Welcome to Cheerio Acres!
"Exceptional care for your equine partner"
A Little Bit of History
Cheerio Acres was started in 1980 by Linda and Michael Parker. Linda began giving lessons in 1982, and with a growing number of students, the main horse barn with indoor arena was constructed in 1987.
After the addition of the main barn, the schooling facility flourished as an active business for some time. Most people in the area can recall Linda and her work in the discipline of dressage, and how many horses used to reside on the edge of this main road. The farm even had a tack shop in the front portion of the barn, looking out towards the road. Unfortunately however, in 1999 Linda Parker had to start to retire from the equine industry after being diagnosed with breast cancer. By 2005 the business had been brought down to a minimum, and that year Linda passed away due to cancer. After Linda's passing, there were a few more short attempts at self-boarding over the years, with no success.
New Beginnings
With a fresh start in 2009, and under new management, Cheerio Acres is hoping to return to it's original splendor of a bustling boarding and training facility. Manager Sarah Locatis is a lifetime resident of the southwest Michigan area, originally from Saugatuck, and has been an active member of the equine community for nearly two decades.
In 2000, Sarah began offering her training services to the public through Sunset Horse Training. During this time she had the opportunity to work with a variety of horses, with needs ranging from being started under saddle, to gaining confidence on the trail, fixing behavioral problems and everything in between. No horses were turned away that needed help, including many stallions, Warmbloods, and horses of all ages...and success in each one's training goals was meant. For six years she traveled to each client's farm to complete training appointments, servicing locations from Big Rapids, Michigan to South Bend, Indiana.
In 2007, to gain further experience in the equine industry, she left home for the Garden State of New Jersey to take a Barn Management position at an Eventing stable. There she gained a vast amount of knowledge regarding the care and consideration of some of the most amazing horses on the East Coast. With chances to ride Olympic level horses, all opprotunities were taken to enhance her previous riding abilities. She took care of all aspects of the twenty horse barn with a three instructor riding program, while also schooling horses kept at the stable and giving lessons, being one of the instructors offered in the stable's lesson program. Unfortunately, one always cannot help but miss home in Michigan, and she returned after fourteen months.
Meticulous and incredibly considerate, Sarah hopes you will agree that there is no one in southwest Michigan that will care for and enhance your horse's education better than the staff here at Cheerio Acres. We pride ourselves on providing top quality service in the equine industry - and we will do everything we can to meet, and hopefully exceed, your expectations.
Mission Statements
To provide top quality care to each horse, while continually working to further each person's individual goals and ambitions.
To make every horse happy, not by giving in, but rather through self awareness and consistent handling.
We hope to see you again...please check back soon for new updates to our website, as it is currently under construction!!!
Website launched on January 31st, 2009
Last updated on February 6th, 2010
EVEN MORE PICS TO COME....
