New equestrian center fuels Decorah man's passion

Photos courtesy of C5 Arena

The construction of the new C5 Arena located just north of Decorah on Highway 52 took about a year to complete, but the love of horses has been in place for Luke Carlson's whole life.

Before the new arena's doors opened in November 2019, Carlson, along with his wife Tarynn and their three young boys, were living two different lifestyles.  During the warmer months, he was able to fully invest his time to riding and training his horses.  But during the colder times of year, he wasn't able to do this because of inaccessibility to an indoor facility.  With the support of his family, Carlson decided to pursue his life's passion full time, and the idea of C5 Arena began.

The entire family is involved with the arena, starting with the clever name of the equestrian center. When asked where the name C5 Arena came from, Tarynne explained, "C is for Carlson, and the five is because there are five people in our family."

The facility offers 28,000 square feet of indoor space for lessons, training, boarding stalls, horse washing area, a small apartment for guests visiting for events, and more.  Additionally, there is a lighted outdoor arena measuring 150 feet by 300 feet.  

With all that available space, C5 Arena provides many services, including boarding, lessons, open riding, farrier services, and roping practices.  The arena also has events on the weekends that bring in an average of 30 to 50 people and their horses. The types of events range from western, barrel racing, English pleasure riding, roping events, and sorting events with cattle.

Now Carlson's days are full of what he loves. "I enjoy meeting new people with similar interests. It's rewarding seeing the progress the horses make while they are in training", he says.

The Carlsons' three boys, 13-year-old Trey, 7-year-old Kolter, and 5-year old Gannon, share in their dad's passion for horses. Last year, Trey competed in Wisconsin's state junior rodeo, where he placed in the top four.  He then went on to earn 6th place at the national competition.

The opening of C5 Arena not only changed the Carlsons' lives, but also that of Morgan Franzen from Decorah.  Franzen, who has been competing in barrel racing for 13 years, says, "Living four miles away means I am able to finally train and invest the time in my young training horse."

More information about the services offered can be found by going to C5 Arena's Facebook page or contacting Luke at (563) 380-3191.

Luke Carlson riding