I’m sure you all have been eagerly anticipating hearing from me in regards to our move out of the Eau Claire area in search for a bigger place with more room to grow a blooming business. For all of you that have been with us for a while, you’ve seen us gradually outgrow our old place and knew that at some point, we’d need to find some place larger. Since we shut the doors in our Eau Claire location a few weeks ago, the search for a new place has been relentless. We have searched everywhere from Eau Claire to the middle of nowhere looking for the perfect place. And I must say, thank you to everyone… thank you for being patient with me while we are in limbo… thank you for understanding… and thank you for your support. It has been a difficult time, not only because of the move, but also because I’m not too used to being away from everyone, the horses, the atmosphere of a barn, and I’m sure you all have missed it too. You all are very dear to me and I’ve missed being around friends that share my love for horses.
Of course, I can’t please everyone and although it is closer for some very happy people, it is farther away, in some cases much too far away, for some other people to travel. I certainly do not want to lose any of you, and that is why the decision to move has been very trying and difficult. However, I do feel confident that this new facility is absolutely perfect. Yesterday, a group of fellow riders took a road trip to Spring Creek Farm in Forest Lake, MN to see the new place – and they all were instantly on board, no matter that it is a longer commute for some of them. The place is insanely large, with 39 indoor heated stalls and an indoor heated arena that looks big enough to host the next superbowl. The footing is excellent, the hay is custom ordered and shipped in and is of the absolute best quality, and the grain is also very high quality. The stalls are very roomy, it has 3 tack rooms, two stories (yes, it has two stories, you heard me right), kitchen area, and the office is about 3 times bigger than it was before. It is all protected with an alarm security system and the tack room has an elecronic lock also. It is located 2 miles off of I-35, just 35 minutes from Hudson, and 20 minutes to downtown Minneapolis. It has very easy access from northern Wisconsin too, and is a direct shot west of the Rice Lake area. If you look on the map, it looks like a long ways up there, but since it’s all 70 mph freeway, it really goes by fast. The location is awesome… if you go 2 miles East, you can ride your horse right past the menards and through the McDonalds drive thru. Go South, and you can ride right into the lake. Go West, and you’re right into a 17 mile long equestrian trail system in a Minnesota State Park. The place is set on 34 acres, with tons of wooded areas and trails. The outdoor arena is HUGE and is perfect for setting up trail obstacles or jumps. All of the fencing is post and rail, and there are pastures as well as single or small group paddocks. It also has excellent soil that drains very well, so no mud, and every stall and paddock has automatic waterers.
The management of this place is phenominal… the owners, Pat and Sue Shearen, are very helpful and have been great about answering all of our questions and helping us to feel comfortable in our new home. Spring Creek Farm doesn’t have a website as of yet, but you can take a look at some pictures (my apologies for not being a great photographer) on our website… just go to www.jennifercollman.com/blog. It really does not do it justice, but I’ll work on getting some better pictures so you can get a better idea of the real size and scope of it.
As for you all left wondering where you are going to go from here if it’s too far of a drive for you, I do have solutions. We are for sure setting up a satellite location near Eau Claire… we have several places in mind but have not decided on one yet. Staci, Rebecca or I will be out there once a week to make sure that we don’t leave anyone behind. I was really pulling to find a place out there with a heated indoor, but so far, I haven’t had luck with that. The places that I did find, however, are very nice and well organized with good locations. Because I haven’t nailed down one yet, though, please feel free to e-mail me with and suggestions that you have with their contact information.
Trust me, this decision has kept me up quite a few nights, wondering if it’s the right thing. But after careful consideration, I really don’t see how this couldn’t be a great step in the right direction. The people that came out to look at it were extremely pleased with the place and have already put in their 30 day notice to begin training and lessons in Forest Lake on January 1st.
A new year, a new place, and a new start… beginnings are always scary and feel like they are happening way too fast, but I hope that you all are understanding or can at least wish us well in our new place if you can’t come with us. For those of you not coming, I’ll look forward to seeing you all again soon at our satellite location once we get it set up.
If you have any questions or concerns about how the move is going to effect you, please do not hesitate to email me. I want to make sure that everyone has a good solution so that you can continue to get the instruction and training that you’ve had with us in the past. As always, I appreciate each and every one of you and again, thank you so much for your support.