14 Equine Tip

Farm Ownership: The Ups and Downs
Owning and operating an equine facility is truly an experience. If I recall how eager and driven we have been to establish the farm and provide for the growing herd. What we were less aware of was the amount of work and time it requires to keep the facilities in top shape: the facilities, the pastures, the driveway, the fencelines, etc. Even more acute is my response to people who always say, “You are so lucky to live here,” as they look around at this tranquil setting. My response is often, “If I could only enjoy it for a few weeks,” meaning either I would like to be one of my horses or one of my pets who are the recipients of all the hard work!
Second only to the reality of multiplexing tasks and dealing with the people factor, is the expense factor. Aside from managing all the fiscal aspects of owning and running a farm with a few employees, are the continuous projects. The indoor slider gets stuck, the rail on the fence needs to be replaced, the soda can which someone threw in the pasture to pick up, the potholes in the long driveway to fill, the paddocks to brush hog, the bees in the trailer door handles to spray, the arenas to water, the webs to remove on the stall grills...and more. The workload can become daunting even to the best enthusiast. You feel like you’re one of the pioneers in the wild wild west at times, knocking down the chores.
The “wish” list is long and costly. This list may include an automatic watering system for the arena, a bigger indoor to accommodate the full dressage test or get those extra strides between fences, run-in sheds so that horses can maintain themselves without breaking their hoofs stamping flies in the early morning of summer prior to coming in, leveling and refilling the outdoor arena, painting the doors and cleaning the gutters, paving the driveway and so on.
So why do we do it? Do we not have a life? Do we hate going out with friends, or to the beach? Maybe. Or better yet, maybe it is seeing that foal being born into your hands during delivery, or the Killdeer bird family which comes every year to nest on the ground and nurture their offspring running around your paddocks, escaping all the cats, foxes, vultures, etc., or the young horse growing up and being ridden for the first time, or the stallion running with the mare, or the refreshing beauty of a cool summer morning with a million birds in song and the dew evaporating slowly from the glistening leaves of the flowers. Surely, I love the beach. And surely I love the farm. So my main wish now is for my own personal genie! If you have one, please share for a few weeks!
5/26/05