NK Equine Services

Meet Noelle Reagan

(Pictured above with two of her granddaughters, Georgia on the left and Dolly on the right after a fun outing at the zoo!)

Co-Founder & Trainer, NK Equine

Horses are not just an occupation for Noelle Reagan; they are in her blood- the kind of lifelong calling where, if you try to live without them, you always feel like something vital is missing. Born into the equestrian life, Noelle got her first horse at age five- a fleabitten grey Arabian gelding named Nighthawk Bonus, and was riding long before that.

Growing up in a safer era, Noelle spent her youth riding completely unbothered along to Manooka Park and neighboring farms all on her own. Under the mentorship of Mary Jo Thompson, a older neighbor girl, Noelle first learned to show her Hackney pony, English, over fences before returning to her western roots and embarking on extensive trail-riding and camping trips all over the United States.

The Early Years & A Natural Gift

During her mid-teens, Noelle quickly discovered she had an inherent, natural gift for working with challenged horses. Friends and neighbors began bringing her their difficult animals, and Noelle focused on working with both the human and the horse to bridge the gap and build a true working team.

That natural knack soon turned into her first official job at Kettle Moraine Ranch, where she taught large groups of Girl Scouts and guided trail rides. From there, she began making a real name for herself:

Starting the Unruly: She shifted gears with local off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTB) and began breaking out feral American Saddlebreds, after the breeder let them grow into surly three-year-olds before Noelle would step in to turn them around, often with friends gathering with camcorders to capture the remarkably uneventful, successful rides.

The Mustang Challenge: This led her to adopt a 6-year-old Mustang stallion from the BLM. They are adopted on a lottery system and Noelle’s number was high on the list that day. At the time, getting wild stallions gelded was exceptionally difficult. Wyatt the Mustang became one of the biggest and most educational equine challenges of her career.

Speed & Rodeo: Diving headfirst into the stock horse world, Noelle found her stride with Quarter Horses and a very special Appaloosa mare named “Sugar on My Beauty” (Maggie). Purchased for an understated $800 because she was supposedly “rearing up and over backwards,” Noelle hopped on bareback the very first day the two met, corrected the slight lift by the anxious mare, and took her on a two-hour trail ride. It was love at first sight, and the pair left competitors in the dust for years in barrel racing, team penning, and speed events.

Noelle’s fearlessness eventually extended to the rodeo arena, where she spent a brief spell riding bulls- culminating in a ride as the sole female bull rider at the Jefferson County Fair, where she successfully landed on her feet.

That fearless era culminated with an unforgettable lesson: the day after the rodeo, Maggie flipped over backward mid-stride, resulting in nine broken bones for Noelle, including her hip in three places, and a lengthy hospital stay in traction. While daunting, it proved to be a blessing in disguise, gracefully shifting her path from sheer blind fearlessness to deeply calculated, seasoned horsemanship.

Expanding the Craft

Following her recovery, Noelle moved to Fond du Lac, purchasing her own 20-stall farm complete with land and an indoor arena. Here, her journey expanded across multiple disciplines:

Breeding & Sales: She promoted and bred two APHA Paint stallions, showed in traditional horse shows, and ran a bustling lesson program. Concurrently, she purchased quality stock horses and rare breeds, like a Norwegian Fjord, putting 60-90 days of professional training on them before successfully reselling them.

The 4-H “Horseless Horse” Program: Taking on nine young girls who had never been around horses before, Noelle unlocked a deep passion for teaching youth. All nine girls excelled at the county fair, three advanced to the state level, and one won on a horse Noelle had owned for most of her adult life.

The Gentle Giants: Introduced to legendary horseman Jimmy Miller (who managed the original Pabst 8-horse hitch) by her farrier, Noelle spent countless hours mastering the art of driving teams of the gentle giants. This led to a love for riding massive Percheron draft horses too!

NK Equine Today: The Ultimate Guarantee

Today, Noelle operates NK Equine alongside co-founder and business partner Kara Deube (operating out of their respective farms, NK North and NK South).

Noelle and Kara form a powerhouse team precisely because their strengths complement each other seamlessly:

Kara brings incredible patience, focusing deeply on foundational groundwork, meticulous attention to detail, and flawless preparation.

Noelle excels from the saddle, communicating effortlessly with high-level feel and possessing the veteran balance to ride out a green horse’s buck even at 51 years old. Noelle claims that her life experience in the equine arena allows her to sit a buck better than she could at 20 years old (Though she notes that such moments are rare thanks to their thorough, patient preparation steps- but on a rare occasion, damaged horses can make mistakes).

Together, they specialize in taking on the “lost causes”- horses that the rest of the world has given up on, including kill pen rescues. As the girls love to point out: it’s normally problem people, not problem horses.

This year alone, Noelle and Kara have successfully rehabilitated and rehomed two horses that the world quit and have rescued five kill pen horses that they hope to place into safe, happy forever homes where both horse and rider thrive. This is in addition to the young or unbroken top quality horses that they have taken in and put months of professional training into and a few that they are currently working on. So if it’s a rescue or a top notch, well bred horse you’re looking for, let the girls help! They have you covered!

What Noelle Offers Clients Today

Colt Starting & Foundation Training: Bringing raw or misunderstood horses through the fundamentals safely and correctly.

Problem Horse Rehabilitation: Giving “too far gone” horses a fresh start with a dedicated 30-day evaluation.

Specialized Training: Speed competition, reining, and cutting training.

Lessons & Confidence Building: Dedicated instruction for young riders, especially those battling equine phobias, to help them uncover the confident cowgirl hiding beneath the fright.

Unmatched Guarantees: NK Equine offers a client guarantee rarely found in the industry. If a client isn’t completely happy with a match, the girls will help find a different option or assist in selling and matching the horse with its ideal human companion. They also help prospective buyers source custom dream horses based on detailed wishlists, completely free of high-pressure sales tactics.

In addition to Noelle’s real-life, hands-on experience, Noelle has taken part in dozens of clinics and assisted some of the best trainers in the equine industry. This diverse background allows Noelle to give each horse the very unique approach that they deserve. The girls point out that there is no one size fits all approach. Even if the fundamentals remain the same, the girls admit that they need to remain flexible in their approach from one horse to the next and from one day to the other.

Built on decades of experience, blood, sweat, tears, Noelle Reagan’s journey lights the way for NK Equine.

If you need help with a horse, are looking to regain your confidence after a fall, or are searching for your next lifelong equine companion, give Noelle and Kara 30 days. They welcome the challenges most won’t accept.