Primatara horse farm realizes trucking magnate's dream

Construction on the Primatara horse farm, owned by Robert and Lawana Low, began in early 1995, according to Rich Brumfield, project manager for The Killian Group of Companies Inc.

The 280-acre estate north of Springfield will soon become the permanent residence for the Lows, the owners of Prime Trucking Company Inc.

"Owning a racehorse has been a long-time dream of my wife and I," Low said. "I was raised on a farm, and we had a few horses when I was growing up."

The first building erected on the property was a huge, metal-sided hay and equipment barn. The barn, with brick and stone trim, was designed to blend in with other buildings on the site. A dominant feature of the farm, according to Brumfield, is the main entrance, which highlights big, arched "castle style" wood plank doors.

Other structures now completed on the property are the arched, gated entryway, a covered bridge, a well house, an exercise ring and a stable to house the 25 Kentucky thoroughbreds kept on the premises. Metal fencing accented with brick and stone surrounds the property with a four-petal flower logo incorporated in the metalwork and the stonework on the buildings. The distinctive logo also is carried out on the racing silks worn in the races, according to Low, who added that several winners have been produced from the famous bloodlines housed at Primatara.

"The brick and stone used in the buildings are of the highest quality," Brumfield said.

The brick is a combination of 8-by-8 and modular brick in varying shades, and the stone is from Bedford Limestone in Indiana, according to Larry Eakins, architect with Slone Architects Inc. The idea for using limestone came from styles frequently used in Kentucky, Eakins said.

Also reminiscent of Kentucky horse farms is the use of a circular dome cupola to accent each roof of the existing buildings.

"In the stable, the cupola is not only for appearance, but for ventilation," Eakins said. He added that at night the structure is lit to offset the building and provide atmosphere.

Brumfield noted that next to a manmade lake, a brick-and-stone well house contains a pump and equipment to circulate water from the lake through the 600-foot stream bed that runs under the covered bridge, over a waterfall and back to the lake. The well house also houses a generator big enough to serve the entire ranch complex in case of a power outage, he said.

"The 16-stall stable is angled northeast to allow natural ventilation," Brumfield said. The floor of each stall is paved with popcorn asphalt, developed in Kentucky.

The loosely packed, rock-based asphalt allows water and waste to drain away, making the stalls easier to keep clean. The center aisle in the stable is floored with rubberized pavers for appearance and to make it easy on the horses' hooves, said Denny Wilson, manager of the horse farm. Wilson and his two full-time assistants work with the animals daily, feeding, grooming and exercising them.

"From the time they're born, each colt is brushed and handled every day," Wilson said.

A gazebo-style covered exercise ring is used to condition the horses, especially the yearlings scheduled to be sold in the fall each year. The six-stall ring can be set at various speeds.

"We begin prepping the yearlings about July for the fall sale in Kentucky," Wilson said. "Racing is the top priority, but selling colts each year is part of the operation," he said.

Out of the 25 animals in residence, about nine are on the racing circuit. They travel with a trainer to New York, Kentucky, Louisiana and Arkansas, according to Wilson.The Lows also breed and sell registered Limousin cattle, Wilson said. A herd of about 50 of the animals resides in pasture separate from the horses at Primatara.|The property eventually will house three stables. Plans are complete and construction on the second facility is set to begin around October, according to Eakins.

Now, under construction near the stable complex is a two-story manager's residence. This 4,000-square-foot house is scheduled for completion by the end of the year, according to Howard Bailey, owner of Howard Bailey Co. and the general contractor for the project. The interior design for the house is under the supervision of Joyce Buxton of Buxton-Werner Interiors, Bailey said. The house is built of highest quality materials and contains a lot of detail, according to Bailey. The metal standing-seam roof is topped with a cupola to match the other buildings.

"It is not a typical residential construction project at all," he said. "Inside, there is major, major millwork."

Bailey said that once the house is completed, Robert and Lawana Low will occupy it while their primary residence on the property is being planned and constructed.