I lost my mind and purchased a horse farm...

[luvmyhackney]

Great ideas on contacting the rescues or retired TB. I need to do more research on the donkey idea. Do they need to be in pairs or fine with an equine friend?

I don’t know many people in the NoVa or WV area since I board at a retirement farm, don’t show or get out much. I work a lot and usually kids go to the barn on their own. All my horse peeps are in KY and NC. I’m still going to put some feelers out and see if anyone has a retired horse or a lesson horse that needs a winter off with a plush stall. I’m going to ask my farrier to ask around as well.

I’m totally buying 2-3 more horses, I just don’t want to give myself a forced timeline to do it in. Need to find the right fit and try to be picker than a pretty face. I’ll probably still end up with at least one Craigslist cutie. I have a soft spot for them since my pony is a Craigslist purchase.

[endlessclimb]

Donkey rescues about lose their minds when people say they are guard animals. That is the #1 reason neglected donkeys get turned over to them.

If you need guarding, get a livestock guardian dog.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

You didn’t lose your mind… you finally came to your senses

Congratulations!!!

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@clanter

normally I would not get a donkey, but OP being in West Virginia donkeys are a good Guard animal… like a dog or llama… a donkey will deter bears other predators

Our son lives on 70 acres in Pennsylvania, they have their bears who will come in to knock on the windows, check the bird feeders for food and whatever else

I’m in SWPA and we have this problem from time to time. We have to be very careful, garbage cans cannot be set outside etc. I leave before daylight for work and the last thing I need is to run into a mamma bear on my way out to the car :eek:

[js]

Why not get moved in, settled and enjoy your farm for at least a few months before rushing to get empty stalls filled with boarders.

See how much work there is going to be for you and your own horses before having a barn full of other peoples horses.

[PamnReba]

I would echo contacting a local rescue for a companion, many will let you adopt “companion only” animals for little to no fee.

[enjoytheride]

@luvmyhackney

And we finally got a date for closing. Fingers crossed we sign the paperwork October 30th. Now I need to figure out how to get a second horse without purchasing one. I don’t want to make any rash decisions buying quickly and prefer not to pay board much longer than I have too. Unfortunately, he will have a panic attack if by himself. So a new problem to solve. Any ideas where to find a companion horse over winter or anyone know anyone that needs cheap retiree board in Eastern WV?

I borrowed a couple horses from my barn manager when I first moved, she supplied grain and I supplied everything else for no cost. It was a win win. Right now I have a boarder who’s on stall rest, owner is out of state for the winter and pays a week early via paypal so it’s also a win win. I send pics every few weeks.

I accidentally bought a pony off one of those kill pen pages. Don’t do that. I had a lot of coffee and it only cost me $200 and it showed up 12 hours after I bought it. It arrived lame, sick, and lame. It’s been the perfect companion horse once it didn’t die, although it’s still lame and I’ve actually leased it out twice now as a companion horse. I went from owning 1 to owning 6 although 3 are on lease.

[OverandOnward]

@luvmyhackney

And we finally got a date for closing. Fingers crossed we sign the paperwork October 30th. Now I need to figure out how to get a second horse without purchasing one. I don’t want to make any rash decisions buying quickly and prefer not to pay board much longer than I have too. Unfortunately, he will have a panic attack if by himself. So a new problem to solve. Any ideas where to find a companion horse over winter or anyone know anyone that needs cheap retiree board in Eastern WV?

Just checking … I believe you are officially, really a farm owner as of this past weekend ???

Threads like this make me think about what it would be like to own a farm, instead of living in the burbs and boarding. :winkgrin:

[luvmyhackney]

I wish… closing pushed out another week. Getting impatient as I found a cute horse I would love to buy.

[OverandOnward]

:eek: OK, hope for good news soon … :yes:

[Bluey]

@luvmyhackney

I wish… closing pushed out another week. Getting impatient as I found a cute horse I would love to buy.

A cute horse you say?

Oh, we would love to see pictures of a cute horse, of course.:love-struck:

[luvmyhackney]

And we closed!!! Only took 8 weeks! I’m also the happy new owner of 3 barn cats who weren’t supposed to be left as the previous tenant said they were his personal house cats. Feeling awful as they have been on the property on their own for three weeks most likely. So picked up kitty kibble, bowls, wet food, and some kitty treats. We shall see how much they eat tonight.

Now the real work begins on the property. Replacing carpet, resealing stone floors, and painting this week/next. Having an electrician rewire the barn, looks like a toddler put it all in. I have major cleaning to do in the barn and need to repack stall floors, then go on a shopping spree at Southern States!

We should be ready to move in the middle of December, and I can not wait!