For all things horsin’ around
After endless laughter and planning, a few cuts and bruises, many tears, and countless buckets of sweat, we made this dream a reality! We had been operating as a self-care barn for about two years, with some of our boarders having been at the barn long before it was self-care. Despite a few bickers and disagreements along the way, our self-care barn ran like a well oiled machine.
In August of 2020, we learned our barn was up for sale. Panic set in immediately. We worried we would be forced to leave with short notice and have to find stalls for 18 horses. Also, many of us felt that after having done self-care and been in charge of our own horses for so long, there was no way we could go back to full board. That would mean someone else dictated when our horses ate, what they ate, and how much. We decided to be proactive rather than reactive.
A handful of us decided to take a road trip and drive around the surrounding areas to look for barns to rent. By chance, we happened upon this amazing facility! When we called to inquire about its availability, we learned the current tenant had just asked if she could terminate her lease early. We felt it was a sign that we had to act upon. We brought all of our current barn family over at various times to view the facility and see how they felt. It was a unanimous yes! We sprung into action to make things happen. There was cleaning, contracts, insurance, lease negotiations, inventory, and supply, just to name a few. But a few months later, it was up and running.
The best thing about our group is that despite our personal differences, we all function on the same belief: the horses come first. Their health and happiness trumps any of our personal thoughts and feelings. But let’s be honest, if we have happy healthy horses, we have happy healthy humans!
