Jake was raised to value education, both traditional and the kind he could receive in his field of interest. He earned a degree in business administration, with an emphasis on marketing from the highly accredited Albertson College in Idaho. He then moved to California to work as an assistant trainer to Jon Roeser, one of the top trainers and competitors in the cow horse industry. After three years, Jake began to train on his own. His continual success, as evidenced by his winnings, speaks to his work ethic and dedication to excellence. Jake has combined his business knowledge with his horse expertise to build Gorrell Performance Horses.
Sonia’s parents were second generation ranchers who passed their strong work ethics, knowledge, and interest in the industry on to their children. Sonia began to compete in Junior Rodeos at the age of three and won several All-Around titles at local Junior Rodeos beginning in 1986. She stared team roping with her father at the age of nine and roped with her twin sister on the girls’ team in High School Rodeo. Sonia’s ability interest in animals, and horses in particular, led her to compete in FFA as well as in High School Rodeo. Today, she continues to train her own futurity horses, trains for others, and sells disciplined, well-mannered barrel horses.
Jake, Sonia, & Chet Gorrell
Teamed with wife, Sonia, Jake’s business offers clients unique diversity. They believe in the inherent ability of each horse, and they have the experience to get the best from the horses they train. As a result, they are able to take horses to unusual levels of success in differing disciplines.