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Sprecher Road Stable

Added: 07/06/2011 6:18pm
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General Information
Stable manager/owner: Kathy Dunn
Stable website: unknown
Type of stable: public

Address and Contact
Street: 4292 Sprecher Road Stable
City: Madison
State: WI
ZIP Code: 53718
Phone number: 608-444-2823

Property Profile
Approximate size of property: unknown
Approximate number of horses on property: less than 25
Approximate age of stalls: over 25 years old
Types/sizes of stalls: Box stall
Number of arenas: 1-5
Type of footing in the arenas: Dirt
Number of turnouts: 6-10
Type of turnout: both grass and dirt
Access to trails or bridle path: somewhat difficult to access
Approx. number of vets in service area: 1-5
Approx. number of farriers in service area: 1-5

Trainers
Number of trainers on premises: none
Trainers for which disciplines: unknown

Amenities
Disciplines supported: Hunter/Jumper, Dressage, Eventing, Western Pleasure, Saddle Seat
Type of feed: unknown
Supplemental feeding services: yes
Frequency of stall cleaning: once a day
Horse shows held: no
Indoor or covered arena available: yes
Eventing course available: no
Eventing course level: N/A
Race track available: no
Hot walker or Euroxciser available: none
Grooming/care services available: no
Number of crossties: 1-5
Number of hitching posts: none
Number of washracks: none
Heated water in washracks: no
Breeding facilities available: no
Trailer parking available: yes
Grazing available: yes

Costs
General boarding costs: $200-$400/month
Cost of trailer parking: N/A

Other
Other features: none

Information is updated by stable manager
 

Reviews for Sprecher Road Stable

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Disclaimer: The following reviews are solely the opinions and claimed experiences of the reviewers. Horse Stable Review does not endorse any of the following reviews and cannot attest to the veracity of the statements made by the reviewers.
 
Reviewed by Aquainted With This Place on 10/12/2011 3:19pm
 3 out of 6 people found this review helpful
What I like:
Kathy Dunn is no longer associated with this stable.
What needs improvement:
The owner needs to find a competent manager, then stay away from the barn!
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Reviewed by Annonymous on 07/06/2011 6:53pm
 26 out of 28 people found this review helpful
What I like:
The stable is located in a nice area with easy access to local grocery stores, gas stations, and main roads.
What needs improvement:
My experiences at this stable are not what I expected them to be.

When I moved there, the fencing was in awful condition, but there was the promise that it would be updated, which it is in the process of. The pastures are a decent size, but there is no rotation schedule, so there is not really any grazing available. The other pens are not big enough for the horses they contain. The grass pastures are made of two strands of electric rope which is not enough to keep the horses in, especially considering that this barn is located on and near roads that can get busy. The water tanks outside do get cleaned, but not on a regular basis. I would often see water tanks with a lot of algae growing in them as well as dirty water. There are only two dry lots with shelter in them for the horses and the shelters do not get cleaned out.

As for the barn, there are approximately 38 stalls and most are a decent size, but the footing them is terrible. The footing is not level and some stalls do have rubber mats, but they do not properly fit the stalls and a lot of lumps and bumps in them. The stalls get cleaned most days, but because there is not much for hired help, they do not always get cleaned. The water buckets in the stalls do not get cleaned either. If you want them clean, then you have to do it yourself. The barn aisles usually get swept, but the rest of the barn is messy and unkept. Sometimes hay is stored in the aisle rather than in the hay loft or a stall. The aisles in the barn are cement and beware about when they get damp or if it is humid outside as they get very slippery. The arena has terrible footing as it is mainly dirt. It gets watered and dragged occasionally, but because there is not much footing, it doesn't do much good. There are a lot of problems at this facility in the winter time. One of the water pumps freezes up and you are unable to use it for the entire winter and most of spring. Water buckets have to be carried to the stalls and in my opinion the horses do not get nearly enough water in the winter. The horses do go outside in the winter, but tank heaters are not used so they do not get any water outside.

While this barn does have a lot of problems, that was not my main concern. There is a lot of barn gossip going on here and if you enjoy that, then this is the barn for you. The manager at this facility does nothing to stop the barn gossip as she is involved in it as well. I feel that many of the people at this barn are not happy.

Depending on your style of training, you may be criticized for it. In my opinion, a barn manager's job is to care for the horses by feeding, turning out, cleaning their stalls, paddocks, etc....but this barn manager happens to get very involved in the things you do with your horse and the way you train it. Kathy Dunn is one of the most unprofessional people I have ever met and often has major disagreements with the boarders and then talks about the issues with other boarders, further spreading the barn gossip. Whether what she tells them is true or not, issues between the barn manager and a boarder should be kept at that, not spread around the barn.

These are just some of my experiences at this barn and I highly recommend that you do your research before boarding, training, or taking lessons at Sprecher Road Stable.
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