by Emily Daily
photo by Emily Daily
As I type this post, staring out the window at my ponies grazing happily in the brisk autumn weather, I realize that it’s been exactly a year since my fiancé, Josh Walker, and I have owned our tiny little farm here in West Virginia. A year filled with snow drifts, immense flooding, weekly trips to Home Depot, long commutes, helpful neighbors, and a bouncing, and often nippy, little imp of a colt.
Let me begin by saying that we had no intentions of buying this farm. None. We were simply hunting for a suitable little place in northern Virginia for us to have fun with our four-footed critters. Flushing a good chunk of change down the toilet every month in rent and board was something we could fathom, but we’d never realized we actually had options…long story short, the whole process was a complete nightmare and it makes me never want to buy another house again!
Of course, I’m glad we made the plunge, and here are a few reasons why:
1.) Nothing beats a real life pony wake-up call.
My Connemara mare Cady, the princess of the farm, is adamant about getting her breakfast on time. No sleeping in for us, or we have to listen to Crabby Cady trumpeting all morning…as do the neighbors! I don’t mind not sleeping in, though – I find getting up and seeing the ponies is more rewarding. Nothing like a good whiff of pony to get your day started–better than coffee (well…almost better).
photo by Emily Daily
2.) No more boarding!
Like most horse folks, I’m picky picky about my ponies and their well-being. Sure I’ve sacrificed certain things like having a ring, great ride-out, and someone on-site to hold for the farrier/vet, etc. But I always know where all my tack is (nothing wanders off, unless one of the dogs start gnawing on a curry comb), I know my horses and their habits better than I ever have, and I can monitor their feeding (Growth-Spurt Adolescent Pony needs one more flake, Fatty Pony needs one less). To me, that’s peace of mind. I know that Cady always poops in the same corner of the stall, Tobey is an alpha and needs his hay in a “special pile,” Marco will shimmy out of his blanket if it’s not fastened “properly,” and Amigo the Terrible will bite your fanny when your back’s turned.
3.) Privacy.
I love my horsey friends, I really do, but after hanging out with people all day, sometimes you just want to share your time with your ponies. It’s the reason we have horses, isn’t it? The good thing about having your own place is that if you want to go on a ride with your buddies, then trailer to their farm…but if you want your peace, it’s all yours.
photo by Emily Daily
Here are a few things that I didn’t expect….
1.)
Farmsitters are super-expensive!
When you travel as much as we do, you have to budget quite a bit of money on farmsitters. And while they’re worth every penny, it can add up quickly…when I added up how much we’ve spent paying someone else to take care of our animals this past year, I was shocked. But then again, we’re pretty frugal folks, and it’s worth it knowing that a trusted horseperson is holding down the fort for us while we’re travelling.
2.) Four acres is claustrophobic.
I knew our place was small, but I guess I didn’t realize HOW small it was until I had to keep horses in “eventing shape” …on a completely flat parcel of land, we had to get pretty creative in our training exercises. And even though we have a cute little riding ring (minus footing), it’s been turned into one of our “sacrifice paddocks” while I saved the footing in my back field. I miss riding rings and hills!
photo by Emily Daily
3.) Scheduling your own farrier and vet visits is incredibly time-consuming.
Finding a good vet/farrier, getting them to call you back for an appointment, and then taking time off work for the call can take longer than one would think. Like a good farmsitter, a reliable and talented farrier is also worth their weight in gold.
4.) Parents and friends are amazing supporters.
Of course, I’ve always known this, but I had no idea how much help we’d be evoking from them in this new chapter of our lives. Whether it’s pestering my Dad with first-time homeowner woes, “Dad, the hot water heater’s leaking! There’s water squirting all over the place…” to speed-dialing Mom with animal emergencies: “Mom, I went to grab towels for the hot water heater and the dogs got into the Halloween candy! Should I be worried they ate an entire pound of Twizzlers?”
There are so many pros and cons to owning your own little farm, which I’ll explore in the next few weeks, but one thing is for certain… I’ve never been happier with our life here in wild West Virginia. Literally, wild–I discovered a massive flock of vultures likes to roost in the woods behind our back field. It’s a little eerie, I have to admit. But on the flipside, I’ve seen both a red fox and red-tailed hawk hunting back there, too, which is really neat.
photo by Emily Daily
All for now – stay tuned for more adventures! If nothing, there’s never a dull moment when you’re owning your place!
photo by Josh Walker of Red Horse Media
