I think I've had it

My wife keeps 7 horses. This isn't ag land up here, so they eat hay 365. I make the hay (to try to save money), but I have to drive 750km (500 miles) round-trip for our bales. Our farm truck will need electrical and driveline repairs next week between $1000-1500. She sent the horse trailer to the shop for unnecessary repairs last week. The economy is awful, so nobody has money for horse riding lessons. I've become a part-time farrier (to try to save and make money). We've brought home pigs and lambs during the summer to raise for the table. The horses just keep eating into our money while the farm account can never keep up. I feel I work very hard for this unrewarding way of life, and slave for thankless animals that you can't eat in the end. How do you explain to the most important person in your life that her wants are slowly breaking you? We've been trying for 10 years now to make horses/hobby farming at least break even, but not one year yet... Sorry for this being so long, but I'm at my wits end.
Money pit

sometimes you just have to grow a pair and tell them the way it is........

just be willing sleep elsewhere and give up nnalert.

Don't take it personnaly but when I worked for the local fertilizer company and sprayed fields for horse farmers, I was told to collect the check or money after spraying, cause they told me that horse owners don't have any money.

Just what I was told.

We had some good friends two miles from us and they were paying $12,000.00 a year to have two horses boarded just next door to them. They could afford it though, but still, I would rather have a new car every year.

Perhaps a subtle approach. Rather than 'telling her like it is' show her the books and ask her what she would suggest. Seriously, try to do it without agenda. She may have an idea, or she may not. It might be worth a try. In my experience there are only two people in the horse business that make any money, boarders and breeders. If you arent boarding horses for people or selling breeding fees there isnt any real money coming in. Yet there is real money going out 24/7, 365. Perhaps you could break it down by enterprise and calculate income and expenses. Those enterprises that arent bringing in enough to cover their costs have to change.

It wasnt about horses but I have been there with money. And now Im single. So use at your own risk.

Give and take as well as compermize is simply an intergal part of family life.I spect the quail I put on our table cost hundereds of dollars per oz.At the same time my pointers do me more good than medicine and head doctors at less cost.Will Rogers always said"the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man".Here's hoping times soon get easier for you.

We currently have one boarder, but with our own 7, there's no more room after that, even if there were more customers. I'd like to sell them all but 3, make the same amount of hay but sell the surplus. The hay equipment could be repaired, the vet affordable, and fuel costs would be through the floor. Maybe a down payment on a more reliable truck that was built this century. We don't argue about anything except money spent on horses.

Your proposal sounds reasonable to me. Or, drop back to 3 and pick up 4 boarders. Thats business. But, with the horses and her it sounds like emotion.

I can argue it both ways, and I did for years. One day I woke up and realized that nothing was going to change, if I brought in 1300 a month she spent 1350, if I brought in 2300, she spent 2400 and in either case there was never any savings to pay for stuff like the subscription to the newspaper, there was always 'that money in the farm account' to cover it. So, I made a different choice. Now, the bills all get paid, there's money saved, and our kid has a dad who isnt all stressed out all the time over being broke. But, along the way it was ugly, expensive, and I tried to back down and move back home (she wouldnt let me). So I moved forward. Would I change any of the choices, nope, no way, none of them. Would I recommend those choices to anyone else, nope. Thats something that every man has to decide looking in the mirror every morning.

Good luck, and I will say a prayer tonight...

Jason-- I feel your pain. I married a horse woman also, and it has cost us more money (not to mention blood, sweat {usually mine} and tears {usually hers} than I care to think about. At one point we had 8 of the damn things. I'm a bit of a softie when it comes to animals, and you can't beat living (and raising a child) on a farm, but at some point something has to give. If it is a business, it needs to be run like a business, and if it's a hobby it needs to be affordable. Downsize...we gave one away, sold a few very cheap (all to good homes), and finally she made some money last year. Cut costs and be creative finding ways to save and make $. It takes tough decisions, hard work, and most of all cooperation... but it can be done. Also a sense of humor is essential, especially if your wife is anything like mine...There are a lot of fellas (and a few ladies) on this forum older and wiser than me, so I'm sure you will get some good advice. Feel free to drop me a line...
Ben
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It's time for the sale barn and forget the price cause you won't get much but you at least get rid of the expense and aggravation. We got up to 7 horses in the 90's. More than we could ride. My father in law would feed them in the winter even though we told him not to. Finally just had to take them all to the sale barn. I don't know if you have a killer market in Canada, but since we don't have one here, horse flesh is way down. I remember when it was over 50 cents a pound. There are still guys hauling to the killers in Mexico though.

You've answered your own questions.

Don't let the woman walk all over you, no matter how much she can get mad at you.

If you're stressed both emotionally and financially, then you better be damn sure to save your a$$ by getting rid of your expenses.

I would tell her,You wanna keep the horses,I'll pay for 2, you better get yourself a job to pay for the upkeep and feed and such for the other 5.cause i am done wasting time and money on them that never comes back.
Lets see how long she'll keep it up.
I bet thats what you would be hearing if the shoe was on the other foot.

40 yrs ago I was in the same situation as you were & he is. Same problem keeps going round & round, only the people change. I did the same thing you did. We made our choices? Not really. We did what we HAD to do. Insanity just isn't an option. If he is serious about solving the problem he's got to pick the sane option. Do whatever keeps you sane.

Back in '78 when I got married the first time, my wife and I discussed whether to get a horse--which we could keep at my family's farm, but I'd have to pay all expenses on--or whether I could stay with my old truck hobby. We couldn't afford both.

After talking about a lot of the pros and cons, it finally came down to this: if I can't afford to drive the old truck, I can park it and not have to feed it. But that horse has to be fed every day.

I currently have two truck projects: a stock '51 International pickup and my rod project, a '52 International pickup...and NO horses.

Jason, no disrespect intended, but you have marriage problems not horse problems. The killer market is gone, expect poverty in the horse business to get worse. Around here,northern California, people will pay you to take their horse.

Can't give you any advice specific to your area, but with only 7 horses it sounds like your haymaking adventure is as big a drain (if not more) as the horses themselves (would be in our area anyway). Another drain is mutt horses (or any animal you want to do anything with besides eat yourself). It doesn't cost any more to feed a well bred, pedigreed animal that you can breed ( to another pedigreed animal of the same breed) and sell the offspring when things pick up a little. Too many people throw a male and female together and make a baby that floods the market and drives prices down. A lot of folks here are switching to western riding because it's not as stuffy, you get a different crop of (not so stuffy) people, and equipment is minimal and easier to keep up.
I wouldn't wish boarding someone else's horse on my worst enemy....

Maybe you can sell it as a restructuring??? Get rid of the drains and replace them with something that gives back. Good spouse advise also :roll: .

Good Luck.

Dave

I am in south eastern Ontario and lots of good land here. We always had a couple of horses when I was growing up on the farm but had the grazing land and our own hay to put up for the winter.
In the mid 80s all the kids were moved out on their own, dad retired at 55 and got into Standard Breds. I went to the races with dad to help him out and I got to be a licenced groom in Ontario and Quebec. Now my parents were just middle class, not rich by no means, never had a new vehical in their lifes and still don't.
Now that Harness racing was expensive but dad always thought he would have a big money maker with one of the 2 horses he had, dreams all horse people have. It finally came to the point where my mom told my dad the horses or me. He decided to keep my mother and got rid of the 2 worthless glue pots he had that never came close to covering the gas it took to take them to the races let alone vet bills, paying a driver, shoes, all them things.
Anyways sounds like you have had some good advice. Make a list of expenses and income. See how far in the hole you are every month. Show her on paper the facts. The only people that do make money are trainers, boarders, breeders. Sometimes need to be a boarder to have the horses their to train. Get down to 2 or 3 horses and board 4 horses. I personally know 3 people that have lost their homes over that next great horse. 1 couple divorced the other 2 made it together but barely and had to start all over again. Maybe you could get her interested in another less expensive hobby. Dad got into antique tractor pulling. Cheap hobby really, new rear tires never cost as much as it did to keep and race the horses for a month.
Looks like you are going to have to decide what is most important to you. Maybe write down a game plan from these great ideas everybody has given you and see if she will agree to help take the stress off of you and make your farm into a money making place not a money drain.
I have had money problems myself, I made a decision, got out of the hole finally, wife stayed. The stress that was gone and boy it dawned on me I should have done it a few years earlier if wife would have stayed or not. Probably added years to my life.
Good luck to you whatever happens.

Jason: One of the most common items for sale in Ontario rural real estate listings are horse farms. Most of them don't even realize horse farms are just about worthless.

My dad was a avid horse lover, but you know something, the last horse at our place,went down the driveway in 1953. Pleasure horses have been popular since when times are good economically. That ain't going to be for awhile.

When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

You have to fix your cash flow problem, otherwise you will lose both your horses AND your farm. I don't know the situation where you're at, but in much of the US right now you can't give away a horse. Frankly, if you have to pay someone to take a horse off your hands, that's still better than feeding it for another year.

You've made your case to us, now make it to your wife.

Don't dig yourselves into any more debt. Time to unload the horses. Everyone is cutting back
and the ecomony isn't going to improve. Hal

You're going to have a BIG fight on your hands I'd suspect because most of the dyed in the wool horse folks are very illogical at best.Sort of like drugs except its socially accepted and more expensive.Thats why I like tractors they stop eating when I cut the switch off(LOL)

We used to have horses. I finally told my wife that the last one had to go. I know many people who have horses. Not one makes money. You would be better off buyying lottery tickets.

Who says you cant eat horses? They are a delicacy is some places, don't think the misses will go for that though....

JBM

My wife volunteers at a theraputic riding center for handicaped kids.

When the riding center has horses that they can no longer work, then we adopt them.

We had had 5 so far, never more than 3 at a time. We now have 2, one is a belgian.

Anway, we just feed them and care for them till they die.

The difference is , we arent't expecting to make anything, my wife likes horses, she is a retired teacher and we can afford to keep them.

I agree, trying to make anything with them in this economy is an uphill piece of business.

Good luck, Gene

Too far north to keep horses, even down south we call them hay burners.Better to go trapping or moose , duck and goose hunting. Blue berries got $60 per basket last year. Better to forget the horses .

I think you got all the feedback you need. Is this a business or hobby? Looking at your website it says business. But business is tight right now. So you need to adjust the size of your business to meet demand.

If you want a Hobby:
1 or 2 horses the rest go. Maybe 1 for each child. Then the out of pocket horse costs are for your familys enjoyment, not to pay the bills.


If you want a Business:
Run it just like any other business. Build your business model, cash flow in/out. IF cash flow in is big you reinvest in the business, if money is tight, your model would say sell some of the horses. (which sounds where you're at now)

By sitting down reviewing your liabilities vs. assets, it becomes a business decision, not an emotional one.

Just my thoughts. Don't know your situation, but it appears you have tried to expand a hobby into a business, which many people do. If that is the case, "business" decisions need to be made.

Good luck,
Rick

We can provide you with all the opinions you want. It"s going to be entirely up to you as to what the final decision is. So think carefully. This will have repercussions that last the rest of your life.

A wife SHOULD be a business partner as well as all else that goes with a marriage. She SHOULD be doing her part to make things work. If she ISN"T, you have a serious problem. Money (and the lack of it) is the #1 reason why marriages fail. She needs to take a long hard look at which means more to her....the horses or your life together. This is going to take a confrontation to find an ending. Good luck with that.

It"s been my findings that a financial situation that is in free-fall doesn"t turn around and make itself "wonderful" again. Generally, bad just gets worse. There are exceptions, but based on the criteria you have presented, I"d be very doubtful YOURS is in the exceptional group.

My opinion? Tell the wife EITHER she can find a way to make things pencil out to AT LEAST a break even point, or she needs to look at finding another hobby. Dreams are great, but they don"t feed the bulldog. If she doesn"t want to work with you, you might be better off WITHOUT her. And with that comes loosing darn near everything....for BOTH of you.

DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND and stand your ground, else you"re going to end up with nothing AND still own a lot of debt.

Here in central Ohio you can't give them away. The economy is killing everything. Evan horses.

My buddy has the same kind of deal going, but has two Arabian horses that are boarded out. These things are money pits and cost min. $600 a month each, not counting taking them to show, shoes, vet, etc. The show are really killer, they hammer you for everything. She does not see that the barn people are raking her over the coals and just see dollar signs. Horse owners, even ones with money, are dropping out and getting rid of the horses, thus forcing the barn to charge more to the ones that are left. I like to look at horses as much as the next guy, but they are just big, expensive eating machines.

I'm sure it's a bone of contention with your significant other and a sure way to start a dispute, however, realizing where you are currently at with this, those horses need to go, it's that simple! You have to understand that, put bluntly, send them down the road, find a home for them, but start the process, get rid of all, or reduce it to a manageable level. We had a guy south of here who got in over his head with 170 of them, it's always the same situation, large or small, cause is always the same.

I know all about what you describe, I grew up and lived it, was the cause of my parents divorce and my utter hatred of the animals for a very long time, everything revolved around horses, every little thing, and we're talking 30-40 of them, then and now more recently at our other place. They eat before you, they require all of your attention, they have to be ridden, exercised, blacksmith, vet, ............... you know the drill, as do I and at the end of the day, and some if not most days there is no end, something has to and will give. Though I thought they were as worthless animal as there was, because of this, which is not true by any means, it's just no picnic if you get in over your head.

Fortunately, none of ours have ever been mistreated, we always managed to take care of them properly regardless of the problems, which at times was very difficult, but still kept em fed right, exercised, groomed, anything less no matter what is just unacceptable when it comes to horses, no matter what problems you have. When I was in 8th grade, I was left with a barn full, both parents and these were their horses, (I was just the indentured labor servant at $28/week) were too busy battling it out with a divorce, I did what I could, but the results eventually were really quite sad with what happened to the place and my family. It was also a huge contributor to financial ruin, I'll say it again, GET RID OF THEM ASAP, for now, until you can put yourself in a better position to deal with them.

I can tell you that when things are bad, problems with owning horses, owning a stable, equine facility, equipment or just being a boarder, can grow exponentially, and run you into the ground quicker than you can find solutions. I dealt with this in '05, between drug addicted, alcoholic and thieving hired help, money being real tight, lack of needed equipment, an owner, (my father) who is an obstructionist when it comes to the place and making money, and my patience bordering insanity, I was about ready to pull my hair out and jump out of my own skin, trying to keep things together, 7 days a week, 24/hrs a day. Upwards of 30-40 of them at that time, well that changed to about 12-20, all due to this, 2/3rds is now paid for by the one owner who has them retired at our place and can afford whatever they want anyway, so the burden has been lifted, if were not that way, you just cannot imagine the headaches involved, it's a never ending nightmare when you are short on hay, can't find decent hay, bedding, then they all need the blacksmith, the vet, darned fences, and work needing to be done to the buildings, water pipes and the site, without money it's enough to drive a person completely mad. Then there is the help, the damned help, you can't play games with em, they can be a real pain in the a$$, we are fortunate to have that problem alleviated, but it's far from ideal, hired help is a headache of it's own. Boarders, riders and lesson takers can also be another problem, at the end of the day it's not much different then a dairy operation just breaking even, I've lived that, though it does not necessarily need to result like that, just seems to happen more often in my experience with horses, stables and or similar. There are ways to make money and achieve some reasonable success, our place was like that in the past, and I've seen other places do it, but many end up in this predicament. The economy is rough on this business, unless you are dealing with wealth, that is the case with the retired show horses, she can't part with them, but has the money to back it, hubby was #2 man in the upper management at G.E. just under the CEO, saw his profile in Forbes, makes you sick the money these executives get, they can truly afford horses and have no headaches, just throw money at it, it all goes away.

At our place, things could be done differently, we have one of the largest indoor arenas in the area, enough decent ground with 50 acres, we could supply all our own hay between both places, also a stones throw from Saratoga, NY but when the owner is an obstructionist and has lost his business sense, the place can really suffer immensely and those horses don't go away, it will drive a person nuts, been there many times already, do yourself a huge favor, sit down with her and resolve this amicably so you can reduce the burden, trust me, if you let it go on, the results will most likely be disastrous. Show her this post if you like, e-mail is open, a person just can't be that stubborn and not understand about this, she's just got to understand, it does not mean you can't never have them again, but 250 miles to get hay, that is insane even for 7 of them, 1-2 might be a lot easier, 0 will solve the problem. I don't know what it is about horses, but people just get crazy with them and lose touch with reality and practicality, not to mention dollars and sense. If she's that stubborn, and there's no compromise about it, you'll be better off settling the bill there too, I hate to even say it, but you won't regret it if she's that attached to em. I've seen this many many times with couples and local stables, horses and keeping a significant other happy is an equation for failure in many situations, hope you work it out by all means, best of luck to both of you !!!

I was in that boat 7 years ago. Wife and I fought about money every week when my two pay checks never made it to the end of the week and the wife was always ask'n when I was going to sell a load of calves so she could buy something.

Last fight we had started out with her say'n "You love them *amned cows more than you love me". I could not help my self I just looked at her and said well they are glad to see me when ever I get home, they do their best to pay their way round here, and some times I can touch one of them with out get'n the crap kicked out of me.

Marriage is just like a buisness, if you and your partner ain't heading in the same direction something has to give.

Dave

I learned to drive and wrench on a 52 International. Wish I still had it but had no place to store it properly. Couldn't stand to see it sitting rusting away so we finally sold it.

slim

I've been around and owned horses much of my life.A non-working horse is the most useless luxury there is !I like horses,but ive yet to see one setting in a pasture pay for itself!In MY opinion,shutting down the slaughter horse trade is the worst thing that ever happened to the horse buisness,useless,underfed,unused horses all over the country that folks can't get rid of anywhere!I think i'd check around your area and see if theres a riding stable somewhere close.buy your wife a membership and let her ride there and enjoy her love of horses,but get rid of the ones you cant keep up ,if you can.

Fella I work with was in a situation... Wife had 13 horses... 7 dogs... One horse died... after thousands in vet bills... she would pay for hay and vet bills before making the mortgage payment... They have been divorced since Jan... He is a MUCH happier person without all of the stress and anxiety... she is still in the house...with her 13 (yes she got another.. back to 13) horses... and 7 dogs.. which is in foreclosure...

After reading the posts on here, I am reminded of a friend of mine who was into cars. Married a girl who had horses on the brain. He got into horses & a ridding stable and giving lessons. A hot little under age chick was taking lessons from him, she told her mother that they were having an affair. My friend is now in prison. Stay away from hot chicks & horses.

I would first sit down and figure out your costs, etc., and look at your business plan before starting a fight with your wife. Approach her slowly about changing how the operation is run, don't just tell her that all the horses have to go or else. This is serious stuff that involves both of you sharing a lifestyle that you dreamed of, so be very careful taking random advice. After you review the profit & loss numbers, work through them WITH YOUR WIFE to determine your course of action.

I looked at your website, and it looks like you have a nice setup there. Figure out what your costs are for producing hay, and then figure out how many of your own horses you can feed. You didn't say what your 7 horses are for; do they have specific uses or disiplines? Maybe focus on one discipline, like dressage or hunter/jumping, and keep two lesson horses for that and sell the rest. (The buckskin for sale on your website is a beauty, looks just like my quarter horse.) Are all 7 yours, or does that include boarded horses?

I feed two horses on our farm, and one bale a day of grass/alfalfa mix keeps them in nice condition through the MN winter. I plan on 300 bales per year with them pastured in summer, and sell the rest to the stable where we take lessons. Figuring 1/2 a bale per horse per day, feeding them isn't that bad if you keep the number of animals manageable. Look at your options for hay. Would it be cheaper to buy some locally instead of hauling your own over a long distance?

People are still taking lessons; maybe you need to improve advertising to show what you have to offer. Are you boarding in stalls or pasture? Stalls are much more work, and really not good for the animal. Keeping them together in a paddock would be less work. For 7 horses, put out 2 bales in morning & 2 in the evening. Doesn't need to be much more complicated than that.

Maybe you can reduce your rates to be more competitive and get more clients. Around here, pasture & outdoor paddock boarding is around $160 to $190 per month, while stalls are around $300. If you offer stalls only, you may get more boarders by instead offering pasture for half the price. Increase your advertising as a farrier outside of your farm. You should be able to get some OK side income if you are good and get repeat customers.

Nobody said farming is easy or will always be fun, whether it's horses, cows, or chickens, or just crop farming. You just need to figure out how to keep it manageable by determining your goals and develop a plan IN WRITING on how you will get there. Don't know about Canada, but in the US, you are supposed to show profit at least 2 out of 5 years (equestrian may be more like 3 out of 10 years,) but even if you don't, you can get through a tax audit if you have a written plan showing how you intend to make the business profitable. Even if you show a loss, there may be tax benefits to that as well.

Sorry Jason, I just read your later post saying the 7 horses are personal and you only have one boarder. Sounds like you are thinking right to cut back to 3. Work the math. Even if you make your own hay, figure your total hay cost for tractor fuel, transport, repairs, etc. As an example, if cost is $3 per bale, then hay cost per horse should average $1.50/day (20 to 25 lbs per day.) Seven horses then cost you $10.50/day, or $3832/year. If you only have one boarder for $300/month, that's $3600 income. Thats not a good business model. Also, are all 7 horses used in the business for lessons, etc., or are some for pleasure only? Three horses would cut your hay cost to $1642/year, and would also give you room for more boarding. Now we're seeing a potential for a profit. This is what you need to work through with your wife. Work on her sympathy for the animals, that it's not fair to the horses to try to spend a small amount of time with 7, when she could spend more time with each of the 3 if you reduce the herd. Then the other 4 can go to people that can give them the time and training they deserve.

That's bad advice. My only regret in life is that I didn't take english riding lessons earlier. Women really appreciate a guy that takes an interest in horses, especially if you get into jumping. What other sport can you participate in where women outnumber men 10 to 1? And the women wearing tight breeches and tall boots? Life is short, have fun.

Thousands of horses roaming the hills of kentucky and west virginia,people can't afford them and just let them loose.

My advice may be worth almost as much as the rest you've gotten, but you asked. Just celebrated 43rd wedding anniversary; there've been some good years, some great years and some I'd just as soon forget; I imagine the love of my life would agree. The problem IS NOT the horses, but you probably already know that..........somewhere down deep inside; and yeah, I owned horses for many years.

Yeah, and you can sucked right into it, I've been around them since a little kid in the late 60's, my father and mother seemingly got together while they were young riders/competitors mid to late 50's early 60's. There are lots of young people, sounds like this guy got himself in a jam, you absolutely can't be getting involved in a situation like that, people just don't think, we used to have all ages of riders, boarders, something like that would and could ruin a long established business. Our neighbors got wind of this piece of trash help my father hired one year and would not let their daughters come across the road to ride anymore because of it, I fired the guy.

I think you gave some sage advice about taking a closer look, scaling things back, but you cannot appreciate the relief from the bills and the headaches when they are gone, horses will always be around, living under constant duress because of them is no way to go through life.

I've seen many aspects of this business, stables that board, private stables, both of our places, full scale horse trucking, we did our own hay then, upwards of 4000 bales, we had a business with several trucks transporting horses adjacent to our tractor dealership, horse transportation was actually was pretty good if you built a professional reputation, we put on 5 day A-rated A.H.S.A, shows for years nearby, 500+ exhibitors, have done multi day A-rated shows in New Mexico at the state fairgrounds, in Albuquerque, in the mid 90's, and will be putting on the 3rd annual show we started a few years ago in Jacksonville Fla. this fall. We still breed and train, no more lessons as of late, same with boarders, one barn is old and needs lots of repair, my father still holds AHSHA Judge(R) license, and a stewards license, stepmother same, and my mother used to as well, been to more darned shows than I can remember or care to, was dragged around as a kid and grew up in this environment, I have seen quite a bit with horses and farms, but just have experience in operating and supporting a horse farm, riding never interested me, owning them too, based on what I saw year after year, the one thing I can say, when it's time to send em down the road, it's time, take that break and enjoy it, sooner or later one of the 2 in the couple ends up getting the shaft, we have a long time horse farm in town, bought by someone with wealth and he turned out to be an extreme eccentric, his wife has been left with a huge dilemma, she's got kids too, probably never gave it any consideration, well what if........ maybe there is another way for Jason and his wife here, and I would hope that to be true, but if things become critical, you may have wished you were more proactive in finding them new homes, which we all know is a difficult thing, and is why I recommend seeing them all off, and taking a break from it, it's been the ruining of a lot of people, including my family and many others in the area, I've know more than one who have roughed it out living in the barn lounge or tack room etc.

It's good to see the input here, but I firmly think that starting over is something to consider, it's a lot of work and it can make for long days, life is too short and stress is good for no one.

Put the horses to work.I had a horse that was used for riding, raking hay,dragging tree length wood out of the woods for fuel,pulling a sled in winter.I had a nice buggy that he pulled.When cattle got out he was good at cutting them off and driving them back home.

go modern and get a tractor, we did in the 1930's.

LEH, where are you from in central OH. The story you tell sounds awfully familiar to a guy in my area (Pataskala)

All a gal had to tell me was she had a horse(s)
that was enough to make me go the other direction.
Horsewomen are rarely into to gardening,cooking or anything practical.

I lived on a dairy farm and sold hay to horse folks. Dad would take a check if they had one horse, more than one it was cash, and before the hay was unloaded.

Hi, Jeff K. turned down for parole recently. He is a good guy, it's sad to see his world destroyed. His family has been really hurt by this, his Mom for sure. He was found guilty in court, but I can't believe him to be a bad person. We've known the family a long time. In this day & age, you just can't make a mistake. Something will jump up & bite you. I call Pataskala "Hell Town". Know the place ??

Very True !!!