BEST IN CLASS

Facilities

Premier Equestrian Center

Always Faithful Equestrian Club members enjoy this carefully designed and engineered campus, devoted to maintaining the health, soundness, and well-being of our equine athletes, while advancing the competitive strength of our equestrians.  AFEC offers the highest quality facilities, amenities, and services to our horses, riders, trainers, and club members.  Our disciplined daily focus ensures properly maintained barns, arenas, and premium, proprietary, felted sand footing.  Additionally, the most effective equine therapy equipment and treatment modalities are available on-site, supporting our holistic approach to horse care, wellness, and equestrian training.

State of the Art Heated Barns

Always Faithful Equestrian Club’s premier barns are all equipped with advanced climate and air quality control systems preserving ideal temperature, humidity, and fresh tempered air circulation providing our equine athletes and riders superior comfort, health and safety. All three of our barns provide the same amenities, systems and safety considerations. Two of our sixty-six (66) stalls are reserved for private quarantine providing safe isolation if needed.

Our Barns

  • Radiant heat aisle floors with rubber brick pavers throughout all barns
  • Generous 12 x 12 Horse stalls each include:
    • Rubber or comfort stall matting
    • Individual ceiling mounted stall fans
    • Stainless steel automatic waterers (water buckets available as needed)
    • Stainless steel feeders
    • Salt blocks
  • Dutch windows on all outside facing stalls (40 exterior stalls)
  • Automatic insect and fly control systems
  • Climate controlled in-take and out-take make-up air systems, maintaining appropriate humidity and temperature levels, ensuring effective air flow.
    • The make-up air systems also prevent toxic, unpleasant, and harmful ammonia concentration.
    • Minimum air turnover is four times an hour
    • Sensors evaluate air flow and automatically increase air turnover as required (based on temperature, humidity, and ammonia levels)
  • Radiant heat snow melt system are installed underneath all exterior walkways and horse paths connecting to the two indoor arenas
  • Generous grooming and wash stalls with hot and cold water (12)
  • Private Vet and Farrier stalls
    • Specialized high power exhaust system during farrier work (> 3,000 CFM)
  • Safety clip crossties throughout all aisles 
  • Tennant floor sweepers and Tennant paver washers used to clean all aisles daily
  • Secure hay storage separate from all other areas
    • Inspected and maintained daily 
    • Samples are randomly tested for nutritional content and potential plant toxins
  • Three Hay Gain systems further purifying hay
  • Custom feed rooms with sealed feed bins, wash sinks, individual hygienic storage, and locked safes for equine pharmaceutical safety requirements
  • All tack rooms equipped with front load washers and dryers
    • On-site laundry equipment includes Miele Commercial Equine laundry system
  • Climate controlled, spacious, viewing lounges overlook both indoor arenas that include beverage centers, snacks, comfortable couches, generous seating, large viewing windows, cable TV, and complimentary WiFi
  • Fire Suppression systems in all barns (including sprinkler systems)
 

World Class Arenas

Always Faithful Equestrian Club spared no expense to establish ideal footing in each of its riding arenas, as well as the all-weather paddocks, lunging ring, and bridle paths / exercise tracks. The proprietary blend footing includes the highest quality particle sands, felt, and binding fibers, carefully installed over state-of-the-art subterranean watering and drainage systems.  The single most important variable in maintaining a horse’s soundness is the quality and performance of the footing that supports these 1,200+ pound equine athletes as they exercise, train, and navigate their courses.  Our daily surface grooming program meticulously maintains consistent performance standards on all riding surfaces, ensuring the protection of these special athletes.

Arenas

 

  • All arenas include proprietary felted sand footing including quick drain systems, auto-sprinkler watering systems, and daily footing maintenance
  • Two heated Indoor Arenas:
    • Main Indoor 110 x 300
    • Training Indoor 100 x 240
  • Two Outdoor Arenas:
    • Main Outdoor 320 x 360
    • Training Outdoor 110 x 220
  • Grass outdoor ring and derby field:
    • Grand Prix Grass 160 x 320
    • Derby Training – Bank Field
  • Footing Maintenance includes auto watering and dragging two to three times daily (and as needed for additional maintenance)
  • Comprehensive jumps and training elements for all riding arenas
    • Jumps are maintained, serviced, and repaired at our on-site carpentry, woodwork, paint shop
  • Gazebo viewing stands overlooking outdoor arenas and grass grand prix ring
    • Covered seating, tables with chairs
    • Fans, electrical outlets, and refrigerated bottled water

Expansive Outdoor Areas

 

Always Faithful Equestrian Club’s expansive grounds and riding areas are designed to permit numerous riders the ability to enjoy riding outdoors. The open-air arenas, bridle paths, and exercise tracks are surrounded by luscious landscape with ornamental horticulture throughout, offering a sense of limitless space and privacy as our riders pursue their training regimens. Direct access to well-maintained trails with bridle paths that course throughout Northern Illinois forest preserves offers those that enjoy outdoor trail riding seemingly endless grounds to explore while adventuring off AFEC property.

Equine Outdoor Areas

 

  • Meticulously maintained riding surfaces
  • Ten-acres of open grass areas in the north field
  • One mile long, contiguous, on-property, perimeter bridle path with proprietary felted sand footing and underlying quick drain systems
  • Sixteen all-weather turnout paddocks with proprietary felted sand footing, quick dry drain systems, and banded safety electrical fencing
  • Fourteen premium grass turnout paddocks
  • Lunging ring with proprietary felted sand footing and quick drain system
  • Gazebo equine carousel walker
  • Comprehensive storm management drainage and water recycling systems provide rapid recovery of riding surfaces, with effective high volume drainage, and retention for recycled water redistributed for irrigation to all landscaped areas
  • Direct access to forest preserve horse trails with over 20 miles of maintained paths

Equine Fitness and Therapy Equipment

Always Faithful Equestrian Club’s commitment to the highest standards of horse care is reflected by our specialized program management, numerous support areas, and high quality equipment promoting the health, wellness, and fitness of our equine athletes.  Individualized therapeutic and wellness maintenance programs incorporate use of the treadmill, outdoor carousel walker, Sports Innovation therapeutic blankets, infrared light solariums, soft tissue recovery Thera-plate, and cold wrap therapies. Specialized veterinarian and farrier stalls ensure safe and private professional services care. Through its affiliate EARP, Always Faithful specializes in the rehabilitation of injured equine athletes, restoration of health, and renewed purpose.

 

Equine Wellness

 
What It Is

The Odyssey Performance Trainer allows horses to move freely between a set of gates inside an enclosed circular track. This allows the horse to move as naturally as he would in a paddock or on a lunge line, and can be used to aid in rehabilitation by allowing control of pacing and maintaining regular exercise.

How It Helps
  • Exercise and condition horses freely and safely
  • Warm horses up before exercise
  • Cool down after exercise
  • Improve muscle strength and fitness
  • Increase blood circulation
  • Decrease risks of colic
  • Exercise at a controlled pace
  • Prevent muscle stiffness
  • Exercise on a flat and even surface at a controlled speed
  • Introducing gentle work to horses that have been out of work due to injury as they enable the muscles to be built up without the restriction and weight that a rider poses.
What It Is

Equivibe is a vertical vibration system that allows the entire body to vibrate based on the platform frequency causing the muscles to contract and stretch in order to sustain balance. Equivibe gives a smooth vibration that circulates through the horses body allowing for increased performance, quicker rehabilitation, and helps prevent injuries.

How It Helps
  • Increases Circulation
  • Increases Hoof Growth
  • Improved Hoof Wall
  • Hock Soreness
  • Promotes Bone Healing
  • Sore and Stiff Stile Joints
  • Arthritis
  • Torn Ligiments
  • Tendon Tears
  • Muscle Soreness
  • Strains and Sprains
  • Suspensory Issues
  • Cramping
  • Muscle Atrophy
What It Is

The Sport Innovations Solarium infrared light therapy promotes wound healing and aids in pain relief for ailments such as arthritis, sprains, and ulcers. The natural light that promotes production of vitamin D, just like the sun. The Solarium can also be used to accelerate  drying after bathing, loosen muscles, improve blood circulation and promotes relaxation in the equine athlete.

How It Helps
  • Raises Performance Levels
  • Decreases Muscle Tension
  • Increase Blood & Oxygen Supply
  • Reduce Chronic Inflammations
  • Increase Wound Healing
  • Healthier & Shinier Coat
  • Strengthen Immune System
  • Warm Up Prior To Training
  • Faster Cool Down After Training
What It Is

The Kraft equine treadmill allows for exercise in a small space. It’s ideas for enhancing horse training, conditioning, therapy, and rehabilitation. The objective is to facilitate rehabilitation, therapy, conditioning, and ultimately enhance horse training.

How It Helps
  • Aerobic Workouts
  • Improve Fitness
  • Evaluate Problems (diagnostics of upper airways and lameness)
  • Exercise in Poor Weather
  • Great for Cardiovascular and Respiratory
  • Allows for Gradual Reintroduction to Exercise for Rehab
  • Maintain Muscle Fitness
  • Improve Overall Balance and Coordination
What It Is

The Sport Innovations “ProSeries 3in1” Therapy Blanket with Massage, Magnetic (PEMF) and Heat in one unit. Used before and after a workout helps reduce muscle tension and increase circulation in the horse’s body. This blanket helps keep the horse relaxed, limber, and fit.

How It Helps
  • Recovery Management
  • Increases Circulation
  • Pain Management
  • Muscle Fatigue
  • Muscular Issues
  • Reduces Muscle Tension
  • Injury Treatment
  • Cold Back
What It Is

AFEC has a dedicated lunging ring focused on maintaining the elements of a proper pad; specifically felted sand footing and a quick drain system ensuring limited down time.

Pessoa lunging is an additional therapy tool used based on the horse’s treatment plan.  This type of lunging helps to place the horse in a better position to assist muscle build-up, and increases use of the horse’s back muscles.

How It Helps
  • Exercise a Fresh Horse
  • Relax the Body
  • Focus Attention
  • Develop an Understanding of Voice Commands
  • Help Correct Bad Habits
  • Help to Develop Balance, Suppleness and Strength
  • Build Stamina
  • Gain Confidence
  • Allows the trainer to observe the horse while the horse is moving which provides a chance to assess ability, soundness, quality of movement and tendon and ligament durability without the weight of a rider

Deluxe Amenities

Always Faithful Equestrian Club is devoted to maintaining a warm, inviting and comfortable environment for our club members, guests, and sponsors.  Our indoor arenas are complimented by adjacent, luxurious viewing and meeting areas, with all the comforts of home.  All viewing areas are stocked with snacks and beverages, free wifi internet access, and private ancillary areas are available to accommodate club members that blend work with pleasure.  The beautiful grounds are populated with outdoor viewing areas, relaxation space, and covered sitting pavilions throughout the property.  Pergola covered, outdoor grilling and dining patios are conveniently available to facilitate social functions and allow our riders to share their passion with a community of friendship and fun.

Our
Amenities
  • All seating areas are climate controlled with snack and beverage stations, complimentary wi-fi access, and premier cable TV entertainment for “in-home” relaxation
    • Jumpers Grill, Hunters Lounge, and Pony Lounge arena viewing rooms
  • Outdoor Kitchen and BBQ includes; covered pergola, Viking grill, ice machine, refrigerator, and comfortable dining patio
  • Covered outdoor viewing and seating areas at main arena and the grass Grand Prix field
  • Private locker room, lounge, and shower area