Hickory Hill Farm
Our Story
how it all started
Between Kay's love for the Thoroughbred and Ronald's knowledge in animal science, the couple set out to build their own line of Michigan bred race horses that were destined for the winner's circle.​
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What started as a small hobby quickly took over at the pleasant eighty-eight acre piece of land in Camden, Michigan. The plan to own one broodmare suddenly turned into owning three broodmares, all of which were in foal for the following spring. Years down the road, the foals either went to the track or were sold at a high end sale in Lexington to other race track homes.
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Over the last twenty years, the farm has experienced everything from foaling and raising athletic specimens, to preparing and selling yearlings at Keeneland and MTOBA sales, to breaking and training two and three year olds for the track.
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With the dwindling demand of Thoroughbreds in this area of the country, the main pursuit of Hickory Hill now is to become an accessible facility to be utilized for a variety of purposes by those in need of what it has to offer.
Dr. Kay Grothaus received her Bachelors from Heidelberg College and continued her education at the Medical College of Ohio to obtain her PhD. She grew up riding and was involved with horses for her entire life, primarily showing the hunter jumpers.
Dr. Ronald Grothaus received his Bachelors degree from Heidelberg College, and attended Veterinary School at The Ohio State University. For a majority of his career, he owned the Reynolds Road Animal Hospital in Toledo, OH and worked as a small animal vet. Dr. Grothaus is licensed in the state of Michigan to practice veterinary medicine.
Management
Madeline Grothaus is the granddaughter of Kay and Ron Grothaus. Growing up, she spent lots of time on the farm, and she has always been directly involved with the horses as well as the business. She is currently in her senior year at the Savannah College of Art & Design in the Equestrian Studies program with two minors in Business and Advertising.
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Cayl Poncsak is an Ohio State graduate with a degree in Animal Science. His childhood passion for horses has driven him to pursue a career in the industry, which has landed him a position at both the Michigan and Ohio locations of the farm. Cayl is primarily in charge of managing tasks and operations.