On 03-23-09 Isabella foaled a healthy baby boy. However, it was quickly discovered that Isabella was suffering from complications. Isabella, with Sky in tow, had to be transported immediately to Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine for medical attention. Please keep Isabella and her new baby Sky in your prayers. For more information and updates click on "Isabella" in the menu bar at left.
The picture above was taken within 3 hours of Sky's birth.
On April 13th we received a call from KSU that Isabella was not responding to treatment and things just were not going well. Randy and I decided to pick Isabella and Sky up to bring them home and make Isabella as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. It appeared her journey was nearing an end and we were very sad for her and Sky. For more detail please visit Isabella's webpage.
On April 14, 2009 the day following Izzy's unexpected arrival home she was feeling so good we went for a walk to enjoy the day and let her eat some green grass in the sunshine. The day was shared with special friends and as we headed back to the barn Beth Ridenour (www.artfulpath.com) snapped the picture above of a happy ending to a beautiful day!
Randy and Kristi Billinger of Wellsville, KS have been busy promoting mustang horses since 2000. Randy & Kristi specialize in the Kiger mustang but have many mustangs from various herd management areas. The Billingers have exhibited mustangs in demonstrations and numerous parades. Visitors are welcome to come to Tornado Alley Kigers to meet the mustangs up close and personal. Please phone or e-mail for an appointment - 785-979-4527 or tornadoalleykigers@hotmail.com 
Pictured above are Kristi on Segura (Kiger) and Randy on Isabella (Buffalo Hills, Nevada). The Midwest Mustang & Burro Saddle Club was sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management to ride in the American Royal parade in downtown Kansas City, MO in October 2008. We are very thankful to the BLM for supporting us in this adventure. We cannot explain what an awesome feeling it was to be riding our mustangs through the streets of downtown Kansas City. We rode over huge bridges with trains passing underneath tooting their horns while helicopters circled over head. We rode past a carnival, down some narrow streets and past many sky scrapers - the feeling of riding a once wild horse past sky scrapers was very cool! We could not have asked for a better day for a parade and all the horses did awesome. We lost a dear friend to cancer only the day before the parade so we all dedicated our ride in the parade to our dear friend Ray Branch. We are all certain we had special help from above on that day.
Photo by Randy Billinger looking west from our front porch at another beautiful Kansas sunset.
So who owns Tornado Alley Kigers?
That would be my wonderful husband Randy Billinger and myself, Kristi Billinger. Randy and I share a passion for animals we currently have 11 horses which includes 1 Thoroughbred, 1 Arab/Quarter horse, 1 Nevada Mustang, 1 Wyoming Mustang, 1 Burro, 6 Kiger Mustangs. Our passion doesn't stop there we also have 3 cats (Curious, Cowboy and Boots) and 3 dogs (Misti who is an Australian Shepard, Lamar is a Border Collie mix and Buddy who is known as a pain in my rump he is a Chow/Lab cross who has a huge heart!). That rounds out our family here in NE Kansas.
Randy and I are fortunate enough to own enough acreage to grow our own hay so feeding all those mouths is not too expensive. Unfortunately, that does mean I spend a lot of time whining all summer about having to haul hay rather than being in the barn playing with my horses!
We belong to the Midwest Mustang & Burro Saddle Club and we have a great time promoting mustangs with all our friends in the club. A better group of folks with big hearts you will not find! These are just great people who we enjoy spending time with educating the public about mustangs.
Our training methods are ONLY of the kindest methods! I cannot tell you that we follow just one training program from any particular clinician. We take riding lessons with a certified center riding instructor who has helped us improve our riding so much over the years. We have a friend who is 1 of only 6 Dennis Reis Diamond Endorsed Clinicians so she has some influence in our training too. And of course we also use some Parelli and some Anderson. Now that probably sounds like quite the mess but what we have learned is what methods work for one horse might not work for another. Therefore, the more tools in the toolbox the more successful we can be with our training. We never claim to be professional trainers, we like to promote mustangs at demos, parades, etc. we love despooking practices and challenging obstacles. We have a passion for trail riding but don't get to nearly often enough. That's about all there is to report about us other than we love our families very much and God is a very important part of our lives.
Wellsville, KS
Updated Saturday, July 04, 2009 4:53 AM
Rain | 72°F | High: 83°F
Low: 65°F
Wind: 9 mph
Humidity: 88%
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Sunday
84° / 66° |
Monday
86° / 68° |
Tuesday
89° / 70° | 
Wednesday
94° / 75° |
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