Ronica Shannon
Register News Writer
May 10, 2008 08:49 pm
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Whistle Stop Stables owner Chris Seals has faced several challenges throughout the past three years, including a continuing battle with lyme disease and the rising costs required to keep the Berea-based riding stables in operation.
“Last year’s drought and the resulting hay shortage in our area have made things worse at Whistle Stop Stables,” said Seals’ close friend Fairfax Arnold. “The cost of getting hay to feed the horses has tripled because it has to be shipped from other parts of the country. Even grain costs have gone up, no doubt due to fuel price increases. With income down and costs up, Whistle Stop Stables is in financial trouble.”
A fundraiser in Seals’ honor will be conducted from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Whistle Stop Stables, 5100 Walnut Meadow Road in Berea.
Riding lessons have been canceled and the overall income of the establishment has dropped significantly since Seals became ill, Arnold said.
In September of 2006, Seals began to feel sick.
“It was so sudden,” she said. “I wasn’t there to run (the business) and I relied on friends and neighbors to come in and help. I wasn’t there to generate money from riding lessons and training. Boarding horses in itself is not enough income to maintain the farm.”
Despite the struggles, Seals said she is beginning to see some light on the horizon.
“Here lately things are starting to come together,” she said. “I have days when I can work part-time and my health continues to get better.”
However, the financial strains remain.
The fundraising event will cost $25 per person for adults and $15 per person for children younger than 12, and will feature square dancing, two-stepping and line dancing along with a barbecue and silent auction.
The community’s help is needed to keep the stables in operation, Arnold said.
“When you have something good in your community that’s threatened, you work to save it,” she said.
The stables are used to house the horses of owners who do not have the land to house them and riding lessons are available to children.
“She helps to raise the children through character development, confidence building and helps build the awareness that a child needs to function in the world,” Arnold said. “In addition to learning about horses, they learn about themselves, about the world around them and about responsibility.”
Anyone interested in attending or needs more information can call 1-859-792-3311.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.
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