About Us

While my daughter, Sara’s, passion for horses came from me, I owe mine to my mother. She read all the Marguerite Henry books to me until I was old enough to read them on my own. The one that ignited my passion for Arabians was “King of the Wind.” I read that book until I almost had it memorized! For years, I begged my parents to let me have a horse, but never got one. I never understood why we couldn’t keep one in the backyard of our Chicago suburb home! 

While I would have loved to have been a veterinarian, I ended up getting a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a Biology minor. Thankfully, I had basic genetics classes, which ended up coming in handy down the road. I worked for several companies as an administrative assistant, secretary and personnel assistant, but they really weren’t what I wanted to do. The year I turned 40, I returned to school and earned a Masters degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling. Since that time, I’ve worked with people who have a variety of disabilities helping them find work that is appropriate for their abilities and condition(s).

I’ve been an animal lover all my life. Through the years, I’ve had birds, tropical fish, mice, green lizards and several dogs. My late husband was a cat lover. In 1982, we began raising and showing Bombay cats. We later expanded to Burmese and Russian Blues. We had several Regional winners and quite a few International winners over the years. Sara grew up helping us raise and show our cats and eventually had her own breeding program with Norwegian Forest Cats until she left for college. I became a judge with The International Cat Association in 1989 and traveled world-wide for 27 years judging wonderful cats and making amazing friends. I still raise and show Burmese as I love the personality and temperament of this breed. Raising and showing cats all these years has added considerably to my basic knowledge of genetics. Bombays, Burmese and Russian Blues have very small gene pools, so carefully researching pedigrees and determining inbreeding coefficients became very important to me to prevent inbreeding. Outcrossing lines and responsible line-breeding improved the health of my cats. 

Straight Egyptian Arabians have a very small gene pool so, I’m very focused on the health and welfare of our horses. Sara, who has taken to researching pedigrees with a passion, and I are working closely with our mentors Mike Cimino, and Deb 

& Mark Burke to ensure that we continue to maintain a healthy and diverse breeding program. Straight Egyptian Arabians have become an absolute passion for me. I am dedicated to promoting this beautiful, versatile breed and ensuring that our future foals honor the heritage of their ancestors. I want to share my love of straight Egyptian Arabians with others so they, too, can experience that joy.

What started out as a childhood fantasy turned into a reality. 

My passion for horses began at a very early age, when my mom started reading to me The Black Stallion, by Walter Farley. That started a love of horses, especially Arabians. I can also remember every birthday and Christmas; I was gifted a Breyer horse, which I still have several of. When I was 17, my parents gave me an option; they would either buy me a car or a horse. I chose the horse. 

After my mother and I had purchased Nola, but were still living in Louisiana, I was working as a law enforcement dispatcher / 911 operator.  I loved my job, but it took a mental toll on me. It wasn't until I made the weekly trips to visit Nola and the other horses, that I began the healing process that I didn't know I needed. They helped to bring me back to a sense of peace, and they are still the best form of therapy that I have found. 

Pictured with her heart horse, Lyrical Melody, aka "Lucy"

Pictured with his mustang, Dresdan (who now believes he is an Arabian)