Considering a mini-farm

[HungarianHippo]

[QUOTE=mesloane;8435364]

On the other hand, I would love to have access to my horses every day and improve my horsemanship.
![/QUOTE]

Actually, that’s an important point that Frog picked out of the OP-- that one of the reasons for keeping them at home is to improve horsemanship skills .
I can’t really think of what skills get improved simply by virtue of the horses being kept at home-- you’d get the same results by putting the time / work into developing that skill at the boarding stable. And (depending on the stable) you might get better results when boarding because you have access to a trainer, other skilled horse people to get advice from and emulate, etc…

For the areas where you feel like you want to improve, ask yourself what has been standing in the way of improvement thus far? If the barrier is truly just “time”-- and you think that having them at home would give you more time to work on it, be aware that that’s not always the case (as you can see from all of these posts about the chores).

Not trying to discourage you-- we have the horses at home and love the lifestyle. The same pros and cons as the others have mentioned, but the pros outweigh the cons, by far. BUT, we share the work, Mr. HH is as much into it as I am, and we deliberately live “under our means” so that it’s not a big stress when something expensive happens.

[poltroon]

I do spend more time just observing my horses and I think our relationship is better because I have them at home. I feed them, I see them and touch them twice a day every day. I don’t rely on anyone else. So these things have improved my horsemanship - but I was already at a fairly high level and pretty self-sufficient, hauling myself to events alone, etc.

There are things that can happen outside your control to consider. What if you are hurt and unable to do chores? What if your work schedule changes?

I am fortunate to work from home, which makes it far more rewarding. If I were doing a long commute to have horses at home, especially if I didn’t have a trusted person at home, I think I would choose boarding.

For example, having to nurse a horse when I’m at home == best possible scenario. But if I had to do that same nursing while I worked off the property, it would be a disaster compared to boarding.

[ElementFarm]

For me it’s totally worth it. We have 4-5 horses on about 10 acres. I have a small arena and schooling jumps, and a short trailer ride to some of the best trail riding on the east coast. It’s not cheaper for me to have them at home. But I love being able to manage them the way I want. I have several friends that I can ride with and I also trailer out for lessons and shows, so I don’t feel isolated or lonely.
It is work, but if you have a system and a smart setup, it’s not bad. Mr Element helps a lot, but honestly the quiet time of feeding, turning out, and doing stalls is peaceful and appreciated. Winter is not as much fun and I don’t get to ride as much during bad weather or darkness. But otherwise I ride just as much as when I boarded. Maybe more because I can squeeze in a quick hack when I couldn’t when the stable was 40 mins from my house.

[SLW]

[QUOTE=mesloane;8435364]
I’ve always boarded my horses. I’m finally in a position to buy a mini-farm, and I’m weighing the pros and cons. I’m concerned about the time commitment and unexpected costs of property management. If I continue to board I can enjoy the services and facilities of a boarding barn.
On the other hand, I would love to have access to my horses every day and improve my horsemanship.
For those of you who have a mini-farm, I would be most grateful if you would share the pros and cons as you see them.
Thanks in advance![/QUOTE]

Define “mini-farm”. The cost and work associated with a 3 acre farm is different than a 10 acre farm. Ditto the number of horses you want to bring home. Is it 2, 3, 7 horses?? W=

[zorion]

I agree with what everyone else has said about it being time consuming, hard work, and requiring extra cash. My SO and I bought our 10 acre farm about two years ago. We did put in a fabulous jumping arena but we also have a really nice facility 10 minutes down the road with a lit outdoor and indoor arena. The BO is a good friend and lets us trailer in whenever we want for free. We also have knowledgeable horse friends nearby who are more than willing to house/horse sit when we are out of town. So, I think we lucked out more than the average farm owner.

One positive thing I’d like to mention is that my new farm has allowed me to be able to retire my two ageing hunter jumpers and bring along two youngsters. There is no way I could have done that at a boarding facility. It makes me happy that I can give that life to my old boys. They deserve it.

[S1969]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8436952]
Actually, that’s an important point that Frog picked out of the OP-- that one of the reasons for keeping them at home is to improve horsemanship skills .
I can’t really think of what skills get improved simply by virtue of the horses being kept at home-- you’d get the same results by putting the time / work into developing that skill at the boarding stable. And (depending on the stable) you might get better results when boarding because you have access to a trainer, other skilled horse people to get advice from and emulate, etc… [/QUOTE]

I think it depends on what you mean by “horsemanship.” I don’t think it would be possible to get the same experience at a boarding barn as I have here at home - because I am here 24/7.

I feed all the horses EVERY day, handle horses EVERY day, clean stalls, hold for the farrier, schedule and hold for every routine vet visit as well as every emergency visit, buy the hay, choose the grain, measure the feed, manage the pasture, evaluate each horse’s weight and condition, compost the manure, fix the fences, pound down the sharp edges of things that might injure horses…and hire the trainer, schedule the lessons, drag the arena, maintain the footing, etc. etc. etc.

You just can’t “do” that in someone else’s barn. But these are not the only “horsemanship” skills out there.

[clanter]

[QUOTE=poltroon;8436990]
I do spend more time just observing my horses and I think our relationship is better because I have them at home. I feed them, I see them and touch them twice a day every day. I don’t rely on anyone else. .[/QUOTE]

and if you get caught up they will find something to tear up so that they can Help you repair it… I really do not need nor do I solicit their advice on how to a dig post holes but they are there looking over my shoulder to inspect the progress and verify the depth

[2DogsFarm]

[QUOTE=clanter;8437843]
and if you get caught up they will find something to tear up so that they can Help you repair it… I really do not need nor do I solicit their advice on how to a dig post holes but they are there looking over my shoulder to inspect the progress and verify the depth[/QUOTE]
:lol:
Yup, my boys are glad to show me exactly where I need to pick piles from the sacrifice paddock or to point out they need the trough cleaned or hay refilled in their stalls.

In all seriousness:
Maybe I’m just Lucky, but after 11yrs of having horses at home & being sole caretaker I would not go back to boarding.
I bought my 5ac farmette in 2004 and have had 2 horses on the property for all that time w/o anyone helping.
Until I retired in 2013 I worked 4 days a week - fortunately not far from home & had an understanding boss who did not have problem with me taking a lunch hour to run home for some horse chore or other.
I was able to schedule vet & farrier for my weekday off & was able to use the same pros I had used when the horses were boarded.

I had been a WS & boarded in enough barns for years before this, so knew exactly how I wanted my place laid out.
With free access from stalls to sacrifice paddock and pastures available 24/7 even the non-horse knowledgable can feed for me in a pinch.
For the 1st 5 years I never had to pay a farmsitter as across-the-road neighbors & coworkers were glad to feed for me when I was away.
None of them owned horses or had a clue - the most I did was advise my vet’s office who might call & tell farmsitters not to hesitate to call if they even suspected something was NQR.
Now a guy who is part-owner at the nearby feedstore does the job.
My horses know to come in from pasture & sort themselves into stalls for feeding.
There has never been a problem with this arrangement through 3 sets of geldings - YMMV.
And I have done a lot of traveling - annual trips to visit family, friends and several vacations to Europe & Asia.
Anywhere from long weekends to 10-day trips.

If you relax your standards the non-horse farm chores really are not that onerous.
My place is not a showplace, but it is clean enough, workable & has gotten compliments from vet, farrier & other barn owners.
I mow pastures once or twice a season. I do not seed or fertilize (unless mowing over piles counts). They are not lush, but good enough so I barely had to feed hay from June through November.
My fencing is coated tensile wire with a Centaur-clone top rail and has not needed more than minor retensioning in all this time.
No hotwire - horses have not done worse than go through the bottom 2 lines to graze on that “greener” grass :rolleyes:

For the poster who said “no more spontaneous getaways” :no: - I say “It is doable”. :yes:
Having the horses able to get to pasture & water means I could do an impromptu overnight even if nobody could feed for me.
Quick trip home to pack an overnight bag, throw hay in stalls & refill waters & I’m off!
Of course, if I could not get home, or weather was hideous & pasture was dead then I’d try to call in somebody to at least toss hay, but if I got stuck somewhere I’m confident horses could survive a single night w/o the care.
WTH: you can be 5min from home & Manure Happens.

[tpup]

I have my 4 horses at home on a little over 10 acres. We built the home and barn from scratch on our dream lot in dream location. We had a tough checklist - close to town, rural but in an area near a neighborhood for my kids. We found it and love it but had to build…we were able to build on an ag conservancy lot with a gorgeous view…but had to do it all - fencing, run in, barn and the house. I love our farm but I would never build from scratch again. Too expensive, too long. BUT…I think a lot depends on 2 things: as another poster said - what you want to DO with your horses, and also what your mini farm HAS and does it fit with what you want to do?

I wanted my horses at home because I felt very disjointed. Between kids/family, job, boarding and riding, vet appts, farrier appts, taking care of tack, riding, lessons, I was wearing ruts in the road between the barn and home…barn and home. Barn and home. Back and forth. Trying to tend to my horses, ride, work, be back home in time for kids getting off the bus…Having my horses home has been WONDERFUL. I truly enjoy caring for them my way, seeing them daily, feeding them, watching the play, sleep, run. And I do feel alot more connected to them. Like alot more. (I only had 2 when I boarded…added a 3rd and a small pony as a companion) My daughter who is 10 rides and my whole family participates in care and enjoyment. I can have dinner in the oven while I feed my horses. I can see my pastures, barn and their heads hanging out of their stalls from my home. My husband has become very “horsie” and loves caring for them as much as me.

The big con for me is NO ARENA. I do have a trailer and trailered out alot for lessons before. However it’s a crapshoot as to saddle time when I boarded vs. now. What I do have are: fields/trails on my 10 acres (we built our fencing with space around, an alleyway, and we have common area all around us with trails…and further out, hunt trails) I also live on a gravel road that connects to other gravel road and can ride for miles in each direction. I can hop on ANYTIME and trail ride or trailer half hour away to NICE parks with miles of trails. I also set up logs in my lower pasture and use it for practice, and my daughter sometimes has cc lessons there.

The other plus is a very close friend of mine lives down the road. We ride, do little shows together, help each other when we are away (horse-sit). She was the last boarding barn I boarded at (small private farm). I do think if I didn’t have her, I would absolutely be “lonely” here riding-wise. She also has an arena I can use but I have to ride to it or hand walk my greener OTTB (for now). We are toying with the idea of putting in an arena here but it’s so expensive and will eat up a good part of one of my 2 large pastures. I’m on the fence about it.

My horses ARE my home. I share them with others who love to just visit. Friends, their kids. They are like part of our family so now that they are home I don’t think I could go back to boarding. I do believe I’ll always have them at home with us. Arena or not. In winter we check on them before bed! For me the pluses far outweigh the negatives. I don’t mind barn work. I picked manure yesterday for 2 hours. Honestly didn’t mind. It’s exercise and my field looks beautiful.

I do know one thing: if we ever move, I will have slightly more acreage, buy EXISTING (not build) and buy turnkey with an arena.

So think about what your farmette has now, and especially how it will affect your riding. In the end I had to make my situation work so I trailer out alot, and ride in my fields, and school on the trail too. Good luck!

[js]

Define mini farm? For me a mini farm would be 5 acres or less. Also, you and your DH’s age should also be something to consider; along with how much cash or debit you are willing to take on initially. Buying a farm (of any size) comes with a lot of purchases of equipment like tractor, implements, riding lawn mowers, fencing (if not existing) wheel barrows, tools for repairs etc. etc.; the list is big. If there isn’t an existing barn, factor that cost also. Once you’ve sat down and done a serious and honest cost analysis v/s budget, then there are all the other things to think about. Don’t forget about your DH’s hobbies also, if he isn’t a horse person, don’t break the bank just on your behalf with the farm and horses or he could lose interest in the whole idea. Be willing to accept that you might not have an indoor or even a nice outdoor arena; be willing to make a few compromises to keep him happy also.

Commute for your and your DH to and from work, it’s nice to be within 30 minutes of your farm should you need to run home and check on a horse(s); provided you get an hour lunch break or have an understanding boss. Having neighbors with horses is a bonus, hopefully they would be willing to notice a horse that is colicing, or loose. It also helps with getting vets out for farm calls, same for farriers if there are other clients in your area. Also helps if you can exchange horse sitting with each other or have horse sitters local. Getting away from the farm for vacations can be a challenge for some.

2DogsFarm said a key phrase that happened with me: “If you relax your standards…” I’m willing to bet a fair few have decidedly relaxed their standards once they had horses at home and realized the added work involved (especially if working full time).

For me personally, my horsemanship (i.e. riding skills) have gone downhill over the years mostly because my horses and me are aging, the lack of local places to take lessons and a little bit because I miss having other people to ride with or the activity of a boarding barn that motivates you to ride.

[wildlifer]

There really are a lot of variables. Due to a huge & catastrophic life change, I built a 10-ac farm for my 2 guys 2 yrs ago. I work full-time, so efficiency is key.

I did 2 yrs of cost & time spreadsheets, shopped with soil maps, & was very very picky. And looking back, I would no way have done it without being able to design it myself (bought fenced pasture, added modular home & infrastructure, ride on grass, built my own jumps).

I didn’t build stalls, I like my horses out 24/7 anyway, so that means NO stall cleaning, bedding, etc. I can shut them in the run-in if needed in an emergency, but I’ve officially divorced the pitchfork!!

I run it myself & travel a LOT for work, so I designed very carefully so (a) all necessary chores can be done in 5 minutes or less and (b) someone else can feed the horses without touching them.

I chose location/community/neighbours carefully – one is a local event trainer, the other is another horse owner who I bought the land from. So I have knowledgeable, wonderful horse people around me who can also help with feeding, along with a friend who I help with other things.

Every single decision is based around ease of maintenance & use & #1 rule: ALWAYS RIDE FIRST!

So now my mortgage payment is the same as the house in town, but am actually saving money as I don’t have to commute or pay 2 board payments (boarding made sense for 1, not 2). I was doing most of my own management & buying my own feed anyway, so no change there.

I have more time to ride (eventer, when horses are sound), as I don’t have to go ANYWHERE except work unless I want to (I do have a trailer). I do have to spend some time on the tractor, just basic bush-hog & dragging, but I enjoy that, & pasture was healthy & well-established when purchased. When trailering out, I can hook up the truck the night before & just get up in the morning & go. And when I come back, I’m home – that’s an hr & diesel money saved right there, every time!

I have plenty of trails out the back gate & prefer riding on grass, so no arena costs. I can hack up my fenceline next door on the occasions when I want to school a full jump course or use arena mirrors.

A lot comes down to what your priorities are. If you want perfectly maintained landscaping, arena/footing, enclosed barn (thankfully not needed in our climate, one of the reasons I moved here!), etc, then yes, it’s going to be a heinous amount of work.

I’ve worked in barns my entire life & am creeping up on 40, so I took all the lessons learned from the years, tips & tricks & what NOT to do, & it’s worked out well. But I’m a “minimal, practical” type of person. And I still picked every brain I could nail down during yr of construction. I’m also a pretty decent DIY’er & can build/wire/look up on YouTube, LOL, most things we need. A farm is a 30-yr project anyway, that is never finished!

I’m especially grateful for it now, that as of last week, I found out my best buddy & older horse has an injury that means he can never do anything but light hacks. Ever again. He is extremely special for many reasons & I will never sell him (I’ve had him 10 yrs), so I’m so glad that I can have him with me at the farm every day, without having to worry about paying a board fee for a facility for a horse who just needs grassy fields & a smooth trail.

Sorry for the novel, but just wanted to throw out some thoughts – it can be a much simpler operation. It does take a lot of planning, a lot of patience, & a very hard & realistic look at what your needs & abilities are (I enjoy riding on grass in the dark, great feel exercise – some people would find this anathema, ha).

I never planned on farm ownership, but the journey never goes where you plan. Sure, there’s always weedeating that could be done or patches to be made, but they’ll still be there tomorrow (& get delegated in small chunks to weekends). In the meantime, I’ve learned even more about my horses as individuals, been able to tailor their management even better, & gotten more time just to BE with them without having to worry about driving home before it gets to late. Walking 20 steps is faster & cheaper!

[ellisrun]

Like someone else posted earlier - I have been wearing ruts in the road b/w work, home and the barn. So I decided to jump in the deep end and build a mini-farm for the two boys. I did have to build from scratch and that was tough but like others have mentioned, I have designed it (I hope) in such a manner, the non-horsey can feed without having to mess with the horses. What always surprises me is to hear the benefits to boarding - don’t get me wrong, there are lots of benefits but I am out there most everytime my horse is shod, the vet is there, I schedule feed (b/c mine need special feed), check the hay, pick stalls when maybe the urine spot has been overlooked, there daily when injuries require rehab - and I board at a really nice place. I also work full time so socially I maybe see 1 or 2 people a week riding. My point being I guess because I am a super involved horse owner, whether I’m boarding or not, there is work involved.

[Frog_Pond]

[QUOTE=wildlifer;8440336]
I did 2 yrs of cost & time spreadsheets, shopped with soil maps, & was very very picky. [/QUOTE]
OP, wildlifer’s point about shopping with soil maps is a GREAT one. I prepared myself for farmette shopping by reading Cherry Hill’s Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage – the chapters about dirt, water & pasture. I hired a local excavator to tell me he was sure he could put a barn on the site I chose. I had it reviewed by the city conservation officer. But, I wish I had spent more time pre-purchase with that excavator, who is also a local horseman. Crappy drainage & compacted soil & pasture development are huge issues in farmette life. And getting annoyed and building a huge dry lot is a great solution, until you get the bill :eek: At the very least, think more about the ground you’re starting with & where you plan to put stuff beforehand than I did, particularly if the property you find is only marginally horse-able (like mine is – ton o’ granite ledge).

[wildlifer]

^That book is fantastic – I borrowed it from BFF 3 years ago, read it about 6 times, ummm, she still doesn’t have it back yet…hey, I still need to browse it…

But yes, we all know what a headache mud & horses becomes. Too many people make the mistake of making “flat” a priority. Until the first rain front parks overhead & they learn too late that flat = little natural drainage & usually a low-lying area. Established, vegetated, stable, well-draining ground is worth its weight in everything!

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Honestly, if you are a competitive rider and work outside the home, it is about money and time. Money to put in a proper arena with good footing and lights and money to set up the property how you want, money to buy the equipment that makes it easy (tractor, arena groomer, giant mower, manure spreader) and so on. Do you have a SO? How does that person feel about thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars in fencing, equipment, etc.?

The other issue is time–time to meet the farrier at 1pm, time to deal with wounds, etc. time to do chores, time to haul to lessons and the difficulty in leaving the farm for more than one night without hiring someone.

And then there is a physical aspect–pretty fun to do chores in the winter muck with a broken foot, etc.

If you have money you can probably make everything else work out, imo.

Personally I like having horses at home, but my riding has totally fallen off a cliff. I’m a competitive person who needs to be in a program.

[fordtraktor]

The competitive thing can go both ways, it really depends on what kind of competitive rider you are. There is nothing wrong with enjoying being in a pro program at all, lots of people enjoy that environment and like the direction and being around other people at the barn. That is totally, 100% legitimate and I totally hear TTP’s perspective. I know several people who moved horses home then moved their show horse back to the pro barn for those reasons.

I personally find the farm to be a much better fit for me and my program because I can have my own program here. And there are a few other ammies who run a similar system (PNWjumper, and tidyrabbit used to though I am not sure if she is still an ammy). I love having the farm because I can bring up my own horses, ride several a day – I work from home most of the time when I’m not travelling and just run out to the barn and ride.

I also really like that keeping them at home allows me to have enough horses that I can bring along a few “generations” of horses. If I boarded, I could have two at most. and that would likely be my retired horse and one to ride. And if that one breaks or needs retired, then I’m done until sometime dies. And I’ve been in a position where I’ve hoofed the bill on more than one retiree at a time more often than not over the past 20 years, so that would have meant no riding for a significant portion of that time. Which sucks, when riding is your life’s passion. The farm enables me to give these horses that I’ve had for decades the retirement they deserve. And still have something that is currently going well, and something up and coming. Right now I have several “generations” of horses – a retiree, a 12 year old who is solid (not an easy ride but knows his job), a 7 year old about a year off the track who is going very well but still developing, and I just bought a weanling to be the next one after him. Then the kids have a pony who is my “anyone can ride” multipurpose horse.

I can think a lot more long term because I have the space to do it, and I can develop my own horses because the farm offers that flexibility. If I was boarding those development years would be a lot more expensive and harder to justify. I really think the cost of boarding is why many people feel pressure to buy “made” – boarding and training raises the cost of development so much that it just makes it not worth DIY. But I like bringing along my own, and the farm makes it possible and economical to do it. Plus, I think it makes me a more well-rounded horseperson to have those skills. And I love seeing my horses go well, and knowing that I am responsible for that.

And some people like developing horses as well but find they want a pro’s hand in on the action more, which is totally understandable. I like the “trailer out for occasional guidance” model more but whatever works for the individual is what people should do. There is no one right way to do this at all.

Now my “program” broke down this fall when I took on an additional side project and my riding time took a hit, but I’ll be done with it in a couple months and I’m NOT doing it again! I much prefer my usual feed horses, get my work done, ride a few horses and go get my kids system…but this too shall pass, as they say. by the first of March!

But you don’t have to have anything like my goals or system or plans to enjoy having your horses at home. Lots of people have them at home and work long hours away successfully. Set up the place so chores go fast, and do make time to ride if that is something you enjoy. You have to prioritize it.

Another tip – get a subscription to audible.com and download audiobooks. I do a lot of farm maintenance while listening to books. It passes the time while you are doing those boring mowing and cutting weeds away from fence and picking up rocks in the paddock chores. They need to get done, might as well make them a little fun.

Things I consider very important:

1. arena with footing
2. jumps
3. money so that keeping the farm in nice repair is comfortable, whatever that is
4. a trailer and vehicle to pull it
5. enough time to ride

[wildlifer]

I’ve got 2, 4, and 5 – does achieving greater than 50% of the list count, LOL (can I count next-door neighbour for #1, hee)?

[fordtraktor]

Of course! and 3 is very dependent on what your version of “in nice repair” is, wildlifer! we are comfortable enough that I can do things like repair broken fences when they break and stuff, which i think is important. things break on farms and there’s got to be a budget for that, your mortgage and horse expense can’t be so high that there’s no room for calamity, because calamity is a given on a farm.

but there’s not the ability here for things like “gosh, I wish I had an indoor arena. I’ll just call up someone and schedule that”… I wish!

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8445792]
Things I consider very important:

1. arena with footing
2. jumps
3. money so that keeping the farm in nice repair is comfortable, whatever that is
4. a trailer and vehicle to pull it
5. enough time to ride[/QUOTE]

I’m pretty sure when I upgrade my trailer (I hate mine) and put in a proper arena (the grass arena just isn’t allowing me to stay remotely consistent and boarding the competition horse didn’t work out at all like I had hoped–simply too far) my happiness with having horses at home will improve IMMENSELY. This is a good list.

[GraceLikeRain]

I would have lost my mind over that stall.