The Horsy Hilton
By Alicia Howe
Customers of Copper Rein farm in Elgin, Ill. have nicknamed it “Horsy Hilton” because of the posh environment that it provides. Regi and Dennis Rabiola, the owners of Copper Rein, believe in treating every horse like their own, while offering fair prices, top-quality care and honesty to their customers.
Copper Rein opened in the early 1990s as a semi-private, family-owned business. The farm specializes in thoroughbred, paint and quarter horses. The majority of clients are injured racehorses going through rehab, retired racehorses being trained to become riding horses, foals being trained to become racehorses, and show horses.
While the couple strives to offer a safe, happy and clean environment with 24-hour vet service and top-notch rehabilitation, they specialize in one-on-one care.
“We don’t treat horses as just “another number,” Regi said. “We don’t have the hustle and bustle of a commercial facility. The atmosphere is just wonderful.”
Set on 20 acres of equestrian land, Copper Rein provides large stalls with rubber mats and Dutch doors, all-day turnout and all-weather lots, spacious pastures, indoor wash racks with hot and cold water, a viewing room, a pack room and a large 72-foot-by-200-foot indoor arena.
Regi coaches a youth amateur show team that travels locally and worldwide. “It’s a lot of work, but we just have a blast,” she said. “It’s not a job. It’s a way of life here.”
Regi began riding horses at age five. She spent Saturdays at the racetrack with her grandfather, and spent Sundays riding. As she got older, Regi trained with local and world-renowned trainers. Because she owned horses much of her life, she was determined to open an establishment that catered to the horse industry, in her words, “hoping to do it a little better than the next guy.”
While the sign outside of Copper Rein doesn’t say “Horsy Hilton,” its
residents are treated to a four-star experience. For more information
contact Copper Rein at 847-561-4421. 