Series Finale - A Farm of Your Own

A Farm of Your Own

Series Finale

The general knowledge and information you have read about here and gleaned from other sources should have you somewhat prepared to start the search for your horse farm. I should point out that what I have written is only general advice and suggestions, should you need a reference point to start at. Ultimately, what appeals to you and what satisfies your particular needs will be your guide.

Real Estates & Their Agents

As real estates and their agents go, I have, in general, not been impressed by their practices, which I would deem to be just this side of devious and self-serving. During many years of searching for the perfect place, and numerous trips to properties that never even came close to resembling a potential horse farm, I can help you analyze some misleading ads.

• Be wary of ads that boast “cozy” or “charming,” translated that means very small. “Rustic” could mean it is possibly lacking electricity, running water, and/or or a navigable driveway.

• “Potential horse farm” could mean just about anything. Having been to quite a few of these, I would say if you own mountain goats or big horn sheep, the rocky mountainous cliffs of this type of property might be just what you have been looking for, but if rolling grassy meadows are dancing across your daydreams you might be disappointed.

• Another of my favorites is “Gentleman’s mini-estate.” When they say “mini” they mean minute - maybe an acre if you are lucky. In addition, let’s see how many horses you can cram into a 10 x 10 paddock.

The phrase “buyers beware” really comes into play when dealing with real estates.

It would be wise to contact a real estate that deals exclusively in farm properties, or an agent who is a knowledgeable horse person. Tell the agent exactly what you are in the market for, and exactly how much you are willing to spend, or you may be disappointed with what you are shown. Worse yet, as has often happened to me, you will be held captive in the agent’s car for an entire day, because there is just one more property that they feel is the one you are looking for (and they are desperate to unload for the commission). Always insist on taking your own car and meeting at the property.

That said, there are also agents who are willing to work with you and who can be trusted. I have personally met two women who were unusually trustworthy and helpful agents in the real estate industry. The woman we eventually bought our place from was a horse person herself and lived in the area. She was very knowledgeable and helped us a great deal locating plumbers, electricians, and water/well services. Even now, after a year in our place, we still call her occasionally for a name of someone we need to do a service. If you stumble upon an agent like this, you can consider yourself very fortunate.

Once you find the property of your dreams, there are a few facts you should be aware of before any money changes hands. Always have a certified inspector that you hire do an inspection of the house, barns and land. It will add to the cost of the farm but the extra money for the inspection can save you thousands of dollars and could save you from making a colossal blunder. Our house inspector, saved us from a costly mistake with a farm we were weeks away from purchasing. Here is a quick synopsis of the tale:

After searching for years, we finally found the right place for our horses and ourselves… or so we thought. The property was 20 acres… or was it 15? Well, the real estate agent said the boundary was ‘back by that line of bushes or there about’. That was fine; it was still enough for someone with stars in their eyes. The house was small but could be expanded… well not really; as it turns out it was an historical home that could not be touched. Where it sat on the property was the only approved building envelope on the entire farm. Okay. The indoor arena was small but it would still be nice to get work done out of the weather. The outdoor ring needed to be enlarged and new footing was necessary. Not a problem. The barn and the stalls were on the small side, but would still work out for now. One selling feature that it had was a huge open field of protected property abutting it. Fantastic! We were shown this feature on a weekday, and informed no one ever used it, so it was practically part of the farm. Even better, it was maintained by the town. Wow! Except on the weekend, we drove by ‘our farm’ and the field was overrun with people, picnics, dogs, ATV’s etc. Hmm…. None of this deterred me from my purpose of having a horse farm. There was also a pristine river winding peacefully along the front of the farm. How exquisitely charming. The flowered walk to the barn from the house crossed a wooden bridge. How extraordinarily quaint.

Then the inspector came. It seems the river not only ran through it, but at one time it had also run over it, flooding the house (and barns) about four feet up the walls, leaving in its wake water damage, mold and mildew festering inside the walls. Hmmm… now that I think about it, I guess that’s why the owners were always burning incense and candles…. With freshly painted walls and refinished wood floors, I never would have suspected. The foundation was undermined and caving in on itself. Such a shame not to be able to see the foundation with all the plantings hiding that wonderful stone. The owners seemed such friendly, outgoing horse people; it was hard to believe they were really a couple of sharpshooters. Live and learn. The real estate agent was an accomplished liar; any question we asked her seemed to have a legitimate answer, only to find out later she had been less than forthcoming. Oh well. We were disappointed, but were also relieved not to have wasted a fortune on this particular money pit.

The moral of the story is; have an inspector check out your future purchase before you sign anything.

Paradise Found

After the disappointment of that particular property, I stopped looking for a few months, assuming I would never find anything worthwhile. The bug hit me again. I focused on different areas that were further away than where I wanted to be, because there was not anything closer. We saw one more place that was very nice and we made an offer, they came back with a counter offer raising the price by almost a half million dollars. Seems that the heirs got wind of what Mom was doing and wanted more for themselves. It is still for sale with the inflated price.

Our real estate agent had one more place and it was just a little further away. On our way to this property, we passed a beautiful farm with white fencing, manicured paddocks, freshly painted barns and sheds. I remember saying to my husband, wouldn’t it be nice if this were the place we were on our way to see. He said - and I remember this distinctly – “In your dreams! You wish it was this place.” But it was! We double-checked that we had the right address, and this was the farm for sale. To make a long story short we bought it and the same inspector did the inspection. A few minor things needed fixing, which the owner did.

We moved in a year ago two weeks before Christmas. I love our farm, but even though it is ‘Paradise Found’, there were still some problems that needed to be addressed. The first month the water pipes froze and burst in the tack room, but we have fixed that problem. The heaters in the wash stall and grooming stall needed repairs. There are a few steep cliffs at the back of the property that our herd could have fallen from and killed them or us, so fencing was installed for safety, and we continued the fence along the small creek, which borders the property, which could be easily jumped. Now if a horse gets loose they will be safe and unable to escape into neighbor’s yards or the road.

Our pond partially freezes, because one end has an aerator and remains unfrozen in even the coldest weather. Taking the horses in at dusk one winter evening Erik & Blue got loose and decided to skate across the pond, it was sheer luck they did not fall in the open end or through the ice and drown. The pond is now also fenced. Along one side of the barn are beautiful rose bushes, but, of course, when you need to open and shut the windows, you will be scratched up as if you were in a fight with a bobcat. They are being removed this spring and replanted.

One night during the summer, Dusty and her pasture mate Devon were let loose from their paddock; luckily, the gate to the road was padlocked. Apparently there were teenagers (I hope it was teenagers) whose mission of fun that night was to let all the neighborhood’s horses loose to run the roads. We have since dismantled that paddock and used the fencing around the pond. The remainder of the fencing was used to separate the front paddock in two. Devon went home, and Dusty was causing a lot of trouble with the boys, so she needed her own paddock. The boys’ side of the paddock had a gate installed at either end, and we built a culvert over the stream between the two paddocks. Turnout in the morning takes much less time and they can come and go as they please and spread out between the two run-in sheds in case of bad weather.

We also discovered this fall when the leaves turned that all the beautiful mature trees lining the street, the front paddock and the road along the pond are red maples. These are highly toxic to horses if they ingest the wilted leaves. Obviously, I cannot cut all of these down, so we are having the four by the paddock removed and switching them for something less dangerous. One side of the barn is planted with hydrangeas, which are very pretty, but also deadly. We will leave these; the horses are not allowed to graze there and Dusty cannot reach them from her window. When you find a place you like be sure and check for poisonous trees and plants. If you are not sure of something growing there, contact your local agriculture extension.

My wish list includes automatic waterers, an indoor arena, and a hedge along the side with road frontage. If anyone knows of a fast growing, dense hedge that is not poisonous, I would welcome all suggestions. We need it for privacy, to cut down on the noise from the road, and to deal with the wonderful people who throw beer cans, Styrofoam cups and any other garbage from their cars onto the farm as they pass. We are always on rubbish patrol.

Even though I love my place, and I would not trade it for anything, no place is perfect and there are bound to be problems. It will take time, but sooner or later the farm will be the way I want it to be and hopefully I will be more organized after all the jobs that need doing are finished.
Then we can finally sit back, relax and enjoy our long awaited paradise.

Until next time

Quote of the Day

The warmest feeling arrives when you know the horse you love is all cozy and snug, and it's all because of you.
- Fiona-Louise Miller

A Farm of Your Own - Part 3

A Farm of Your Own – Part 3

A Few More Items

There are a few more things to be on the lookout for when purchasing a farm. Billie from camera-obscura suggested searching out if there are water lines going to the paddocks. This is a very good observation that I completely forgot about. Dragging water buckets and connected hoses around the farm is a huge inconvenience. We have heated automatic waterers in three of our paddocks but the furthest one in the back has none, so in the summer when the girls lived outside, I loaded up the mule with many 5-gallon jugs to fill the trough. Not a lot of fun, but horses need fresh water almost everyday. Mrs. Mom informed us about cement board fencing that is being used in her area in Southland. Do you know anyone who has this type of fencing; let us know how they like it and if it would be suitable for a colder climate. Thanks to everyone who left a comment, we welcome everyone’s opinions and their helpful suggestions.

Searching for ‘The Area’

Once you are armed with sufficient information concerning what you want included in your farm it is time to decide what area will work best for you.

Naturally, you will want to be close enough to commute to work if you already have a job. Gas prices being what they are these days will likely contribute to your decision. Perhaps your preference is to live on the farm and work from there, if that is the case, make it as simple and convenient for everyone involved in this venture.

Before you can make a definite decision on the area your farm is to be located, do some research on the veterinarians in your preferred area. Amelia commented on the fact there are no vets within 50 miles of her, and the nearest vets cannot find assistants willing to travel. Not having a vet within a reasonable distance will make emergency treatment almost impossible. Therefore, if you are not capable of handling a situation on your own (think colic, wounds needing sutures, tendon/ligament injuries, broken bones, etc.), or at least getting it under control until the vet arrives, you need to rethink your farm’s location. This scenario also applies to farriers in rural areas, there is sometimes such a shortage of farriers that it could be considered a humane issue. Horses who cannot be shod and those who must go an extremely long time without being trimmed add the risk of injury, lameness, etc. as a result of improper care. Consequently, make sure there is a good farrier within range or if you are desperate to have your horses on a schedule, be prepared to go to school and learn to do it properly yourself. These reasons alone would be a serious point to consider the further you go from ‘horsey’ areas, you must do the legwork where horse care providers are concerned.

Check out the local hay, feed and shavings suppliers and their delivery policies. We buy our feed from a local Agway that is no more than five minutes from us, they require a $45.00 delivery fee, and we pick it up at the store to save the fee.

Decide beforehand if you will continue taking lessons from your current trainer or if you are willing to switch to another. Ask if they will come to you or if you can trailer in. If trail riding is your ultimate goal, make sure there are trails close enough to the farm area for you to access easily by horseback or trailer. Do you still compete; the distance you are willing to travel to “local” shows could be a factor in your decision.

Only you know what your goals are for your horses and yourself. The area you choose should reflect your interests and goals, as you will likely be there for a long time. However, even before you buy a farm, you must also think of resale value. Buying a farm in a horsey area and reselling, may not be difficult as there is always someone looking for a place to house his or her horses. The dwindling land in this country and further restrictions on what can and cannot be used as agricultural land may make reselling a profitable option in the right area. On the other hand, maybe not, you never know how the economic situation may change in any given year, so reselling could be a long time in the coming. One other point to consider and research is the zoning laws of the particular area you have chosen. Could someone buy the farm or vacant land next to you and develop it into tract homes, build a factory or a shopping mall, etc. Usually areas that are zoned 5 acres or more will alleviate this problem.

Once the dream of a farm is realized, we usually stay put, so make sure the area you decide on is right for you now and will be right for you in the future. What I am trying to say here is you never know what will happen from one year to the next, so be absolutely sure you love the area where your farm is located, you are likely going to be there a long time.

Purchasing in an area of like-minded horse people is an intelligent decision. The advantages of having a ‘community’ of horse people around, either for riding buddies, training, advice, emergency help, or horse sitting, suggests it may be sensible to look for an area that has people with common interests. We horse people are a great asset to one another, and we in particular need to stick together for the good of all …

Equipment

While not being a fun subject it is necessary to have at least some knowledge beforehand about farm equipment, which is needed to keep things rolling along smoothly.

• Generators - a small generator should be purchased that will keep your water running in the barn when the power goes out. If your farm is in a rural area, there will be electricity outages and a small generator will ensure water for the horses. Our boarding stable was fairly large and we had outages many times, once the local fire department had to bring water for the horses. The fire department was wonderful, but still with a generator it would have been much easier.

• Tractors – if your farm is big enough to warrant a tractor do the research and find the one that is right for your acreage. You may need a smaller tractor to mow the paddocks with a few attachments for snow removal and a bucket for digging. Obviously, the larger tractors would be overkill. A large farm will require a bigger tractor; we researched different models and decided on the Kubota, which was right for us as it has one of the better reputations for being reliable. When you purchase the tractor, ask the dealer if classes are available that will instruct you on how to operate the tractor. I can personally offer two tips on tractor operation; do not drive with the bucket up because it can cause the tractor to tip over. Thanks to a helpful neighbor, we learned about this before any accidents occurred. Locate the brakes, as this could be important the first time you drive it out of the garage and are heading for the pond. It seems our brakes are not on the floor next to the gas pedal but on a stick next to the seat. We did not know where the brakes were, but found out, shall we say just in the nick of time.

• Mule - a small vehicle with a cab and a small bed in the rear. Our mule is a Kawasaki, and I consider this one of the most indispensable vehicles on the property. We transport hay, shavings, water, and feed and just about anything else, that fits in the bed. It is small and fits into areas that the pick-up truck cannot. It is also great for taking into the back paddocks to check on things when you do not feel like walking. It is also useful for attaching the drag for dragging the riding arenas, the manure spreader, the seeder attachment, we even attach a weed whacking machine that weed whacks around the fence posts. In addition, it is nice to have Molly one of our Aussie’s riding shotgun in the cab. She’s an old gal (15) and it saves her legwork and lets her still be a vital part of making sure her herd is behaving.

Of course, you will find that you need some machinery that I haven’t mentioned in detail here. A ride on mower, leaf blowers, rakes, shovels, pitchforks, wheelbarrows and an assortment of brooms are just a few. I am sure you can figure out the required smaller equipment as you go along.

One more recommendation, when it comes to farm vehicles try to stay with all diesel. Our Kawasaki mule runs on diesel as well as the tractor and if you pull a trailer look for a diesel engine in the towing truck. You can usually buy agricultural diesel at a lower price than the diesel at a gas station. We buy our fuel from our home heating oil company. They also installed a 275-gallon diesel storage tank inside our equipment garage. It is equipped with a hose and filler nozzle. This is a more convenient solution for keeping your equipment filled than by using 5-gallon cans of gasoline and running back and forth to the gas station.

I hope these suggestions are helpful to you when you decide to look for your farm. In the next installment of this series, we will discuss how to find the farm of your dreams.

Until next time

Quote for Today

If horses were wishes, we’d all own stables!