at the International ParaDriving Championships in Izsak, Hungary (2017), multiple medals at World Championships for Drivers with Disabilities, and victories in international competitions across Europe. Yet competition was never his sole focus. For Michael, driving was also a means of connection—between people, landscapes, and shared purpose.
Michael Muir driving the gold medal pair from the Criterium International in France, 2002. Pictured here at the World Carriage Driving Championship in Conte, France, with Lindsey and Alison Tyas from Great Britain aboard.
Those values came vividly to life in a series of ambitious journeys. In 2001, he led an international team of equestrians with disabilities on a ten-month, 3,400-mile journey from California to Washington, DC, driving wheelchair-accessible horse-drawn carriages across America. Later journeys—from Louisville, Kentucky to Cedar Key, Florida, across Europe, and coast-to-coast from California to Florida—demonstrated not only endurance and horsemanship, but a powerful statement about visibility, inclusion, and possibility.
On the Capitol Mall in Washington D.C. at the finish of the 2001 Horse Drawn Journey Across America with the pair Stonewall Stella and Stonewall Blanche.
Alongside his advocacy and athletic achievements, Michael’s foundation is deeply rooted in horse breeding and program development. Beginning in the mid-1960s, he established Sun Valley Ranch, breeding and showing Appaloosa horses. From 1973 to 1986, he founded and operated Allendale Farms, producing world-record-holding racehorses and National Grand Champions across multiple countries. Under his guidance, Appaloosa breeding reached historic milestones, including the first stallion to earn over $1 million—and later $2 million—in lifetime earnings.
Ocala Flight (b. 1968), the first stallion at stud at Allendale Farms. A world champion racehorse and international champion sire.
Michael continued to shape the industry through leadership and innovation. He directed the carriage program at Kauai Lagoons, once the largest commercial carriage operation in the world, managing more than 100 horses in harness. In 1989, he founded Stonewall Stud, developing and campaigning the Stonewall Sporthorses, a program that continues to reflect his commitment to excellence, soundness, and purpose-driven horsemanship.
Michael Muir driving the Belgian gelding, Prince, at Kauai Lagoons (1987), shown here with a custom Landau carriage.
In 1989, he founded Stonewall Stud, developing and campaigning the Stonewall Sporthorses, a program that continues to reflect his commitment to excellence, soundness, and purpose-driven horsemanship.
From breeding barns to international arenas, from quiet country roads to thousand-mile journeys, Michael Muir’s life tells a singular story: of resilience, partnership, and the belief that horses can open doors—physically, emotionally, and socially—for people of all abilities.