Homesteading Newbie!

[HorsesAreJustTheBeginning]

Finally moved out to the country from the big city... its been a heck of an adventure.

I have 15+ years with horses, and train professionally, but I'm pretty much completely new to homesteading. I've dabbled in gardening, and have always had dogs and cats, but lived in an apartment before buying the farm, so its all in completely new contexts. I should mention... the farm I bought as a disaster. It had been in foreclosure for 8+ months, had everything stolen from it from the sockets to a 50' light post (light included), had been destroyed by the previous owner (she never fed the horses/let them literally eat horse-sized holes through the stalls and never mucked..), and was poorly put together in the first place (buried hoses serving as water pipes, baling wire used to hold the barn up), so its been a wild year. The end result has been completely new fencing everywhere and leveling the old barn to raise a new one, which means I have a lot of flexibility in planning layout and buildings.

Anyways, hi! Any tips or advice are welcome and appreciated!!

 

[sadieml]

I don't have horses, yet. I have to wait until the goats, chickens, and farm can pay for the horses. Probably 2 or 3 more years. Anyway, let us know what other animals you're looking at, since you, undoubtedly, know more than most about horses. The people here are incredible, and will help more than you can imagine. Also, they are a terrific support-system in good times and bad. I do wish we could have started with horses...but I wouldn't trade our goatie boys for anything in the world.

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

Welcome to Backyard Herds!!
Do you have any horses currently, or, if no, are you planning on getting some when your barn is built? Just curious!

 

[Poka_Doodle]

Greetings from the Goldy Show Hens, I also have horses. The couple things I can say are, they get along great with chickens, only on occasions to they drive the chickens crazy. I am assuming you already know about care

 

[norseofcourse]

Welcome to BHY! I moved to my own small place five years ago with two ponies - no fencing, no barn, 'pasture' disappearing into woods, so it's been a bit of a ride here, too.

There's some good books that may give you ideas - Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage, and the Whole Horse Catalog - but books are just ideas, you have to decide what works for you and your place.

How much land do you have? What part of the country are you in? I'm sure you already know about stuff like facing the opening of a 3-sided shelter away from the prevailing winds, but also consider things like how water flows across your property, what you can see from your house/driveway, and the direction of the sun. If you're in snow country, doors on the north side of buildings will stay snowy/icy since they won't get direct sun. Doors/walks that get east or south sun will melt and dry off quicker. I'm in Ohio, so I don't know what works better in the south.

Make gates big enough to drive equipment through if you ever might need it (tractor/mower/etc). Plan out how you're going to get deliveries like hay - and plan enough storage room. Plan for more room for parking than you think you'll need, especially if you have to back trailers up. Where will manure go? Will it need to be trucked out or loaded on a spreader to spread? Will you have clients coming? Where will they park, visit, observe, take lessons? Keep safety and security in mind, too.

Multiple paddocks/pastures are nice, but keep in mind how you're going to truck water and feed to each one. I did some of my fence planning on a dry erase board, so I could try different ways. Some of the fencing was still on a build-it-as-you-need-it basis though, which mostly worked out, and it's still a work in progress. A printed 'google earth' view of your property is nice for planning, too.

Look at the place after two days of steady rain, if you can - that might tell you where *not* to put some things, like run-in sheds or gates.

There's tons more, details both big and small, which I'm sure you're finding out! Don't stress over it, enjoy the process, take lots of progress pictures, and make notes of what all you do, what works (and doesn't), you'll be surprised how often you'll refer back to them (what year did I replace that faucet? What store/website had those latches I liked?). Congrats on your new place and I'm looking forward to stories about your progress!

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings @HorsesAreJustTheBeginning from the front range in Colorado! ! Great that you have years of experience with horses... that will transfer over quite a bit to other livestock as you acquire it! As for; "Any tips or advice are welcome and appreciated!!" It's too late... I would have advised you to think twice (or more) about buying a foreclosed farm in the condition that one was in I'm sure you're in for the time of your life as well as priceless adventures! I certainly hope you'll share some of them with us as you go along so we can benefit from them as well!

Glad you joined us and there are a lot of really great folks here who will help and support you along your journey! Wishing you the best!

 

[animalmom]

A big welcome and howdy from the Great Lone Star State, where the stars at night are big and bright! I sure sounds like you have your work cut out for you. Shame that some folks put forlorn into foreclosure and destroy or steal anything not nailed down. They aren't hurting the organization pushing them out, they are only hurting the next person who wants to love on the property.

Having said that, come over here, grab yourself a beverage of your choice, sit a spell and prop those feet up. We're informal. Just shoo that goatie out of the chair, taint hers anyway.

Please post pictures of your grand adventure. You don't always know how the information, trial and mostly error, will help the next person.

Glad to have you here. Hope you and your future horses have a grand time.

Did you know there is a sister site, TheEasyGarden.com ? The folks there are right nice and very helpful with growing green things questions. You ought to check them out when you have a spare moment!

 

[HomesteaderWife]

Hey there, and welcome from Alabama! You've had alot of warm welcomes so far- I'm sure you can tell there are a great group of folks here who are always willing to help. BYH is a great place to share your story, and also find answers.

I hate to hear that the property you've purchased is in such sad shape, especially with things being stolen and the previous owner leaving it in that kind of condition too. You've got your work cut out for you, so please keep us updated on your progress and definitely share some photos as you start repairing it and turning it into your dream homestead.

Like I said, everyone here is quick to respond and very knowledgeable so feel free to ask questions if you ever need help. And welcome again!