The Crew
We need to introduce the people involved, as well. We are a tight knit and small group that work together for the sake of the horses. I, Kate, introduced myself on January 1st. I serve as executive director for our nonprofit, Center for Racehorse Retraining, and Golden Creek Equine, LLC, our for-profit breeding business. I take care of the administrative side, such as grant writing, advertising, cost analysis, and business development. I also do reproductive work, rehabilitation, and some training.
Kaitlyn is barn manager for both organizations. She is in charge of the day-to-day care of the horses, including the normal daily chores, wound care, and trims. She also does reproductive work, rehabilitation, and training. Kaitlyn also manages our websites and charts for supplies usage. She's been here for seventeen years, which means she's been here since the beginning. Things have changed a lot since we started!
My parents, Jane and Darrell, help wherever it is needed, even though they say that they're retired. They both retired from good careers and have become invaluable advisors. They help with running the equipment for haying and cleaning pens, fix fences, help with whatever projects or maintenance needs to happen around the property, help medicate foals, and whatever else needs to happen.
We also have volunteers that help with whatever we have going on, as well, including projects, cleaning, help with training and other aspects of the horse care. Our primary volunteers are Rebecca and Audrey. We also have help in Chugwater with feeding, checking on the horses, and maintenance.
We rely on a network of outstanding care providers, as well, including Dr. Landes, our primary vet, Dr. Unrein, our repro vet, Meghan at Elkhorn Farrier Services and Philip Himanka at Not Only Barefoot. They take excellent care of our horses, as well as provide valuable advice so we can do the best job possible.
We don't have a large group, but we are all dedicated to the care of the horses. We have a good time, even while doing nasty work, and make the best of everything that we do.