Arabian Knights Farms and
Training Center Incorporated

Todd Macuga Instructor	Todd Macuga Trainer	Carol Gawronski  Trainer/Instructor
	Arabian Knights Farms 630-325-3482
Melissa Doroz Instructor	Nora Simmons  Instructor	Kim Rife Instructor

I am very excited about my move to Arabian Knights Farm! My main goal is to strengthen AKF's amateur and youth programs to perform solidly and successfully in the 2005 show season. With the quality horses and talented amateurs I will be working with, I know this goal to be easily attainable through teamwork and hard work. Secondarily, I will be studying to obtain my Arabian horse judge's card.

Now, I'd like to introduce myself to you with this brief outline of my career.

I grew up on the back of a horse and I always knew that horses would become my life. I learned strong equitation skills early with Kathy Minder and Tom Johnson at Cotton Hill Farm, a Morgan training facility with numerous World and National Championships. For five years, I worked along side them, accumulating many regional accomplishments on the Morgan circuit.

Throughout my time as a junior exhibitor, I was also on the state horse judging team. I traveled the country competing at all the major national horse shows, including Arabian Nationals and Morgan Nationals. I placed Top Ten overall individually at the Arabian Nationals and my team finished third in the team competition. In my final year on the judging team, I placed third at the state level, was Reserve National Champion at Morgan Nationals, and part of the team that won the Morgan Nationals that year. I eventually want to continue my education and receive my judge's card.

In my first year as a professional trainer, I specialized in Saddleseat divisions and won Region 5 Champion on my Morgan park horse, who had only been under saddle for one year. The next year, we returned and repeated our victory, after which I sold him to concentrate all my efforts on showing Arabians and National Show Horses.

I was hired as head trainer at Alvarez Arabians, a very reputable barn that was home to many national champions, and the original home of the renowned Arabian stallion Cytosk*. In my time there, I qualified several horses for the U.S. Nationals and coached my junior exhibitor through her qualification for Youth Nationals. Alvarez Arabians decided to change the direction of their barn to train and show Saddlebreds, so I left to continue my career with Arabians, and to enroll at Purdue University as a Public Relations major. Although a full time student, I soon found myself training full time at Cedar Point Horse Park. Within the last year, I won Reserve Champion at both Buckeye and Region 11 in Purebred Show Hack, with a horse that had only been to two shows previously. This horse and I went on to show to the Top 20 at U.S. Nationals. I also qualified seven horses for the U.S. Nationals and two for Youth Nationals. All in all, my string of horses accomplished many regional Top Fives at Region 11 and 13 in 2004, amid countless wins and championships at "A" shows.

I'm excited to offer my enthusiasm and extensive training skills to Arabian Knights Farms and foresee a very successful 2005 show year for our team!

Carol Gawronski, Trainer / Instructor / USDF Silver Medal Winner -Recipient of USDF All Breeds Award. Half-Arabian Intermediare I and St Georges - 2002 Top Ten Ptrex St. Georged Horse Half-Arabian Division.

I have been teaching dressage (or basic horse training), as the "traveling trainer" for over 12 years. Before that, I learned from, taught with and worked for Neil Mannebach, a prominent dressage trainer in the southern suburbs for many years. During that time, and subsequent, I have worked with a variety of breeds - from Arabs to Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds to Morgans, as well as with students of varying abilities, styles and goals.

I have trained and shown horses from Training level to FEI and at the present time I am showing at both ends of the levels - my Appaloosa gelding, JP at Ist level and my Half-Arab, Half-Saddlebred gelding, J.C. Mr. Pepper Man, at Intermediate.

 
6526 Clarendon Hills Rd.
Willowbrook Illinois
630-325-3482