October 2017

on the cover:
Mares of Strawberry Banks Farm
Pictured from left to right: Elegant Crystal (*Aladdinn x *Elkana), Solina (Solstice x Cameliera), Ericca (Tempter x Elegant Crystal), Flames Rhapsody (Bask Flame x Royal Apolloette), and To Love Again (Cognac x A Love Song), owned by Strawberry Banks Farm, East Aurora, New York. Photo by Stuart Vesty.

Cover Story: Strawberry Banks Farm

by Gary Dearth

The name “Strawberry Banks Farm” brings to mind the legendary Arabian show horses from Neil and Barbara Churs’ breeding program — Ericca, A Temptation, Allience, and so many others. The Churs were a formidable partnership and shared a passion for Arabian horses. After Neil’s passing in 2005, Barbara continued the breeding program, and their daughter, Lissa, and her daughter, Sawyer, are poised to carry on the Strawberry Banks legacy.

“In 1976, we purchased 100 acres outside of East Aurora, New York,” says Barbara. “Having grown up in East Aurora, we knew the area well. The woods on the property were filled with wild strawberries. I was picking and eating them as we were walking along. There was a seventy-five foot bank that went down to the ‘river,’ which really is Cazenovia Creek, and it ran the length of the property. That’s where the name Strawberry Banks Farm came from …” Read more