Where to Begin

Welcome to my first ever blog post! I decided to start a blog as another way to keep you informed as to what is going on on the farm. This first installment will be an introduction so you have a better idea of who I am, and why I have started my business.

I have always loved horses. What little girl doesn’t? And my parents were supportive of my love in so much that I was able to take weekly lessons on school ponies growing up. I often had double lessons with my mom. But I was not able to own my own horse until I was 25! That is when Hwin fell in my lap. That is a story for another blog.

In the eleven years that I have owned her I have boarded at three different barns and frequented many others. I also worked off board for several years at one of those barns. You don’t hang around barns for a decade and not pick up a few things. I was definitely green when it comes to horsemanship and care when I first purchased my own, but I am a fast learner and it became clear that each place that I boarded and visited had its pros and cons. My experiences at these barns prompted me to eventually think about opening my own place. I knew what I wanted in a boarding facility and the search was on for the perfect property.

Fast forward and here I am with my own barn and facility, which I will talk more about at a later date. I have been operating with horses at home for almost a year now. There has been a bit of a learning curve, mostly dealing with keeping the fences working. Though, fortunately there have not been any escapees. I have also had some early success, like getting a horse who never finished breakfast to routinely lick his bucket clean.

I have quickly realized that caring for horses really boils down to a few basic things:

1. Safety of course! Making sure there is nothing around that they can hurt themselves on and not letting bad situations arise. That is why all of my stalls have extra locks and those fences are checked routinely.

2. Consistency. Keeping them fed and watered and turned in and out on a consistent schedule. They aren’t huge fans of deviation which is why I do all of the chores myself on a set schedule.

3. Being observant. Watching how much and how quickly they eat and drink, frequency and size of excrement, and any behavioral changes should be taken note of. Keeping track of what is normal for each horse can make the difference between an owner being alerted to a potential emerging situation and a life threatening emergency.

With all of this in mind, my goal is to provide the care that horse owners come to expect and tailor my care to each individual. Hopefully that translates into a boarding experience with more pros than cons. I look forward to sharing my experiences on this adventure with you in future blog posts!