It’s been another eventful couple of weeks! Everyone is buzzing with the thought of Regionals coming up right around the corner, especially since our old friend, Dark Kamaal, is back at the stables. Now occupying stall #7 in the new barn, Kamaal is an Arabian stallion, formerly owned by Hannah Gawin of Mondovi who had him in training with me over the last 2 years. He was recently sold to Debbie Black, who moved him down to her Equus Ridge Farm near Baraboo, WI to breed her mares before bringing him back to his hometown and back to West Wind Stables to continue his training. For more information about breeding to Dark Kamaal, visit http://www.equusridgefarm.com/index.html
Some other familiar faces are back at the stable ~ Kristin Ludwigson’s Freya and Holly Pagenkopf’s TR Mister Fancypants are back to move up in their training from green to finished, and are both ready to make their debut in the show ring. Along with some new horses in training, we’ve got plenty to keep us busy as we try to prepare roughly 15 horses and riders for the upcoming Morab Regional Championships in Custer. Staci is enjoying a nice sandy beach right now, on vacation, while we are still relentlessly working hard to get everyone educated for the day and keeping up with all the little things. We’ll have to make sure there is plenty of dirty, sweaty saddle pads and poop piles in the arena to clean up when she gets back! 🙂
Last week, we were at an APHA show in Cannon Falls, MN with Kathy Rueth and her horse, Dynamic Ninety Nine. Another step forward for Kathy and “Buddy” as she had some of her best rides and moments I’ve seen yet! We’ll continue to give you all of the updates as Kathy and Buddy try to gain as many points as they can by the end of 2010! This weekend, we’re show-free, and spending our time practicing for Regionals, preparing our horses, and giving the trailers the once-over. Stalls are set, the hotel is set, and oh boy! I’m excited!
July is here already, which is bringing some changes to the boarders here at West Wind Stables. Firstly, the old barn has been completely renovated, adding 6 brand new stalls and a new isolation stall, which will provide a safe and necessary area to quarrantine new horses for a 24 hour observation period before turning out with the general population. Plans are in high gear for all sorts of improvements, such as new fencing and pasture expansion, and the old barn shelter is also getting a facelift, with the whole south end getting a replacement. Among a long list of proposed improvements, the stable’s new amenities have been well recieved among the regulars here. Boarding rates are going up $15, bringing outdoor board to $215, non-heated barn stall with group turnout to $275, and heated barn with individual turnout to $315. Among the new boarding rates, there will also be a $35 intake fee for all new horses to the stable, covering the cost of 24 hour isolation and quarrantine and also for a physical exam, where the horses’ temperature, weight, BCS, medical history, and pictures are taken. The isolation stall also offers a place for us to separate a horse if we believe that any questionable symptoms are present. The move to create an isolation stall was a great step in protecting and improving the health care of boarded horses. For more information, please call Dan, West Wind Stables owner and manager, at 715-828-2211.