Pacific City, Ore. – An Oregon coast equestrian outfitter is again receiving significant attention from equestrian and horse professionals regarding horse care following past outrage of alleged neglect and other legal issues.
The latest round of allegations targets the now-former managers of Green Acres Beach & Trail Rides, a business owned by its previously divorced co-owners, Daniel Stuebgen and Teresa Stuebgen.
Numerous sources, including former employees of Green Acres, previously identified Jeffrey Cutler and Tina Cabal as former managers for the Stuebgen’s who worked for Green Acres going back nearly a decade. The duo reportedly formed a “new” business called Twin Creeks Beach & Trail Rides and assumed the business operations at the Green Acres property, all amid growing controversy, state investigations related to labor practices and illegal child labor, and multiple criminal investigations.
The criminal investigations came to light with Daniel Stuebgen’s recent June arrest on charges of sex abuse and rape involving a minor who also reportedly “volunteered” at the company.
Stuebgen had initially been charged with felony custodial interference in the fall of 2023 involving the minor volunteer who was reportedly living with Stuebgen and who he allegedly was keeping away from her father.
Those charges were eventually dropped, but it appears that was all part of the deeper investigation by law enforcement and a DOJ special agent.
Equestrian Media Group has extensively covered the issues surrounding Green Acres, as well as other local news media stories.
The new allegations related to animal neglect involving Twin Creeks Beach & Trail Rides were spurred after Kailia Jones, an equestrian from Newberg, was visiting the Oregon Coast over the weekend. Jones took several pictures and shared them in a now-viral Facebook post.
Cabal had previously defended Green Acres and the care of horses during past bouts with critics on social media. In the latest round of scrutiny in a widely shared Facebook thread, Cabal once again defended their care of horses in social media posts, including deflecting by claiming they were a “new” company.
Jones later shared that Cabal eventually claimed she was not an owner and listed the company’s registration as showing Cutler as only an owner. Multiple sources who spoke with Equestrian Media Group have reported that Cabal and Cutler had been dating and that Cabal was simply being omitted from the official paperwork to downplay her involvement.
“I never said we took over the company. Please show me where I said that. I’ve been saying it’s a NEW COMPANY [sic] the whole time. We took over the spot,” wrote Cabal.
There wasn’t mention by Cabal that she had previously worked for and had a management role with Green Acres.
The address provided by Cabal matches a residence also reportedly listed for Cutler.
“I have been contacted by multiple people telling me the SAME info about this lady [Cabal], which is making her story she told me not line up at all. Also- in my original post she claims these are their personal horses, but then she replied to someone else saying they do not own the horses,” wrote Jones in a separate Facebook post.
“According to the multiple people who have messaged me, this is NOT her first year doing this. They have been involved with this company (even before they took over) for at LEAST 6 years.”
Equestrian Media Group also uncovered that Cabal was instead listed as the authorized representative on a separate business filling for the businesses assumed business name under the same name, just without the LLC. The document only lists Cabal as filling on behalf of the registrant, Twin Creeks Beach & Trail Rides LLC which maintains a separate registration.
It was also revealed that previous bookings made with Green Acres were converted to the new business using a third-party booking service using the same account linked on the Green Acres website.
It was also unclear how Twin Creeks Beach & Trail Rides obtained assets from Green Acres while Stuebgen remained incarcerated.
Despite indications Cutler and Cabal merely acquired the Green Acres business, the registration of the “new” business raised questions regarding penalties after state officials issued Green Acres a $120,000 fine for repeated failures and warnings to obtain workers’ compensation insurance for several years.
Even when registering a new business, a legal concept referred to as a “successor in interest” could often come into play in civil law.
While DCBS previously stated they can pursue penalties on both business owners and managers for such violations, it did not appear actions were taken against Cutler or Cabal.
State officials with the Department of Consumer & Business Services estimated the company avoided nearly $60,000 in insurance premiums required to protect its workers.
DCBS spokesperson Mark Peterson stated that the owners, who were fined, are responsible for the debt.
“The responsibility for a noncomplying employer (NCE) debt follows the owners who were fined, not the business entity. As such, the Workers’ Compensation Division would not pursue the new owners for the NCE penalty dollars owed by the Stuebgens,” said Peterson.
“If the new owners don’t obtain the required workers’ compensation coverage for the business, they could be separately penalized following an investigation. It is important to note that even if the Stuebgens are apparently no longer in the picture, it does not mean the state would stop collections activity against them.”
It was unclear if DCBS’ position would differ if the existing business had actually been acquired on paper.
The duo continued to operate under the Green Acres banner until July 25th, despite being aware the company was out of compliance. It is unclear what role Teresa Stuebgen continues to play in the “new” business, if any.
Twin Creeks Beach & Trail Rides did, however, obtain the required workers’ compensation insurance coverage, which the state records show was active as of July 25th.
According to state records, Green Acres had also never obtained the required insurance coverage after being issued the fine last year, despite reports that Cabal and Cutler continued operating under Green Acres until Twin Creeks was granted a guide license from the OSMB.
The company took weeks to obtain its license after state officials awaited proof that they had obtained liability insurance covering horseback riding tours, which was not included in its initial application.
Both Cabal and Cutler were alleged to have supervised the illegal employment of minors by Green Acres over many years despite the company being denied a permit to employ minors 14-17 years of age by the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries.
The Stuebgen’s admitted to investigators that they had employed minors as “volunteers” but had repeatedly been warned by officials that they could not legally employ minors or unpaid volunteers. Past allegations included the company having workers as young as 8 and 9.
In addition to numerous alleged labor issues, Green Acres and the Stuebgens have faced many legal woes in recent years. Those woes initially stemmed from their reported issues with local citizens and state officials related to their violations of ocean shore rules in Bob Staub State Park — including not picking up manure as required each day from along the shore. It later developed into increasing community outrage regarding the level of care for their horses and other farm animals.
The company’s former and self-described business partner, John Bonander, was also arrested and charged in December of 2022 for filming female minors in the bathroom at the business, which previously doubled as Bonander’s residence.
Bonander was eventually provided a plea deal in early 2024 that allowed him to plead no contest, avoid further jail time, and avoid having to register as a sex offender. Many following the case expressed their frustration and disappointment with the deal.
At the time, the Tillamook County District Attorney did not return this publication’s attempts seeking comment.
In mid-June, Daniel Stuebgen was arrested on shocking allegations of child rape by Lincoln City Police as part of a joint investigation involving the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon Attorney General’s Office, and Child Protective Services.
Stuebgen has remained in custody in the Lincoln County Jail after being denied bail while his case continues.
DCBS had reportedly been pursuing further action by its administrative protection unit. Equestrian Media Group also learned from records provided by the State earlier this year that BOLI and the Oregon DOJ were conducting a joint investigation into Green Acres & Stuebgen, reportedly for child labor violations.
Those communications gave the first indication that officials were concerned about a situation that later was discovered to have set off the criminal investigation that led the Stuebgen’s later arrest and charges on multiple counts of sodomy and rape involving the unnamed minor.
Cabal was alleged to have taken part in past allegations of payroll fraud by Green Acres’ and the Stuebgens that resulted in employees, including minors.
Green Acres has repeatedly faced allegations of animal abuse involving horses, with increasing attention following revelations in 2023 made by staff from a non-profit horse rescue that frequently works with law enforcement in criminal neglect and abuse cases involving domestic animals and livestock.
The controversy appeared again in May of this year among equestrians and several known professionals in a popular but private Facebook group called Oregon Horse Forum.
The allegations in 2023 also included an incident in which the Stuebgen’s teenage grandson had burned a chicken alive while filming the act and sharing it with fellow classmates.
Jones went on to state in her post sharing the photos that she did not believe law enforcement would take action.
“This riding place at the beach has horses in HORRIBLE shape that are being ridden. I stopped to take pictures and to give them some love… I’m baffled this is being allowed,” Jones also wrote.
In one response, Cabal claimed that one of the horses was skinny due to a recent medical diagnosis. “The black horse, Casey, who is really skinny because he has been recently diagnosed with Cushings [sic],…” wrote Cabal.
Jones’s response said: “I’m sure a horse that skinny and diagnosed with cushings wants to go on any rides at all. Absolutely baffling.”
Horse trainer Alexis Wilkinson, owner of AW Horse Training & Lessons, commented that the pictured horses ranged from a score of 1-3, seemingly referencing the Henneke body scoring system with a shared image chart for horses, which ranges from 1-9. The ideal range for horses on the Henneke system is 4-6.
Karen Hanson of Culver, Oregon, commented, reportedly showing a photo of one of the horses showing what she said was the proper condition and weight for the horse she called Moose, one of the horses allegedly shown in the photos taken by Jones.
“This is what the Black & White (Moose) Gelding use to look like with weight,” wrote Hanson.
We were unable to reach Hanson to confirm any details regarding her past with the horse, but it did appear from the photos to be the same horse pictured by Jones.
Another poster explained their experience on the conditions of the horse’s feet while reportedly visiting Pacific City last year. “I went out there last year and their feet were awful. I couldn’t believe they were sound. Puffy tendons on most. Their excuse as [sic] ‘they fell apart while turned out over winter’ even though we saw them in September. all [sic] of the horses have marks from where saddles were fitted poorly.”
Numerous reports have previously and continue to reportedly be made with the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office and Humane Law Enforcement team with the Oregon Humane Society.
Despite years of complaints and even what professionals say is documented evidence and “recurring patterns” of care, the Sheriff’s Office has and continues to face community scrutiny related to its alleged handling (or lack thereof) and reported lack of training in animal welfare by its deputies when compared to other Oregon counties.
Last year, Paul Fournier, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, indicated they would be blacklisting Equestrian Media Group and its reporters after being offered an opportunity to respond to quoted statements made by local citizens critical of the Sheriff’s Office, claiming they felt our sharing of statements made to us in earlier interviews was
“TCSO will not be making any further comments to your publication, or its reporters,” said Fournier. The response came after Fournier had stated that our simple sharing citizen statements was “surprisingly accusatory”.
This is a developing story you can count on us to keep you updated on. If you have any information related to this story to share, please contact us.
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Note: For transparency, this publication’s managing editor was engaged in civil litigation with the Steubgens and their businesses, stemming from a 2019 incident prior to NW Horse Report. Our editor was also a victim in a case brought by prosecutors against John Bonander that resulted in his conviction in 2022 for telephonic harassment.
