"Something Special"

from Kelly & Russ Reynolds of KnR Arabians.

The question of the hour is when does a small breeding operation move from the "hobby" status to a full fledged, self-supporting business. If you ask Kelly and Russ Reynolds, owners of K n R Arabians, their answer is NOW!!

In 1990, Kelly and Russ decided it was time to make the move out of their modest two bedroom apartment in Bradford, IA and buy a real home. When their Realtor took them to the acreage located at 1262 170th Street in Hampton, IA., all Kelly needed to look at was the five stall barn and empty 40 x 60 machine shed.

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Kelly had been a horse lover all her life and dreamed of someday training professionally. Both Russ and Kelly knew this was a farm they could turn into something special. At the time, both Russ and Kelly were working fulltime at a small plastics factory in Eldora, IA. Kelly began as a Lab Technician and Russ as a Material Handler. In their spare time, they began to build the farm.

The Reynolds researched several breeds before finally choosing the Arabian horse to build their farm around. Kelly says, "To us the Arabian is the most beautiful breed of horse. They have more personality and really bond with their human owners unlike some of the other breeds out there." In 1992, the Reynolds bought their first Arabian show horse and have never once regretted the decision to breed and market Arabian horses.

They didn't realize at the time how difficult it would be to compete in Northern Iowa - an area strongly influenced by the American Quarter Horse and Paint Horse. "Arabians were not thought of in a positive way in this area. Many people have preconceived ideas that they are very high strung animals and not good family pets." Kelly commented. This is not true, so the Reynolds set out to change these ideas. They became more active in the two Arabian clubs in the state, the Arabian Horse Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arabian Horse Association.

In 1994, they talked the AHSI into sponsoring an Arabian Fun Show in Mason City, IA. In order to show others how versatile the Arabian horse is, the Reynolds opened many

classes up to any breed and invited everyone to come and enjoy the show. The 1998 Mason City Arabian Fun Show drew 65 horses! (Not bad for an unrated show!!) In 2000, Russ and Kelly were asked to manage the Class A rated IaAHABlackhawk Arabian Show in Mason City.

During the early years of KnR Arabians, Kelly and Russ began to advance in their professional careers. Kelly was promoted to Quality Assurance Supervisor and attained her Certified Quality Engineer status along with the ISO 9000 Lead Auditor title. Russ moved up to Production Manager managing the warehouse, blowmolding and maintenance departments at the plastics plant. These positions required much more time at the office and also increased responsibility. Another upside, of course, was the added income. This was immediately put back into the business and additional horses purchased. It was at this time, that they purchased their first stallion, BERINGER BEY, from Leon Matthias. "Beringer has done a lot for our stable." Kelly states. "We have used Beringer to build our program and to produce athletic, intelligent, beautiful animals. Beringer Bey has been a tremendous asset to our farm. He's a wonderful, talented animal."

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