Diamond H Acres offers a variety of horse activities and camping


Diamond H Acres opened earlier this year northwest of Edgerton along the Rock River to provide a location for a variety of horse-related activities and camping.

Dave and Donna Hulstein, their son Travis Hulstein and his wife Kayla, and their daughter Traci and her husband Jesse Hunter, all of Edgerton, bought the property, at 1527 41st Street, at auction at the end of March. The property was previously owned by Herman and Jan Bos. Bos had provided riding lessons, sold horses, held barrel races and let people camp at the property prior to his death in October of 2020. 

When the Hulstein family bought the property, they didn’t know what they would do with it, Dave said. Then the calls started coming in from people who used to ride horses at the site when Bos owned it and wanted to know if they could ride there again and if they were going to open the 80 by 200-foot arena that Bos had built. The new owners decided to continue what Bos had started at the property.

“We’re really not doing anything different than what Herm did out here,” Dave said. “We’re just trying to keep it going. He had a good idea.”

One of the first things the new owners did was build the campground, flattening the ground, removing trees, removing a garage and creating 10 sites with electricity, water and sewer connections. Kayla, who manages the campground, said eight of the 10 sites are being used by seasonal campers, all of whom are wind tower or construction workers.

Michaela Paulson is the barn manager at Diamond H Acres. Paulson connected with Dave through someone he did some work for and Paulson, her husband Aaron and their two daughters, ages 9 and 11, moved from Pinedale, Wyo. to Edgerton in June.

Paulson provides riding lessons that include safety, tack, grooming, catching the horse and riding. She offers English and western riding lessons, but focuses mostly on western riding. She prefers to give lessons to people 5 and older. She also offers horse therapy lessons that are based on the individual needs of the client, but primarily consist of the same elements as the regular lessons.

“Horses are really therapeutic,” Paulson said. “Your heart beat will sync in with the horse’s heart beat. They can feel every move that you do when you’re on their back. Horses are pretty in tune with people.”

Regular lessons and therapy lessons cost $40 and last about an hour and a half.

Paulson also trains horses, specializing in barrel horses and reining horses. The cost for that depends on the horse’s needs and could range from $1,000 to $1,400. The time frame also varies by horse, but Paulson said it typically takes around nine months to finish a barrel horse.

“All horses are different,” she said. “They’re just like children. They all learn differently.”

Diamond H Acres also hosts unicorn or dinosaur themed birthday parties with the horses either donning a horn or dressed like dinosaurs, and offers membership and daily fees to come ride in the arena. The facility is heated and can be used year round.

Paulson said there will be barrel races and jackpots held at Diamond H Acres in the future. They hosted the first fun show with a variety of speed events at the arena on Saturday, Aug. 13. They planned to have food trucks, concessions, massage therapy for horses and possibly someone selling horse tack.

Starting in September and for the next six months there will be two barrel races a month in the arena, Paulson said. Dave said the new owners cleaned up the arena, made some improvements, poured some concrete for a concession area, and brought in washed sand, which is expected to be less dusty and provide sure footing for the horses as well as a soft landing if someone falls off a horse. People are welcome to come watch the events.

Those interested in lessons, camping or other information can learn more and reach the owners through the Diamond H Acres Facebook page.

Future plans for Diamond H Acres include creating indoor stalls for horses, an outdoor arena and adding a playground near the campground area. Kayla said the ultimate goal is to provide a place for community members who enjoy riding horses to come together. Dave said people came from all over to ride at the site when Herm owned it and they’re hoping to bring some of them back.

“We’ll get it up and running and see where it goes from there,” Dave said.

The Paulsons and Hulsteins also own Diamond Aussies through which they breed Australian shepherds.